The housing-relief law passed at the end of last month included a tax credit of up to $7,500 for first-time homebuyers. But -- this has confused people -- it isn't a gift.

I confess to being a game junkie (I have my own Nintendo DS to prove it), so when Coldwell Banker added its "Housetrology" quiz to its Web site, I had to take it. I'm not in the market for a house right now, but I'd buy my dream house in a minute -- if I could pay for it, that is.

King County has fewer active real-estate listings today (16,433) than it did a week ago (16,504), according to Windermere Real Estate's weekly count. But listings are up 33 percent from a year ago.

An interesting article in Thursday's New York Times addresses Wall Street banks' worries about the commercial-mortgage market.

Pierce County officials agreed this week to temporarily allow some "Open House" signs near roads. Real-estate agents created a hue and cry over county crews removing signs and taking them to the dump in an effort to rid roadsides of sign clutter and cut down on distractions.

The industry is watching a Chicago lawsuit filed by Ticor Title, one of the country's largest title-insurance companies, against Countrywide Mortgage.

I lied. Well, not really, but I definitely goofed: The listing I've been tracking in Bellevue -- 4749 119th Ave.
S.E. -- is not off the market.

The phones have been going crazy -- again. What's with those 2008 King County property assessments? Readers who aren't angry about their assessed values going up are completely confused about how their land values could have risen while their home values fell.

This is a weird blog post, I'll tell you. But I don't want you to think I'm inept. The Web album where most of my blog photos were stored was deleted. I don't know how, when or why. So if you see a white box and tiny red X where a photo should be, it's not you or your computer. Sorry!

Zillow's latest report, on second-quarter home sales, breaks down the market by price range, type of home (house vs. condo), MSA (metropolitan statistical area), county, city, ZIP code and neighborhood and looks at homeowners' equity, market trends (where we are in comparison with the peak) and distress signals.

Of the three for-sale listings I've been tracking, one -- at 4749 119th Ave. S.E., Bellevue -- is no longer for sale.

The most recent (September) issue of Consumer Reports contains six pages of information for real-estate consumers, starting with negotiating commissions.

The survey focused on people who bought or sold homes in 2004 through 2007, and the results are based on 9,141 responses. If you're subscribe to Consumer Reports, you can read the stories online. If not, you'll have to subscribe online, buy the magazine at the newstand, or settle for an abridged version of the stories.

In the meantime, here's the MarketWatch story about the story.

A Shoreline reader e-mailed to ask about a $295 fee included in the listing contract she signed with a real-estate agent to sell her home.

I got an e-mail recently from Laura, a reader who wants to know whether moving back to the Sacramento area is a good idea right now. I'm sure there are pros and cons, so let's put our heads together and help her decide.

Reverse auctioneer Justin Wilcox, who had hoped to unload his two-story Bothell house by now, instead has lowered the price -- this time by $15,000 in what he says will be the last price drop. So the house now has a list price of $424,900, down $75,000.