the oklahoman real estate

FREAL ESTATESATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

INDEX

Harney 7FPermits 9FStone 10F

HOUSE PLAN

Efficient space A family room at the backgives a spacious, openfeeling to the compactPhoenix, a ranch-style homethat fits on a standard lot.PAGE 10F

LISTING OF THE WEEK

Traditionalin OKCThe Listing of the Week isa traditional 11⁄2-levelhome in the Stillmeadowsaddition in northwest Oklahoma City.

PAGE 8F

BILTMOREMUST-SEEThe Biltmore Estatein Asheville, N.C.,with 250 rooms, 43bathrooms, 34 bed-rooms and 65 fire-places, is spectacularand is one for thebucket list.

PAGE 4F

IN BRIEF

PAINT MIMICSSTAINLESSKrylon has a newspray-on finish thatproduces the high-end look of stainlesssteel without thehigh price. KrylonStainless Steel Fin-ish can be used onsurfaces includingwood, metal andglass, both indoorsand outdoors. Thepaint is infused withflakes of stainlesssteel for an authen-tic-looking appear-ance. It can even beused on most ap-pliances, but nothigh-heat appliancessuch as stoves. Theproduct is availableat hardware storesand home centers.

HOME PRICESSTAY LOWBolstered by favor-able interest ratesand low house pric-es, housing afforda-bility remained nearits highest levelnationwide for thesixth consecutivemonth since theseries was firstcompiled nearly twodecades ago, accord-ing to the NationalAssociation of HomeBuilders/Wells FargoHousing Opportuni-ty Index. The indexindicated that 72.3percent of all homessold in the secondquarter were afford-able to families earn-ing the nationalmedian income of$64,400. The indexfor the second quar-ter was slightlymore affordablethan the previousquarter and almostequaled the record-high 72.5 percent setduring the first quar-ter of 2009. Until2009, the indexrarely topped 67percent and hadnever reached 70percent.

FROM WIRE SERVICES

Are you in the habit ofgoing to the shopping mallor one of those big-boxdiscount stores more thanonce a week? Yet is thehome you plan to sell al-ready so crammed withaccumulations that youmust do extensive “de-junking” just to prep theplace for market?

If so, organizational ex-perts urge you to reviewyour shopping habits, stopthe inflow and start usingyour free time to sortthrough the belongings,clothes and furnishingsyou own.

“For lots of Americans,shopping is another formof addiction, like sugar orsmoking,” said BarbaraHemphill, a past presidentof the National Associ-ation of Professional Or-ganizers.

Of course, every house-hold must shop for perish-able food and other every-day essentials. But manypeople also use shopping

as a form of entertainmentor as a mood lifter whenthey’re feeling down orlonely, Hemphill said.

Ironically, many peopleembark on an anti-cluttercampaign with a shoppingspree involving the pur-chase of many storagecontainers. But “almostinevitably, those contain-ers just get in your way,”said Hemphill, who’sworked in the organiza-tional field for more than30 years.

Judith Rough, a profes-sional organizer who runsa small company calledCarefree Transitions, urg-es people planning to selltheir homes to halt all but

the most necessary shop-ping.

Here are a few pointersfor home sellers who needto declutter their place inadvance of a sale:

› Recruit outside help.To fully declutter an av-

erage-size house typicallytakes at least four weeks ofconcentrated effort. Andto avoid getting boggeddown with the feelings theprocess arouses, manypeople need help, Roughsaid.

To gain momentum,people often turn to rela-tives. But Rough saidyou’re better off with anobjective third party, ide-ally a professional organiz-er. One source for referralsis the real estate agent whowill list your property. An-other is the National Asso-ciation of Professional Or-ganizers: www.napo.net.

› Take photos of prizeditems that are too large orawkward to keep.

When working with cli-

ents, Hemphill often pho-tographs entire rooms in ahouse she’s helping de-clutter, thereby creatingcompact memories ofthese spaces. She alsotakes photos of items toolarge to take to the nextproperty, such as a grandpiano.

“Converting your prizedbelongings to art is a spec-tacularly good way to plowthrough too many accu-mulations and make yourhouse more salable,” shesaid.

› Safeguard keep-sakes and valuable docu-ments.

Those who embark on aclutter-control campaignare often relieved to en-counter items so valuablethat they cannot andshould not let go of them.These include birth certif-icates, passports and highschool diplomas.

Rough suggests you en-case such valuables in clearplastic sheet protectors

and place them in a three-ring binder. Alternatively,you may wish to buy astorage item designed forvital records. This isknown as a “PortaVault”(www.securitaonline.com).

› Give away extraitems that are useful.

