Affordable Ways to Makeover Bathrooms

A dreary, outdated bathroom can be a home sale deal breaker.

Remodeling magazine says the average price of a mid-range bathroom remodel in 2007 was $14,445. But $500 worth of nips and tucks can upgrade the room, says Lytel Young, host of HGTV’s "Save My Bath."

"There are three important things in a bathroom," Young says. "Clean, simple, and orderly. That's the key for every budget, whether it's $500 or $40,000.

"He recommends these inexpensive steps to sellers whose baths need a facelift:
* Rip out the dated medicine cabinet and replace it with a big mirror.
* Replace the lighting with new sconces on both sides of the mirror plus a new overhead fixture on a dimmer.
* Re-caulk the tub and shower.
* Repaint with a neutral color, but decorate with big, fluffy colorful towels.
* Hang some framed art.

Source: The Washington Post, Terri Sapienza (04/24/08)

Sacramento Has Deepest Price Cuts

Spring is traditionally the busiest time of the year for real estate professionals. As the country enters its third year of a real estate slowdown, many are seeing the beginning of a thaw.

One reason is that sellers are giving up on boom-time prices and settling for less.BusinessWeek with the help from Altos Research, a real-time housing research firm, ranked 14 of the country's largest cities based on how much sellers have cut listing prices in the last 12 months.

Listing information for New York City isn’t included, but a recent report suggests that Manhattan prices have climbed 13 percent compared to a year ago.

Here are some of the nation's best buying opportunities based on Business Week’s analysis:

Annual asking price change
Sacramento, Calif : -40.96 percent
Phoenix: -25.85 percent
Los Angeles: -25.56 percent
Las Vegas: -23.38 percent
Atlanta: -22.19 percent
San Diego: -20.34 percent
Boston: -15.50 percent
Miami: -13.84 percent
Chicago: -12.34 percent
Seattle: -3.83 percent
Washington, D.C.: -3.53 percent
San Francisco: -3.41 percent
Houston: -2.41 percent
Denver: -0.55 percent

Source: BusinessWeek, Prashant Gopal (04/18/2008)

Neighbor Complaints Here to Stay

Conflicts with neighbors are a universal problem. Differences in lifestyles and values trigger disagreements wherever people live. Here are some of the top problems, along with suggestions for resolving them.

• Too noisy. Barking dogs and rattling air conditioners are among the excessive noise complaints that most rankle neighbors. Solution: Try talking with neighbor about bothersome noise. There may be an easy solution - extra carpeting, piano practice limited to certain hours, outdoor parties moved inside after 11 p.m. If not, the noise-sensitive might be happiest living somewhere with large yards.

• My view is ruined! We're not just talking about new construction that blocks your view of the water. The case of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts vs. Michael Palermo is expected to be heard in the Lowell Superior Court next month. The case deals with Palermo and his neighbor, a single mother of two young children. Local police charged Palermo with a string of misdemeanor and felonies because he stood naked in front of a window. Tyngsborough Deputy Police Chief Richard Burrows says, "The window he was using for exposing faced the street. Not just the victim could see him, but potentially anybody on or near the street could see this going on." Solution: Before buying, check zoning of nearby land and look into neighborhood construction plans. If all else fails, keep the drapes drawn.

• That house is ugly. One side of the house is painted bright yellow; the other is a dark green. MIT professor Richard de Neufville, who lives on the yellow side, says the answer is peaceful coexistence. Before a difference in taste escalated into a much larger issue, de Neufville and his neighbor determined color coordination wasn't worth a fight. “This is life in the big city. I'm not against, in principle, having the same color, but I don't think I have to make a special effort," says de Neufville. Solution: Talk it out with neighbors rather than let resentment build, but pick your fights carefully. Is it really worth an argument?

Source: REALTOR® Magazine Online; The Boston Glove, Shira Springer (04/06/0228)

Help for Borrowers in Plainest Language

Home shoppers who need basic home buying information might turn to the National Consumers League’s newly launched Mortgage Town, a free Web site that explains the benefits and risks of homeownership and the ins and outs of loan options, inspections, and closings.

The site also offers homeowners facing foreclosure a way to figure out the identity of their mortgage company.

"MortgageTown is a user-friendly and reliable resource for consumers to become better versed in the process of getting a mortgage and what pitfalls to avoid as they head down that road,” said Sally Greenberg, executive director of the National Consumers League.

Source: National Consumers League (04/02/2008)