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Rolling through the holiday real estate lull

By Alison Rogers, Friday, December 2, 2005.

So I hope you don't mind that I'm writing this column from the Patti Smith concert.

Writers' work has always been portable: have stone tablet and chisel, will travel. But the flip side of being able to work anywhere is being able to work everywhere; I fear the world is beginning to catch up with us on that score.

Certainly real estate agents will agree that's true. Ask agents what the negatives of their job are, and they'll almost certainly say "working weekends."

Of course now everyone works weekends. Those lazy Saturday/Sunday afternoon hours?  more...

Buyer's market puts scare into real estate agents

By Bernice Ross, Friday, December 2, 2005.

The buzz at NAR is that even the most heated markets are now slowing. Inventories are increasing at a dramatic rate. Could the next buyer's market be just around the corner?

A buyer's market is our industry's worst nightmare. Unlike a seller's market where there is limited inventory and what is listed sells quickly, a buyer's market is one where there is too much inventory and very little activity. Worse yet, while sellers cannot underprice their property in a strong seller's market, in a buyer's market, overpricing is the kiss of death.  more...

Solar Decathlon provides lessons for home builders

By Katherine Salant, Friday, December 2, 2005.

(This is the second of a two-part series. See Part 1: Students prove solar-powered utopia does exist.)

Is it possible to live well in a house powered entirely by energy from the sun?

The answer is yes, as demonstrated by the 18 houses designed and built by the student teams that competed in the Solar Decathlon last month on the Mall in Washington, D.C. The teams, about equally divided between engineering and architecture students, represented schools in the United States, Canada and Spain.  more...

Cabinet re-facing offers advantages, drawbacks

By Paul Bianchina, Friday, December 2, 2005.

If you're thinking about remodeling your kitchen but are daunted by the cost of new cabinets, all is not lost. Cabinet re-facing may offer an alternative worth exploring. Keep in mind, however, re-facing is not for everyone, and there are some definite advantages and disadvantages to the process that you need to consider.

Re-facing is simply the process of covering the old exteriors of the cabinets with new wood to give them a fresh, clean look, and it can make a good do-it-yourself project for the patient carpenter.  more...

Home sellers reap top dollar during the holidays

By Robert Bruss, Friday, December 2, 2005.

If you are an experienced real estate sales agent, you know very well this is the slowest time of the year for home sales. In most communities, the weather isn't the best for home buying. Serious prospective buyers become hard to find as they switch to holiday shopping and parties.

However, many home sales still take place among motivated sellers and savvy buyers who know this is the best time of the year to purchase a bargain home.  more...