As you sift throughmemorabilia, you’rebound to encounter manyitems you no longer wantor need. Do you really wishto haul all those books,toys and pieces of sportsgear to the new house?What about that clarinetyour son tried at age 7 andquit playing at 16?

Whenever possible,Hemphill encourages youto donate serviceable itemsto a reputable charity.Through the years, for ex-ample, she’s taken many ofher castaways to a shelterfor battered women.E-mail Ellen James Martin [email protected].

UNIVERSAL UCLICK

Home sellers: End shopping trips and declutterEllenJamesMartin

SMARTMOVES

What a summer. In June, Okla-homa City homeowners likely sawsmall ponds, if not rushing rivers,where their lawns used to be.

Now, in August, even with somerain this week, lots of lawns arelong lost — just fried, sun-bleached grass, if there’s any left atall.

What of the summer home-selling season? How diligentshould want-to-be sellers be inkeeping up appearances?

Whither curb appeal?Fret not — well, not too much. If

your home is for sale, it’s not im-perative that the yard look like anOak Tree fairway.

A seriously parched lawn “hin-ders curb appeal,” but the biggestconcern goes more than turf deep,said Dave Moeller, president of theOklahoma City Metro Association

HEAT-PARCHED LAWNS WITHERINGCURB APPEAL OF HOMES FOR SALE

Dry times and a heat wave turned this lawn brown and have taken a toll on the curb appeal of this house for sale in Edmond.PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMAN

BY TIM FALLSpecial [email protected]

The summer heat wave and dry spell have parched the lawn of this home for sale in Edmond.PHOTO BY CHRIS LANDSBERGER, THE OKLAHOMANSEE HEAT, PAGE 2F

Mi-LingStonePoole

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2F SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2010 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMREAL ESTATE

NORMAN — The BuildersAssociation of South Cen-tral Oklahoma’s Festival ofHomes is today throughSept. 5, with 17 new homesopen free to the publicfrom 1 to 7 p.m. each day inNorman, Moore, Newcas-tle and Noble.

The event is “a show-case of new products” andrecent trends in construc-tion, architecture, land-scaping, technology, inte-rior design and energy ef-ficiency, said Steve Frakes,president of the associ-ation and owner of Cham-pion Homes in Norman.

The 2010 Show Home,at 2109 Hallbrooke Drive inNorman’s Hallbrooke ad-dition, was built by C.A.McCarty Construction.Curtis McCarty, owner,said that the four-bed-room, 3½-bath Frenchcottage-style house fea-tures an open living room,entertainment center up-stairs and a patio kitchenamong other amenities.

The 3,500-square-foothome, which McCarty saidwas built with “lots ofsupport from associationmembers and local ven-dors,” is Energy Star rated.

McCarty, who has builtthree previous Festival ofHomes Show Houses, saidthat profits from the saleof the home would fundoperations and specialprojects of the BuildersAssociation of South Cen-tral Oklahoma.

For a map to homes inthe festival, go to http://normanhomes.com/showmap.php.

Festival homes (in Nor-man unless noted other-wise) and their buildersare:

› 2109 HallbrookeDrive, C.A. McCarty Con-struction

› 2101 Hallbrooke Drive,Custom Builders of Okla-homa

› 3213 St. Clair Drive,Homes of Distinction Inc.

› 18388 Black Bear Trail(Newcastle), Harlen CoreConstruction Inc.

› 1513 Fawn Run Cross-ing, Home Creations

› 4313 Snowy Owl Drive,Home Creations

› 2309 Bruckner St.,Home Creations

› 3217 Skye Ridge Drive,Stonewall Homes

› 4428 Cannon Drive,Landmark Fine Homes

› 2008 MarymountRoad, Da Vinci Homes

› 3764 Guinn Ave.(Newcastle), DaVinciHomes

› 3671 Guinn Ave.(Newcastle), RemingtonCustom Homes

› 1916 Hallbrooke Drive,Muirfield Homes

› 3001 Monica Lane(Moore), Landmark FineHomes

› 309 Treyton (Noble),Thomas Paige Homes LLC

› 2813 Marbel Drive,Westpoint Homes

› 516 Cooper Court,Westpoint Homes

“We’re hoping for goodweather and a great turn-out,” Frakes said.

Annual Festival of Homes starting todayBY TIM FALLSpecial [email protected]

Curtis McCarty

C.A. McCarty Construction built the show house forthe Festival of Homes at 2109 Hallbrooke Drive inNorman. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN

The kitchen of the C.A. McCarty Construction-builtshow house. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN

The living room and fireplace of the show house at2109 Hallbrooke Drive, Norman.

PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN

French doors, built-in cabinets and shelves and ahardwood floor are features of the study in the showhouse. PHOTO BY STEVE SISNEY, THE OKLAHOMAN

of Realtors and owner of Redbud Realty & Associates inEdmond. The main downside for a seller is when a lawn isso dry it “suggests the home has not been well-main-tained overall.”

