You already knew about New York's incredible "Mushroom House" but it seems like Ohio's got its own that blows New York's right out of the water.

This colorful and quirky one-bedroom, one-bathroom home in Cincinnati looks like it's been plucked straight out of a Tim Burton movie. With a spiraling, neon-orange staircase, curved walls, psychedelic stained glass, circular steel steps and anthropomorphic window shapes, this crazy-beautiful home may be listed for $349,000 (previously $525,000) but its eclectic appeal is priceless. Though the New York "Mushroom House" admittedly looks more like a mushroom, this Pixar-esque home is known by the same name due to its unique siding that perfectly resembles the underside of a mushroom. See for yourself.

The home was built by architect Terry Brown, who spent over a decade creating the unusual home with 35 of his former students from the University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. Every inch of the 1,260-square-foot Mushroom House is decked out in either wood, colored glass, shell or ceramics. In fact, it's engulfed in so many different colors, shapes and textures, it's less of a house than it is a work of art.

Amanda Coleman Voss of Robinson Sotheby's International Realty has the listing.

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When Robert Canoles and his son Branden saw two people trying to enter the foreclosed and empty home next door to them in Porterdale, Ga., they were quick to react. They held the unknown visitors at gunpoint, and waited for the Newton County Sheriff's deputies they'd summoned to arrive. The officers quickly arrested the strangers, charged them with loitering and prowling, and praised the Canoles for their actions.

But Jean-Joseph Kalonji, 61, and his wife Angelica, 57 (pictured) weren't prowlers. The couple's son had recently purchased the home in the small town about 35 miles east of Atlanta, and they were there to change the locks before moving in. After the Kalonjis' son, Bruno, was able to provide the documentation proving ownership of the property, the charges against the two were dropped.

"I cannot believe that six cops ended up here and none of them wanted to investigate the situation a little more," Bruno Kalonji told Atlanta's WXIA-TV. "They're looking at my parents as thieves at a home where there's nothing inside."

In a complete 180, police have since arrested the Canoles (whose mugshots are below) and charged them with aggravated assault, false imprisonment and criminal trespass.

The Kalonjis' attorney, Don Samuel, expressed dismay with the police officers' initial response. "They just spontaneously arrested him, arrested his wife, threw them in jail, made no phone calls, made no effort to verify the truthfulness of what they were saying, and told the people with the guns in essence, 'Thank you for your good service,' " Samuel told Georgia TV station WSB.

The deputies who arrested the Kalonjis are facing an internal investigation.

But perhaps the Canoles and the police weren't wrong to at least be suspicious. Squatters breaking into and occupying foreclosed houses are a real and widespread problem. Just last week, the occupants of a foreclosed home in Antioch, Calif., filed a case against a real estate agent who is trying to sell the house. They issued a temporary restraining order, making it illegal for her to be within 50 yards of the property.

The purported squatters "never ever paid my client," real estate agent Melissa Case explained to KTVU. "Actually, the police came out and verified that their rental agreement is false and filled with misspellings."

Among the more outrageous squatter-related tales in the last year:

• It was reported last month that a tax-aided New York City homeless advocacy group has been teaching homeless people how to squat in vacant properties.

• Alleged squatters in Miami were found with drugs, handguns, grenades, and a pig.

• A huge marijuana growing operation was discovered in a vacant, foreclosed house after it caught on fire in Reche Canyon, Calif. And there are reports of even more foreclosed homes are being turned into pot gardens.

• In Fort Worth, Texas, a man claimed a vacant $2.7 million mansion as his own. And another wrote an e-book about how to possess an empty house by exploiting an obscure Texas law, but was later kicked out of the foreclosed dwelling that he claimed as his own.

