Weekly Roundup: All signs point to strengthening market in NYC and U.S., owners of luxury homes gild lillies, lighthouse in Chesapeake Bay for sale

Number of Manhattan properties under contract soars, inventory plummets during 2012

Q4 Brooklyn prices post biggest year-over-year price gain since 2006, while Queens median climbs 14 percent

Bars, restaurants and grocery stores can hurt quality of life, resales for residents of apartment buildings

Foreclosures mushroom in Queens, grow somewhat in Staten Island and the Bronx, slide in Brooklyn and Manhattan

Astronaut resists aiming for moon in putting Los Angeles condo on the market

Former baseball star lists sprawling Beverly Hills estate for $25 million

Actors who split in 2011 finally selling their UES triplex, for $9.25 million

TV judge lists Midtown pied-à-terre for $9 million — yes, for a pied-à-terre!

Estate of acerbic intellectual sells Chelsea penthouse to seven-time Emmy winner

Filmmaker offers Greenwich Village co-op for sale but plans no move to North Dakota

At 4.2 million, home sales

Weekly Roundup: Rates up in seasonal market

Important housekeeping announcement:  There will be reduced frequency in August until after Labor Day, but you can look forward until then to Out and About, some typically critical posts taken on The High Road, perspectives on sellers and buyers, and other information meant to be both illuminating and, occasionally, even entertaining.  This regular Friday feature will return on September 9, when it will be combined with The Big Apple.

Pending home sales rise for second consecutive month

Sales of new homes continue to move sideways in June

By Case-Shiller’s gauge, May home prices increase normally with seasonality

Economists reflect on the numbers

The Fed see little change in U.S. housing market

Following Treasury yields, rates climb 0.8 points and exceed a year earlier

Self-employed

Self-employed borrowers have a new mortgage option

Individuals who work for themselves–normally those who file Schedule C with their federal income tax returns–have had a tough time getting approval either for a new mortgage or refinancing.

But now there is an option for buyers of single-family homes, condos or co-ops who are able to make a downpayment of at least 30 percent, according to lender David Bersak of Guaranteed Home Mortgage.

The requirements