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Oscillating tools: many choices, uses

By Paul Bianchina, Wednesday, November 25, 2009.

One of the most interesting tools currently on the market is what's known generically as an "oscillating tool." The first, and for a long time the only, one on the market was the Fein MultiMaster. As its patent expired, other companies have introduced competing tools with different pros, cons and prices.

A tool for all reasons

So what exactly is an oscillating tool, and how does it differ from other cutting and sanding tools on the market? As the name implies, these tools utilize cutting attachments that oscillate rapidly from side to side, as opposed to rotating like a circular saw, or moving out and back like a jig saw or reciprocating saw. It's this oscillation that sets the tool apart. And while it won't replace your circular saw or your favorite pad sander, it's a unique tool that's extremely handy for a number of do-it-yourself projects all around the house.  more...

Agent ratings, from 'A' to 'Why?'

By Kris Berg, Wednesday, November 25, 2009.
Flickr image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/schestok/414196453/sizes/l/">mathface</a>.

Based on any reasonable accounting method, I am what you would call a good driver. In fact, according to public records, I am not just good -- I am awesome!

Check the Carfax of my last five chariots, and you will find nary a blemish on my record. In 34 years of navigating my way from here to there and back, I have been in just one moving collision, involving a time-pressed commuter who, believing the hype about the shortest distance between two points, decided to pass me by driving over me.  more...

Saddled with a foundation problem

By Bill and Kevin Burnett, Wednesday, November 25, 2009.

Q: My question regards the best way to stabilize the perimeter foundation on my 1872 farmhouse. The "concrete" surface is turning to dust in places where the harder finish coat has been chipped or broken away. I know the core of the continuous perimeter foundation is good and hard, because I've drilled into it when I bolted the house down and shear-paneled the cripples.

Small gaps are appearing between the mudsill and the concrete and my thought is to stuff in some oakum strands before applying the concrete finish.  more...

Whose brand is it, anyway?

By Robert Hahn, Wednesday, November 25, 2009.
Flickr image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/rstinnett/607564955/">robertstinnett</a>.

The thing to keep in mind about Realtors Property Resource is ... what's that? We're not talking about RPR yet again? Oh good, I was hoping to let that topic rest for a few days ...

Instead, let's talk about a topic of interest to you -- well, to at least one of you: Kathleen Buckley, a broker from Hopkinton, Mass., who incidentally is the only person I've ever seen with a Casey Kasem quote on her Web site's home page, responded to my call for topics with a tweet suggesting "personal branding: to what extent should agents be branding themselves in addition to/rather than their broker?"An appropriate topic indeed, given trends in the industry.

Let's start with some video:

   more...

Flexing live/work spaces

By Mary Umberger, Wednesday, November 25, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/chainsawpanda/32900503/">faster panda kill kill</a>.

Christopher Eley says he routinely puts in 15-hour days at the gourmet meat market he has owned for two years. At the end of a day like that, the last thing the Indianapolis businessman wants to do is face a long drive home. And so he doesn't.

Instead, Eley secures the doors to his shop, called Goose, the Market, and treads upstairs to the 2,000-square-foot flat he owns.  more...

Seniors: it's OK to think in reverse

By Tom Kelly, Wednesday, November 25, 2009.

"You won't really know unless you ask."

The popular phrase has been used often in many households -- especially when kids seek an answer for being left off a team, when wage earners wonder about a possible salary increase, or if carpool drivers can shift to a different day.  more...

Estate planning lessons from the stars

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Tuesday, November 24, 2009.
Book image courtesy TrialandHeirs.com.

Everyone loves a good mashup. Whether the two worlds colliding are Jay-Z with the Beatles, books with video or Wi-Fi café/bookstores (genius!), Charles Darwin himself would be proud of these rapidly multiplying examples of interbreeding of diverse "species" spawning ever more robust progeny.

In that vein, "Trial and Heirs: Famous Fortune Fights" ... and what you can learn from celebrity errors -- from married estate planning and probate attorney team Andrew and Danielle Mayoras -- is the ultimate mashup of voyeurism into celebrity financial scandals and simple, sound estate planning advice.  more...