Just about the only way to avoid that appearance dur-ing a bone-dry heat wave is with an automated sprinklersystem.

“To stay green, you need to water at a rate of an inch aweek. It’s pretty hard to keep that up with just a hose,”said Marcus Jerry, owner of Absolute Lawn Managementin Edmond.

With so much rain at the beginning of summer, wasn’tthe ground saturated to last until fall?

“That’s not the way it works,” Jerry said.His company’s lawn management system prescribes

“lots of water and a slow-release fertilizer” to keep theyard from turning to hardscrabble when faced with astretch of 100-degree days and no rain.

Of course, there’s another way to go: Simply don’tfight Mother Nature.

“In hot dry years like this, just let the lawn go dor-mant,” Frank Rossi, a Cornell University horticultureprofessor, recommended recently.

If the grass turns brown, Rossi said, it’ll bounce back.“Lawn grasses will survive four to six weeks without

significant rainfall. In most cases, they’ll green up againin late summer or early fall, when the rain returns and thetemperatures moderate,” Rossi said.

Absolute Lawn’s Jerry agreed. “Yards don’t die, theyjust get knocked back.”

For sellers who can show healthy flower beds, shrubsand an otherwise shipshape house, a thirsty lawnshouldn’t be a deal breaker, Moeller said.

“I think (prospective buyers) understand that, living inOklahoma, lawns just get brown in August,” he said.

FROM PAGE 1F

Heat: Buyers may question upkeepLeft: Dried-out sodaround a new home forsale in The Grove addi-tion in northwest Okla-homa City contrasts withthe green lawn of anadjacent house.

PHOTO BY RICHARD MIZE,THE OKLAHOMAN

Left: This house for salein Edmond has lost someof its curb appeal with itsdried-out lawn.

PHOTO BY DAVID MCDANIEL,THE OKLAHOMAN

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SATURDAY, AUGUST 28, 2010 3FREAL ESTATE

Century 21All Pro Realtyowner and managing bro-ker Mary Berry was namedto The Wall Street Journaland REAL Trends list ofResidential Real Estate Top400 Sales Professionals.The fifth annual edition ofthe report ranked Berry asfifth in the nation in trans-action sides.

A transaction is definedas one home sold. Whencounting transactionsides, both the listing andthe selling side of a trans-action are considered. So,a broker involved in bothlisting and selling a homehas participated in twosides, earns income fromboth sides, and countsboth sides.

“With the real estatemarket growing more andmore competitive by theyear, to be listed as a topagent in the nation is trulyan honor,” Berry said. “I’vebeen working in real estatefor over 27 years and it isamazing to watch how themarket keeps evolving.Whether we are meetingwith interested home-buyer and sellers in our of-fices or now onlinethrough tools like Twitter,we always look forward tohelping people connect

with the home of theirdreams.”

Rick Davidson, presi-dent and CEO of Century21 Real Estate LLC, said,“Mary Berry in a strongexample of the gold stan-dard of excellence theCentury 21 system strivesto set in the real estatemarket. We congratulateher on this outstandingaccomplishment and lookforward to supporting hercontinued success.”

The Wall Street Journal/REAL Trends Top 400 na-tional ranking is based onyear-end 2009 sales fig-ures. The ranking metho-dology allowed for ties,which yielded a total of468 spots in the Top 400ranking.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Mary Berry

Realty broker listed as a top seller in nation

Building higher-performing homes with lower oper-ating and maintenance costs, increased comfort, im-proved indoor environmental quality and enhanced du-

rability will be the focus of the sec-ond annual Green Building Summit.

Residential and commercial con-tractors, Realtors, engineers, archi-tects and consumers can learn aboutgreen building at the summit, from8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 29 and 8:30a.m. to noon Sept. 30.

The summit will be at the MetroTechnology Center Auditorium,1900 Springlake Drive. The secondday of the summit will cover com-

mercial buildings. The event will meets continuing edu-cation units for engineers and builders, among others.

Building science expert Joseph Lstiburek will be fea-tured speaker. Lstiburek is with Boston-based BuildingScience Corp. and is a fellow of the American Society ofHeating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.

Through the Department of Energy’s Building Amer-ica program, Lstiburek has forged partnerships with de-signers, builders, developers, materials suppliers andequipment manufacturers to build higher-performance

homes across the United States.The summit will be presented by the Oklahoma State

Home Builders Association and the Association of Ener-gy Engineers.

“This is a great opportunity for those in the industry tohear what is to be a building code requirement in the nextfew years,” said Todd Booze, chairman of the state home-builders association’s green building council.