See also:
Foreclosures Put 8 Million Children At Risk, Study Says
1st Gay-Friendly Public Housing Project Planned in Philadelphia
Fair Housing Group Sues U.S. Bank Over Foreclosures

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As if being on a Hawaiian beach isn't enough. This $16.95 million home in Honolulu is designed for entertainment. Delight guests with sunset cocktails in the spacious living room or on one of your oceanfront lanais. Or go swimming in your heated outdoor pool, equipped with barbecues. To really get the party started, get your groove on in your own private disco!

With 9,711 square feet of living space, it will be tough to find time to go outside to your pristine private beach. But no worries: panoramic windows will let you enjoy the beach from inside the house, too, not to mention views of Koko Head's slopes and the cliffs of Black Point.

And if you ever want to leave (I can't imagine why), you're just minutes from Waikiki, world-class shopping, dining and even more entertainment.

Prudential Advantage Realty of Hawaii has the listing.

Click on the images below to see more homes for sale in Honolulu.

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There's nothing quite like the lure of an open house sign. Granted, you might not be in the neighborhood (or tax bracket) for many of these outstanding properties, but there's still plenty to admire -- even from the comfort of your swivel chair.

From coast to coast, and everything in-between, we lay down the welcome mat at some of the most enticing open houses in the nation. So wipe your feet at the door and scroll right on through.

Open house: Sun., April 29
Price: $2.995 million
Property details: This harmonious, six-bedroom home in McLean is remarkably stylish. Built upon 4.7 acres, the home beautifully compliments its surrounding environment through "transparency of spaces" and an abundance of gorgeous greenery in and outside the home. Gorgeous gardens with specimen plantings, water features, fire pits and exquisite wood details throughout make this home a cut above the rest. There's a guesthouse, too, for visiting family and friends!

See inside this property.

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Open house: Sun., April 29
Price: $10.9 million
Property details: This award-winning, four-bedroom L.A. home is nothing short of star-worthy. Sprawled across 7,000 square feet, this sleek modern boasts expansive ocean and city views and (naturally) luxury amenities to boot. We're talking a two-story theater, wine cellar, bar, wardrobe conveyor and massive pool. Plus, you get grand ceilings, "gallery walls," and design that's inspired by "classic Euro styling," according to the listing. Whew! A home fit for an A-lister.

See inside this property.

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Open house: Sat., April 28
Price: $3.795 million
Property details: This prestigious High Ridge truly has it all. To begin with, its 10-foot coffered ceilings, imported tiles and trim, and elevator access to all three floors mixes modern luxury with classic touches. The stately manse, located on a 2.05-acre lot, also overlooks a gorgeous in-ground pool and waterfall and private pond with dock. Inside, you are treated with a majestic two-story entry foyer and a massive library. Throw in Jacuzzis, a pub room and an in-home gym, and you could want for nothing else! A dream home.

See inside this property.

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Open house: Sun., April 29
Price: $279,900
Property details: A ranch-style home that blends beautifully with its natural surroundings. From its two-tone paint, white-wood blinds, laminate floors and backyard filled with fruit trees, this 2,713-square-foot home is the epitome of earthy chic. The property is close to walking, hiking and biking trails, and boasts an oversized backyard and enormous pool. Close to shopping centers and elementary schools, the four-bedroom home is perfect for families.

See inside the property.

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Open house: Sun., April 29
Price: $650,000
Property details: This stunning 3,600-square-foot Seattle home boasts a charming Southern wrap-around porch and is flanked by leafy mature trees on all sides. Inside, you'll find gleaming hardwoods, soaring ceilings, window seats with rich fir trim, stained glass and ornate light fixtures. The home's impressive "period kitchen" boasts a unique vintage stove and pretty tiled floors. A beautiful five-bedroom home that tips its hat to the traditional with its elegant antiquarian touches.

See inside this property.

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Open House: Sun., April 29
Price: $769,000
Property details: An eco-friendly home that's glamorous and green, this two-bedroom Pemberton Heights contemporary is the epitome of environmentally conscious modern luxury. With a design that's pure "architectural magic" (could you expect anything less from architect Hugh Jefferson Randolph and LEED-certified builders Durrett Interests?) this Pemberton Heights beauty is easy on the eyes and earth. Breathtaking floor-to-ceiling glass windows showcase the home's lush yard while flooding the museum-like interior with ample sunlight. One of a kind.