When banks won't lend: seller financing

By Bernice Ross, Tuesday, November 24, 2009.

DEAR BERNICE: I live in Colorado. I was talking to one of my friends who lives in California. He has been hearing about "private" sales out there, especially in the higher price ranges where financing is hard to obtain. What is a "private" sale and are these legal? --Bill A.  more...

The rules of repair for home inspectors

By Barry Stone, Tuesday, November 24, 2009.

DEAR BARRY: As a Realtor, I have wondered about the differing business practices of home inspectors and termite inspectors. Home inspectors, as a rule, never do repairs on the properties they inspect.

Termite inspectors, on the other hand, routinely repair the defects listed in their reports. They even include bids for repairs at the end of every report. Home inspectors view repair work as a conflict of interest. Termite inspectors view repairs as an essential part of their business. Can you explain this inconsistency? --Kay

DEAR KAY: Many people have wondered why home inspectors avoid repair work on homes they inspect, while termite inspectors perform repairs as a daily routine. The answer lies in the origins of these not-so-similar professions.  more...

Steps to a better Web site

By Gahlord Dewald, Tuesday, November 24, 2009.

Real estate detail-view pages all look pretty much the same, don't they? A few photos, the details about the house ... maybe a map. Maybe the whole thing is well designed or just framed in without any design, straight from the feed provider (you know, those gray-background detail-view pages that look like they were designed by an accountant).  more...

The new real estate 'consciousness'

By Tara-Nicholle Nelson, Monday, November 23, 2009.
Flickr image by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/conkling/3823036353/" target=blank>Ralph Buckley</a>.

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about how often I'm asked by people who understand the evils of misused subprime loans to do loans that were made possible only by the loose lending guidelines of the subprime era! The irony of it is a little crazy-making, so I took the opportunity to vent. (Thanks, readers!)

In all fairness, though, what I'm actually seeing more often among homebuyers and sellers these days is the opposite -- people who have learned from their mistakes (and others' mistakes) and are trying hard to apply the wisdom from them in the course of their post-bubble-burst real estate decision-making. Sometimes they take it too far, but many of the buyers and sellers who are active in today's market are working hard not to repeat the errors of the immediate past era.  more...

7 reasons to be optimistic about housing

By Bernice Ross, Monday, November 23, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/valeriebb/3164526591/in/photostream/" target=blank>Valerie Everett</a>.

Let's face it, 2009 has been a tough year for almost everyone in the real estate industry. When times are tough and negative news floods the media, it can be hard to stay positive. Today's column looks at seven reasons to give thanks, no matter how tough your market is.

1. Marketing no longer requires big bucks
While the pace of technological change can be frustrating, technology changes have dramatically cut the cost of marketing. To obtain a foothold in a new market 10 years ago, you had to door-knock, spend thousands of dollars on print marketing, and regularly hold open houses.  more...

HVCC makes cash buyers king

By Dian Hymer, Monday, November 23, 2009.

Ever since May 1, 2009, when Fannie Mae's new appraisal guidelines for home mortgages went into effect, buyers, sellers, real estate agents and loan originators have complained bitterly about the new process. It's inefficient, often inaccurate and time-consuming. In some cases, it could be contributing to lower home prices.

The new guidelines require lenders to select appraisers impartially. To comply, many large lenders hire appraisers from a third-party appraisal service company. The intent of the new guidelines was to keep loan originators from exerting pressure on appraisers.  more...

Checking up on delinquent neighbors

By Benny Kass, Monday, November 23, 2009.
Flickr photo by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/michaelcclark/3830687124/">Michael C Clark</a>.

DEAR BENNY: I am a condo owner in a 200-unit building. Recently there was an assessment broken down into four payments. There are many people who have not paid. Do I, as an owner, have the right to know who these people are? The president of the condo association will not discuss this with me. Is this common knowledge? --Richard

DEAR RICHARD: This issue is perhaps one of the most hotly debated subjects among unit owners, board members, property managers and even association attorneys. There is -- and must be -- a delicate balance between privacy and freedom of information. We often see this at the federal level, but the issues apply to associations as well.  more...

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