Other speakers include Oklahoma Secretary of EnergyRobert A. “Bobby” Wegener, whose office just completedthe Oklahoma Energy Summary, an overview of energyconsumption, energy efficiency goals, and a summary ofthe status of renewal and energy efficiency policies in thestate. Also speaking will be Kelly Parker, president of

Guaranteed Watt Saver.Early registration is $35 for each day or $50 for both

days. On-site registration each day is $50, beginning at7:30 a.m. the first day and 8 a.m. the second. Speakerswill begin at 8:30 a.m. each day.

For more information, to register online or for a listingof Oklahoma’s Certified Green Professionals, go towww.okgreenbuildingsummit.com. The listing also isavailable from the Oklahoma State Home Builders Asso-ciation at www.oshba.org or by calling 843-5579.

Major sponsors are Climate Master, Dow Building So-lutions, Guaranteed Watt Saver, Morrison Supply Co.,Oklahoma Gas and Electric Co., Oklahoma Natural Gasand ProBuild.

Green Building Summit coming to Metro TechFROM STAFF REPORTS

Todd Booze


Recently, I celebratedmy 50th birthday with atrip to the Biltmore Estatein Asheville, N.C. Foryears, I’d wanted to tourthe home of the Vander-bilts known as the largesthome in America, with150,000 square feet.

The estate features 250rooms, 43 bathrooms, 34bedrooms and 65 fire-places.

The Biltmore was thehome of George and EdithVanderbilt and theirdaughter, Cornelia. GeorgeVanderbilt opened themansion in 1895 aftertaking at least six years tobuild it. The beautifulFrench Chateau-inspiredhome was designed byNew York architect Rich-ard Morris Hunt and orig-inally was nestled among125,000 acres surroundedby the Blue Ridge Moun-tains.

The landscape designerfor the estate was Freder-ick Law Olmsted, thecreator of New York’sCentral Park. Walking thegardens of the estateproved to be an enchant-ing experience and onethat I will not soon forget.

The Vanderbilts’ homewas perfect for entertain-ing, and guests weretreated to a bowling alley,gym and swimming pool.Although the home ismassive, I was impressedwith its manageable-sizedrooms and the comfyfeeling it projected.

One of my favoritespaces was the entryway

and winter garden, aroom within the entrythat features a glass roofwhere light pours into thegarden and highlights thefountain sculpture “BoyStealing Geese” by KarlBitter. The garden room isperfect for a brunch orsmall dinner party.

Other rooms on thatlevel included a musicroom, billiard room, ban-quet hall complete with40-foot table to seat 38guests comfortably, and atapestry gallery and li-brary that housed half ofGeorge Vanderbilt’s23,000-book library.

The Biltmore is spec-tacular and is one for thebucket list. It takes abouttwo hours to tour theinside of the home, and Iwould recommend usingthe audio tour for a morecomplete experience.

If possible, take a tourof the gardens and thegrounds if you’re a flowerlover like me.

You’ll be impressedwith the variety andbeauty of the gardens.

My mother and I stayedon the property at theBiltmore Inn. The viewsfrom our room of the BlueRidge and the sheer beau-ty of the inn made us feelas if we were Vanderbilts.The rooms were beauti-fully designed with gran-ite, countertops in thebathrooms and statelybedding with the Vander-bilt “V” monogrammedon the pillows.

My favorite room at theinn was the library, whereone could have afternoontea or lunch.

Floor-to-ceiling woodpaneling set the tone inthat space, and views ofthe Blue Ridge Mountainsmade for a relaxing diningexperience.

The overall theme ofthe Biltmore was one ofcomfort and style, some-thing we can create in ourown homes.

For more informationabout the Biltmore, goonline to www.biltmore.com. To see my webisodeon the Biltmore, go towww.youtube.com/comfortzoneradiotv.

Now go out and createyour own unique comfortzone!

Taking tourof Biltmoreinspires awe

Mi-LingStonePoole

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Q. What’s all the talkabout inflation thesedays? Pundits, especiallyconservatives, are sayingwe should worry aboutinflation because all thestimulus spending willcause a situation wherethere is too much moneychasing too few goods.That’s the definition ofinflation: too much mon-ey and too few goods andservices to buy. Howdoes that fit into the pre-sent housing market sit-uation with low demandand an oversupply?

A. Economists such asPaul Krugman, LarrySummers and Joseph Sti-glitz believe inflation willnot be a problem, at leastfor a while. Recent experi-ence has taught that theusual, simple explanationsare inadequate.

During the 1980s, then-Federal Reserve ChairmanPaul Volcker created acontrolled recession using

monetary policy in orderto bring America’s infla-tion under control. At thattime we suffered what hasbeen referred to as a price-wage spiral. Wages are flatnow, if not dropping, andunemployment is high.

