Home

Mexican town revamps image, lures second-home buyers

By Tom Kelly, Tuesday, June 13, 2006.

(This is Part 1 of a two-part series. See Part 2.)

MANZANILLO, Colima, Mexico -- The airport has been remodeled, the downtown refurbished, the roads improved and new equipment has just arrived to clean the beaches.

While this waterfront community has been under the second-home radar screen compared to the more popular Mexican Pacific Coast destinations of Los Cabos, Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta and Mazatlan, it clearly is on the move.  more...

Summer is prime time for painting leaky wood

By Bill and Kevin Burnett, Tuesday, June 13, 2006.

Q: I have just replaced a support pillar with a new piece of 6-by-6 Douglas fir. It is bleeding pitch, or resin, on two sides. I plan to prime and paint it when the weather improves.

How best can I remove the pitch and reduce the chance of the pitch reappearing after I paint? How long should I wait before tackling this job?

A: To get a good-looking, long-lasting paint job, you need to wait for the wood to adjust to its new environment.

The lumber you bought is probably construction-grade fir. This lumber grade is used for its strength, not its looks.  more...

What happens when neighbor builds fence on your lot?

By Robert Bruss, Tuesday, June 13, 2006.

DEAR BOB: We live about 50 percent of the year in our Florida house and the remainder of the year in our other home "up North." This past winter, when we returned to our Florida home, we were shocked to discover our neighbor had built a very ugly concrete block fence between our properties. At first glance, it looked to me like he tried to "grab" at least 5 feet of our lot. Although I didn't say anything to him, I hired a professional surveyor to determine where the lot line is located. It turned out the neighbor took almost 7 feet along our lot line.  more...

Homeowner destroys house with stupid mistake

By Robert Bruss, Tuesday, June 13, 2006.

Homeowners Derrick and Carol Scott have a homeowner's insurance policy with Allstate Insurance Co. On April 16, 2004, a fire severely damaged their home and its contents.

Derrick Scott stated that on the day of the fire he noticed a "wet spot" on the floor of his garage. He decided to investigate the nature of this "wet spot" by lighting it with a match.

Purchase Bob Bruss reports online.

When he dropped the match to the floor, the liquid ignited and flames shot into the air.  more...