The evidence is finally starting to come in — that women are a force to be reckoned with when it comes to investment and getting a favorable return on their money, particularly in the residential real estate market. But it wasn’t always that way.

The reason: Until the last two decades or so, women suffered from…

More first quarter rental data reveals the short-lived renters’ revolt and an apartment oversupply depressed apartment occupancy rates late last year, but that one-two punch wasn’t enough to knock out rising rents. ..

“Homeownership is one of the best tax benefits that the federal government gives out,” says Gray Buffington, president of Buffington Mortgage in Austin, Texas. “People count on it. It’s how they calculate their out-of-pocket costs in owning versus renting.”

What you’re probably less sure of is exactly how to go about taking advantage of all your new house-related tax breaks.

Many first-time homeowners will definitely enter new tax-filing territory with the very first return they file after moving into their new abode. For other new owners, the filing changes might take a little longer to show up.

But all will need to know some basic tax rules that could make their homes a great tax — as well as an actual — shelter….