6 real estate headlines: 05-May

A daily dose of headlines for real estate agents, mortgage lenders, homebuyers and home sellers.

DC wants to pay you to live near your work Washington City Paper: The Office of Planning is launching a pilot program that will match employer grants of up to $6,000 per person for closing and down payment assistance on homes near Metro stations and bus lines.	Bin Laden's $1M mansion no 'spartan cave' Inman News: Unquestionably, the most interesting piece of real estate on the entire planet today is the "mansion" compound where Osama bin Laden was found.
Bid a fond adieu to the living room Washington Examiner: According to a study by the National Association of Home Builders, by 2015 the living room may vanish from new homes.	Can mandatory mediation save DC homes from foreclosure? Washington Post: The law covers residential loans in the District secured by a deed of trust or a mortgage that was used to acquire or refinance real property.
When does a short sale make sense? Wall Street Journal: For a bank to consider a short sale, you must owe more than your house is worth and demonstrate hardship.	Is home ownership overrated? Smart Money: Decades of policies designed to foster home ownership are being reexamined, from taxpayer support for the giant mortgage agencies to the tax deduction for mortgage interest.

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