Preserving the City: An Opaque and Lengthy Road to Landmark Status. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission often takes years to act, an examination shows.

Experience Necessary: From That First Show and Tell, a Passion for Real Estate. David Berley is chairman of Walter & Samuels Inc., a real estate firm he has been with for 40 years. He specializes in converting commercial space to residential.

Property Values: What You Get for ... $400,000. A one-bedroom loft in Phoenix, a house on 10 acres in Halifax, Vt., and a house in a gated subdivision in Kill Devil Hills, N.C.

International Real Estate: For Sale in ... Bavaria, Germany. A two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bath apartment with views of Lake Starnberg and the Alps in Feldafing, Germany is for sale for 2,850,000 Euros ($3,548,600).

On the Edge of a Fjord. For Jeff and Tina Leopold, who built their dream home next to a fjord, 30 minutes south of Oslo, the vista of water, islands and pine trees provides daily inspiration.

Living Here | First-Floor Master Suites: At Ground Level. “There’s something very pleasant about walking out the door into the main part of the house. Meanwhile, the kids are upstairs in their own world, and we have ours.”

Breaking Ground: Royal Island & Epic Residences & Hotel. A private island residential resort, and a waterfront residential and hotel development.

Your Second Home | Mortgages: The Tighter Loan Market. At a time when homes — especially second homes in some regions — are dropping in price, it’s getting harder to get a loan to buy one.

In Florida, New Condos on the Block. Once viewed primarily as a means to sell foreclosed properties, auctions are increasingly being used to jump-start sales in new developments.

Havens | Yamhill County, Ore.: Rural Vistas, Natural Healing and Pinot Noir. Sitting in the state’s northwest corner, not far from Portland, many of the county’s open hills have been transformed into vineyards.

A Retreat Outside of Hanoi. The American writer Nguyen Qui Duc has settled in Tam Dao to enjoy the cool mountain air, walk in the pine forests and gaze at the dramatic vistas.

Spotlight: Taking a Stroll Along the High Line. The High Line, a park being created atop an old elevated railway in the West Chelsea area of Manhattan, offers a retreat from street life.

Big Deal: A Condo Checks Out, a Hotel Checks In. A converted prewar office building on a commercial block in Murray Hill is now a condominium.

In the Region | New Jersey: Opening Doors for the Disabled. For some good-hearted groups seeking to house the disabled, there is a silver lining to the cloud over the residential market.

Habitats | Newark: A Bird’s-Eye View of Tomorrow. Toni Griffin lives in a former office building that was converted into 317 rental apartments — the first new luxury building in Newark in more than 40 years.

Streetscapes | 869 President Street, Brooklyn: A Different Drummer of a House. A walker in Park Slope will not find anything else like Stewart Woodford’s arresting red brick house at 869 President Street.

The Sell: The Paintings and the Price Came Down. A new broker suggested a more aggressive purge of possessions and a price of $935,000 to sell a one-bedroom in London Terrace Towers, on West 24th Street.

Big Deal: A River House Listing, 18 Years Later. Few stories can rival that of Arlene Farkas, whose husband of more than 30 years, Bruce R. Farkas, moved out of their 14-room duplex apartment at River House in 1990, 18 years ago.

The Hunt: Hello, Doorman. Bryan Drury rents an apartment in Brooklyn that his parents bought as an investment.

Living In | Hempstead Village, L.I.: Economical Homes, Bustling Transit. Incorporated in 1853, Hempstead Village, L.I., is described in the census as being the oldest and most populous village in New York.

Mortgages: Lenders Become Proactive. Lenders are asking that anyone with a debt-to-income ratio exceeding 38 percent contact the company that sends the borrower’s monthly mortgage bill.

A Village Down the Block. At a “cohousing” project planned for Fort Greene, Brooklyn, the residents will share all decisions and some meals.