See inside this property.

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Supporting the view that the housing market is on a positive trajectory, a new report shows that the number of homes that are in the process of being sold is at its highest in two years. Meanwhile, the number of home sales that closed reached its best first quarter in 2012 since the dawn of the housing crisis, a National Association of Realtors economist says.

The NAR's Pending Home Sales Index which measures home-purchase contract signings and predicts home sale closings, ticked up 4.1 percent to 101.4 in March 2012 from an upwardly revised 97.4 in February 2012. That's also 12.8 percent above the March 2011 level. That index, compiled by the Realtors group, puts pending sales at the highest they've been since April 2010, and its encouraging measurement drove up the U.S. stock market Thursday, Bloomberg said.

National Association of Realtors Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said in a statement that 2012 has seen the best-performing first quarter in five years for home sale closings, and that the Pending Home Sales Index -- since it measures contract signings, which come before contract closings -- predicts an equally improved second quarter.

"The housing market has clearly turned the corner," Yun said. "Rising sales are bringing down inventory and creating much more balanced conditions around the country, which means home prices will be rising in more areas as the year progresses."

If Yun is right, that means a five-year downward spiral fueled by fast-and-loose lending and the price-crushing foreclosures that followed has finally come to end, leaving a humbled housing market in its wake. Around 4 million people lost their homes to foreclosure during the crisis, a number that experts say will rise by millions more, while home prices plunged by more than a third. As a result, at least 1 in 5 homeowners owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth.

The positive pending home sales report follows other data that has offered mixed signals about the condition of the housing market. A recent Census Bureau statistic reported that new home sales fell in March 2012, but also showed that, contrary to what the Census Bureau previously reported, new home sales actually rose significantly in February 2012.

The Case-Shiller Index, meanwhile, recently found that home prices fell in February 2012, but at a lower rate than a year earlier. Indexes that purport to provide a much more current gauge of home prices say that prices are actually rising.

While most economists agree that the housing market is making at least some headway, they often do not paint as rosy a picture as the National Association of Realtors, which calculates the Pending Home Sales Index.

Among their concerns is the looming threat of the "shadow inventory": the overhang of homes in a state of foreclosure that are expected to eventually be repossessed by banks, or homes already repossessed by banks that are being held off the market.

Due to the recent robo-signing settlement between major lenders and 49 state attorneys general, a share of these homes, economists say, may flood the market in the coming months, driving down home prices.

See also:
Homebuying: 5 Key Steps to Your 1st Real Estate Purchase
Home Sales See Best 1st Quarter in 5 Years, Realtors Report Says
Foreclosure Rehab: Ramping Up the Battle Against Blight

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By Jody Brown

It can be hard to decide what your personal architectural style is. There are so many choices. And if you're trying to choose something important - like, say, the house you want to live in for the rest of your life - well ... you should probably get that choice right. But how can you tell what style you are? Is there a guide? Well, no, actually. There's the summary that the real estate people write, but that's basically science fiction. All ugly houses are called "contemporary." That's not helpful.

We need a better system. Something more ... scientific. So I'll give it a try. Using my vast knowledge of architectural styles and my keen powers of observation, I've compiled the following. Feel free to make changes in your life accordingly.

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By Bud Dietrich

At the end of the 19th century and early into the 20th, a popular home style in the United States was the Queen Anne. The Queen Anne was clearly a transitional style, creating a bridge between the exuberant Victorian and the restrained Colonial revival styles.

The Queen Anne home is characterized by its asymmetrical design. With a large projecting gable on one side and a tower on the other, the Queen Anne is a tall, upright and proud house.

At its base, the Queen Anne has a wide porch that welcomes the visitor and provides a place to rest and view the street. An abundance of large windows keeps the interior of the Queen Anne light and bright.

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