The problem now is de-flation. If prices start a de-flationary episode, we’ll bein worse condition than wewould be with, say, 10 per-cent to 12 percent inflation.

We suffered deflationduring the 1930s and re-turned to an acceptablelow inflation, in the rangeof 3 percent to 6 percent,after World War II. Thewar represented a time

with full employment andtremendous production.So the emphasis now is onstimulating the economy.

If you group the nation’swealth — or the world’s,for that matter — using apie chart, the largest slicewould be residential realestate. Other categorieswould be stocks, govern-mental and corporatebonds and commercial realestate. The housing crashof recent years was an un-precedented event and ledto the recession. The bub-ble’s bursting resulted inlow demand and over-supply in that very largewealth category, and re-percussions in the othercategories, and in income.

Charles Carter, Ph.D., specializes in realestate analysis after years ofexperience as a professor, real estatelawyer and appraiser. He is a consultantat Haint Blue Realty in Mount Pleasant,S.C. Readers may send questions [email protected]. Pleaseinclude full name and hometown.

MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNEINFORMATION SERVICES

Deflation is a threatwith housing surplus

CharlesCarter

REAL ESTATE Q&A

Sheryl Leonard hasjoined Crossland Real Es-tate, 8901 S Santa Fe, SuiteC, as relocation coordina-tor, owner Aimee Cross-land said.

As a member of LeadingReal Estate Companies ofthe World and WorldwideERC, Leonard will helppeople relocating, withservices including com-prehensive destinationorientation programs, realestate assistance, spouseemployment aid, mort-gage assistance, householdgoods move managementand more.

Sheryl Leonard

Agency hasrelocationcoordinatorFROM STAFF REPORTS

Clyde Hughey has joinedCrossland Real Estate,8901 S Santa Fe, Suite C, asa residential real estatebroker associate, ownerAimee Crossland said.

He is a member of Lead-ing Real Estate Companiesof the World and World-wide ERC, and has been inthe business for 32 years.

Clyde Hughey

CrosslandwelcomesassociateFROM STAFF REPORTS


Naked walls and baretabletops can be intimi-dating to amateur decora-tors — that is, to most ofus. But there’s bona fideartwork out there — on-line, maybe in your home-town — for every budget.

Sleuthing out what suitsyour space and taste is partof the fun.

“Art is a great invest-ment and it doesn’t have tobe expensive if you buy itsmart,” said Rachael Liska,senior editor at “FreshHome” magazine.

Steven Young Lee, resi-dent artist director of theArchie Bray Foundation forthe Ceramic Arts, in Hele-na, Mont., said that art canbe inspirational, and affectviewers on an emotionallevel.

“You want to live withpieces that continue to in-fluence you in some way,”Lee said. “You may noticesomething different everytime you look at it. Yourperspective changes andthe work changes withyou.”

That also means youmay want to freshenrooms from time to timewith different art.

The nonprofit ArchieBray, which supports ce-ramic artists at its residen-cy studios, sells the workof current and past resi-dent artists through its on-line gallery, at an annualJuly auction and duringregular exhibition shows.

Lee said places like TheBray are good for novice artbuyers. “We’re supportinga lot of up-and-comingartists, so prices are lower,”he said.

Art school findsArt aficionados on the

prowl for lower prices canalso check with art schoolsand universities. TheRhode Island School ofDesign, in Providence,sells fine art at its onlinestore, Risdworks.com.

Local art shows providea chance to view a widerange of talent and styles.David Bromstad, host ofHGTV’s “Color Splash:Miami,” tries to catch theArt Basel Miami Beachshow each year, with itseclectic draw of 2,000 in-ternational artists. It runsDec. 2-5 this year.

“You can find originalart for the same price assome prints, and it’s madewith lots of passion andlove,” he said.

Back online, there areseveral Web-based galler-ies where you can browse,purchase — even test buy— original artwork. Theyinclude Ugallery, wherebuyers may try out a pieceof art for a week. If itdoesn’t work out, the re-turn shipping is free.

“There’s not a lot ofother galleries that allowyou to do stuff like that,”Liska said. “It really has adiverse collection ofstyles.”

Etsy and ArtFire sell fineart among scads of crafts,some of it kitschy. Otheronline sites are limitedmore to the fine arts, in-cluding College Art Online(student, alumni and pro-fessor artwork); GalleryToday (signed oil paint-ings); Original Art Online;and 20x200, which posts anew photograph and workon paper weekly.

Affordable art can be click or drive away

Rosalie Wynkoop’s “Oval Platter,” is a tin-glazed terra cotta platter. AP PHOTO

Kevin Snipes’ “Dag Na-bit,” porcelain sculpture.

AP PHOTO

Bobby Silverman’s “Red,”porcelain sculpture.

