Zillow

As Friday's Facebook IPO -- and its gory aftermath -- proves, even experts can run into trouble investing in social media. But if you're still looking to get in on the Facebook action, and want to mitigate your risks, this ETF might be the way to go.

Let's go over some of the items that will help shape the week that lies ahead on Wall Street: Warren Buffett talks; plastic wins; organic food does too; GM reads its odometer; and recent IPOs check in.

The year-end housing news is sobering: U.S. homes are expected to lose more than $681 billion in value in 2011. But there's an upside: That's 35% less than the $1.1 trillion lost in 2010, according to research from Zillow.

Of all the ways a company might become more valuable, this has got to be the most superficial: a simple change of name. And yet a study of corporate name changes shows that it works. From 1-800 Flowers.com to Philip Morris-Altria Group, here are some of the most noteworthy nominal transformations.

Wall Street can be fickle, leaving investors scratching their heads in bewilderment. Some of last week's biggest surprises, blunders, and flat-out boneheaded moves included Netflix's misguided pricing hike, ill-timed IPO announcements by Norwegian Cruise Lines and Zillow, and Trex going the way of Lumber Liquidators.

Sales of previously owned homes hit a six-month low in May, and overpriced inventory is a key factor. Though we all watched the real estate market crater, most sellers are still overpricing their homes, and the worst price optimists are the ones who bought after the housing bubble burst.

If you're looking to score a great deal on a house, you may want to wait a bit longer: U.S. home prices dropped 3% in the first quarter, their sharpest quarter-over-quarter decline since late 2008, according to real estate tracking service Zillow, which now says prices won't begin to rebound until at least 2012.

A new crop of tech IPOs are en route to the market, among them vacation rental website HomeAway, online radio site Pandora and business networking site LinkedIn. But how can you tell if these startups are worthy of your cash? Here are the four questions to ask before buying into an IPO.

The drop in home values caused by the mortgage crisis has resulted in one positive outcome: Prices have fallen so far that home affordability is back to pre-housing-boom levels, reports Moody's Analytics. But a quarter of households with a mortgage are underwater on their loan.

With home values down 26% since the market's peak in 2006, and mortgage rates still at historic lows, it's a great time to buy a home, says Zillow's CEO, Spencer Rascoff. I recently caught up with him in New York City, and he shared his buying tips: 1. Arm Yourself with Knowledge Take full...