AP PHOTO

Shanna Fliegel’s “Soar-ing,” earthenware sculp-ture. AP PHOTO

BY JENNIFER FORKERFor The Associated Press


RALEIGH, N.C. — WhenJosh and Amanda Brandtbegan looking for theirfirst house this year, theywanted what every buyerwants.

“What we really wantedwas a good deal,” JoshBrandt said.

The first house theyfound was in Fuquay-Vari-na, N.C. It was a short sale,meaning the owner wastrying to sell it for less thanthe amount owed to thebank. After the Brandtssubmitted a lowball offerof $120,000, the owner ofthe house asked them toincrease their offer to$129,000.

They did. Then theykept house hunting be-cause their real estateagent, Millicent Williamsof Century 21 Vicki BerryRealty, warned them thatthey needed a backup planin case the bank rejectedtheir offer or simply tooktoo long to get back tothem.

Three weeks later, justas the Brandts were aboutto close on a brand-newhouse in Angier, N.C., thebank accepted their offer.

“We got pretty lucky,”said Josh Brandt, 24.

Among the byproductsof the housing bust hasbeen a dramatic rise in thenumber of distressedhomes on the market.Many buyers assume theseproperties are can’t-missdeals, but the reality is thatpurchasing a distressedproperty is often fraughtwith uncertainty and risk.

The numbers of foreclo-sures and short sales haveincreased as the act of los-ing one’s home has lost thestigma it once carried.

“Foreclosures are ac-tually getting artificiallyinflated to a point becausepeople are willing to walkaway,” said Mike Golden,broker in charge with Cen-tury 21 Vicki Berry Realty.“Especially by people whodon’t have any equity be-cause they bought in andgot 100 percent financing.”

No negotiationsBuying a house out of

foreclosure or in a shortsale is not for everyone.Most of the homes will re-quire some work, but un-like with a normal sale, ne-gotiating repairs is oftennot an option, said JeannaReeves, a RE/MAX Unitedagent in Raleigh who hasoffered foreclosure toursfor buyers in the past.

“They are sold as is,”Reeves said.

Earlier this year, Reevestook one of her clients,Meg Lavoie, to look at aforeclosed town house.

The North Raleigh townhouse had ratty carpeting,and it was clear the previ-ous owner had owned adog. Lavoie wasn’t im-pressed.

“I don’t want a big holethat I’m throwing moneyin,” she said.

Lavoie is in no hurry tobuy, which makes a fore-closure or a short sale agood fit.

Any buyer putting anoffer on a house being soldas a short sale should bewilling to wait at least twomonths without knowingwhether the bank will ac-cept the offer, said DaveJezierski, a real estateagent with Homes in theTriangle.

Real estate broker Jeanna Reeves, right, shows MegLavoie a town house for sale in Raleigh, N.C., that ison the market because of foreclosure.

MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE INFORMATION SERVICES PHOTO

DistressbuyingtakespatienceBY DAVID BRACKENMcCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

The numbersof foreclosuresand shortsales haveincreased asthe act oflosing one’shome has lostthe stigma itonce carried.

LOS ANGELES — Facingnew penalties if they low-ball estimates of upfrontmortgage costs, lendersand brokers appear to becoming clean about howmuch borrowers will pay.

As a result, the so-calledgood-faith estimates thatmortgage providers mustgive to prospective cus-

tomers show closing costssoaring 36 percent thisyear, interest-rate trackerBankrate.com said in a re-cent report.

The main reason for theincrease, according toBankrate: Lenders are giv-ing more accurate esti-mates because they nowmust pay to cover the dif-ference if they underesti-mate the costs.

Before Jan. 1, there was

no penalty for giving badestimates, so lenders bat-tling for mortgage businesshad more of an incentive togive lowball quotes.

Lenders told Bankratethat actual closing costsrose modestly this year, inpart because regulatorsand loan buyers FannieMae and Freddie Mac arerequiring more fact-checking than during theboom years.

Closing cost estimates on the riseBY MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNEINFORMATION SERVICES


WASHINGTON — A federalagency is moving to pro-hibit “private transferfees” on all mortgagesfunded by Fannie Mae andFreddie Mac.

But its proposed banmay extend to transfer feesroutinely collected bycommunity associationsacross the country —potentially forcing some ofthem to raise assessmentson thousands of unsus-pecting homeowners.

The Federal Housing Fi-nance Agency, which over-sees the two mortgage gi-ants in conservatorship,issued proposed “guid-ance” that would prohibitFannie and Freddie plusthe federal home loanbanks from investing inmortgages carrying privatetransfer fee covenants.

Private transfer fees are

starkly different fromthose imposed by localgovernment authorities toraise revenue for publicservices when propertieschange hands.

In a private transfer feearrangement, a developeror property owner recordsa long-term covenant re-quiring payments to trust-ees or other private partiesevery time a resale occurs.

The best-known andmost controversial versionof this plan is being pro-moted by Freehold Capital

Partners of New York. The Freehold program,

which the company sayshas attracted the partici-pation of “thousands” ofdevelopment projectsworth “hundreds of bil-lions of dollars” across thecountry, imposes a 1 per-cent fee that must be paidby the home seller out ofthe settlement proceedsevery time the house is re-sold during the next 99years. The money flowsfrom the closing to a trust-ee, who distributes sharesof it to private investorsand others, including thedeveloper in some cases.

Freehold’s activitieshave raised widespreadopposition — 18 state leg-islatures have either re-stricted or banned the useof private transfer fees invarying forms.

The proposal from theFederal Housing FinanceAgency seeks to cut offfederally related fundingor guarantees for the un-derlying conventionalmortgages that supportprivate transfer fee pro-grams such as Freehold.

Though under conser-vatorship, Fannie Mae andFreddie Mac still accountfor a large share of newconventional mortgages.

Along with the FederalHousing Administration,which had earlier indicatedopposition to privatetransfer fee plans, thethree entities are responsi-ble for upward of 95 per-cent of mortgage marketvolume, according to in-dustry estimates.

Edward J. DeMarco,acting director of the Fed-eral Housing Finance

Agency, said the proposedban — pending a 60-daypublic comment period —is necessary because thefees “may impede themarketability and the val-uation of properties,” mayraise homeownershipcosts and “contribute toreduced transparency forconsumers because thefees are not disclosed bysellers and are difficult todiscover through custom-ary title searches.”

The wording of the ban,however, appears to reachwell beyond Freehold-typefees to include mortgageswhere covenants requirepayments to homeownersassociations, affordablehousing groups or othercommunity or nonprofitorganizations, upon eachresale of the property.

Many new housing de-

velopment projects comewith not-for-profithomeowners associationsthat collect assessmentsfrom owners to fund com-munity improvements andproperty management.

Some also receive cov-enanted transfer fee pay-ments to fund part of theirwork. Still others imposelong-term transfer feesdesigned to benefit specif-ic charities.

Bryan J. Cohen, Free-hold’s executive vice pres-ident and general counsel,said, “This is precisely thewrong time to eliminate aprogram that halts fore-closures, helps restartfailed projects, creates jobsand reduces upfront coststo American homebuyers.”

E-mail Ken Harney at [email protected].

WASHINGTON POST WRITERS GROUP

Transfer fee ban’s pitfalls reviewed KennethHarney

THE NATION’S HOUSING


The Listing of the Weekis a traditional 1½-levelhouse in the Stillmeadowsaddition in northwestOklahoma City.

The 3,044-square-foothouse has three bedrooms,2½ baths, two living areas,two dining areas and an at-tached three-car garage.

The house has a double-door entry, wrought-ironstaircase, chef’s kitchenwith instant hot water.

The dining room has co-lumns and a built-inhutch. The study hasbuilt-in shelving.

The living area hashand-scraped woodfloors. The house has awalk-in attic and a largeutility room with sink aswell as a security systemand underground sprinklersystem. Built in 2006, it islisted for $349,900 withCheryl Cupps of Century21Clinkenbeard Group. Formore information, call799-2100 or 365-4314.

NOMINATIONS FOR LISTING OF THEWEEK ARE WELCOME. SEND

INFORMATION ON SINGLE-FAMILYHOMES TO THE OKLAHOMAN, RICHARD

MIZE, P.O. BOX 25125, OKLAHOMA CITY,OK 73125. NOMINATIONS MAY BE FAXED

TO 475-3996.

LISTING OF THE WEEK

The Listing of the Week is at 5804 NW 160. PHOTO PROVIDED

Stillmeadowsaddition homehas elbow room


OKLAHOMA CITYMA+ Architecture, 500

SW Grand Blvd., school,remodel, $7,279,415.

MA+ Architecture, 500SW Grand Blvd., school,remodel, $1,276,517.

MA+ Architecture, 500SW Grand Blvd., school,remodel, $1,145,622.

Grace Contracting LLC,19000 N May Ave., day carecenter, erect, $980,000.

Kimray Inc., 35 NW 42,office, remodel, $750,000.

Prestige Custom Homes,15704 Cambria Court, resi-dence, erect, $530,000.

Oak Leaf Custom Homes,10308 Ashewood Drive,residence, erect, $520,000.

Distinctive Builders LLC,17401 Barrington Hills Lane,residence, erect, $425,000.

Jim Campbell Homes Inc.,7612 Jesse Trail, residence,erect, $384,900.

Odom & Associates,10440 S Western Ave.,restaurant, remodel,$350,000.

Johnston Builders LLC,12500 Deep Wood CreekDrive, residence, erect,$335,000.

Jim Abernathy Construc-tion, 421 NW 18, residence,remodel, $316,000.

RJ Designs Inc., 12625SW 54, residence, erect,$313,000.

Avalon Homes & Proper-ties LLC, 14124 SE 75, resi-dence, erect, $305,000.

Taber Built Homes LLC,16204 Josiah Place, resi-dence, erect, $300,000.

Ted Whitnah ContractingLLC, 10725 Granada Drive,residence, erect, $265,000.

Johnston Builders LLC,12524 Arthur Ave., resi-

dence, erect, $255,000.Eric Cheatham Construc-

tion Co., 3405 SW 123,residence, erect, $250,000.

Ernest Stas, 3401 WaldenEstates Drive, residence,erect, $238,000.

J.W. Mashburn Devel-opment Inc., 2541 SW 141,residence, erect, $220,000.

J.W. Mashburn Devel-opment Inc., 2604 SW 140,residence, erect, $220,000.

Mike Abernathy Con-struction, 17111 SE 59, resi-dence, erect, $220,000.

Terry Covey CustomHomes, 9104 NW 83, resi-dence, erect, $210,000.

Home First Inc., 8121Double Springs Drive, resi-dence, erect, $200,000.

Home First Inc., 8120Double Springs Drive, resi-dence, erect, $200,000.

Mandalay Homes LLC,9401 SW 29, residence,erect, $200,000.

Ideal Homes of NormanLP, 18513 Mesa Road, resi-dence, erect, $188,000.

SWM & Sons Inc., 14201SE 76 Place, residence,erect, $181,090.

Johnston Builders LLC,12600 N Rockwell Ave.,residence, erect, $180,000.

Stone Creek Homes Ltd.,4908 SW 123, residence,erect, $170,000.

MA+ Architecture, 500SW Grand Blvd., school,remodel, $164,738.



Ideal Homes of NormanLP, 516 Hutton Road, resi-dence, erect, $130,000.

Jester Homes Inc., 11753SW 16, residence, erect,$130,000.

Westpoint Homes, 15208

Amber Run, residence,erect, $130,000.

SWM & Sons Inc., 7625Valley Creek Drive, resi-dence, erect, $124,635.

Trinity Industries, 10400S Western Ave., recreationcenter, remodel, $120,000.

Davin Methvin, 3212Tenkiller Court, residence,erect, $113,000.

Harbor Homes, 17300Serrano Drive, residence,erect, $110,000.

Harbor Homes, 17113Prado Drive, residence,erect, $110,000.

Harbor Homes, 17104Serrano Drive, residence,erect, $110,000.

SWM & Sons Inc., 7615Valley Creek Drive, resi-dence, erect, $107,065.

Ideal Homes of NormanLP, 312 Durkee Road, resi-dence, erect, $107,000.

Liberty Homes Inc., 2500SE 92 Terrace, residence,erect, $100,000.

Don Morris, 304 N Merid-ian Ave., office-warehouse,remodel, $100,000.

Leslie Rice, 8500 N Rock-well Ave., restaurant, re-model, $100,000.

Ideal Homes of NormanLP, 1108 SW 160 Court,residence, erect, $97,000.

McBride Construction &Roofing LLC, 537 SE 32,residence, erect, $90,000.

McBride Construction &Roofing LLC, 715 SE 28,residence, erect, $90,000.

Ideal Homes of NormanLP, 2624 NW 184, residence,erect, $88,000.

Home Creations, 2225NW 197, residence, erect,$84,200.

Christ’s Legacy Church,11101 N Morgan Road,church, erect, $80,000.

The Upchurch Co., 2606Warwick Drive, residence,add-on, $80,000.

Ideal Homes of NormanLP, 9540 SW 26, residence,erect, $75,000.

J.B. Seely Construction,715 Cedardale Drive, resi-dence, add-on, $75,000.

Charles Staley, 300 NE102, storage, supplement,$70,000.

Hoyer Enterprises Inc.,doing business as HoyerConstruction, 9405 S Hi-wassee Road, residence,remodel, $67,000.

James Hanlon, 9200 SAnderson Road, residence,add-on, $65,000.

Whitfield Custom HomesLLC, 5908 N Barnes Ave.,residence, add-on, $55,000.

TDC Construction Co.,6900 N May Ave., business,remodel, $51,000.

Centerline Construction,5915 Philip J. Rhoads Ave.,accessory, move-on,$50,000.

Centerline ConstructionCo., 5915 Philip J. RhoadsAve., accessory, move-on,$50,000.

Welcome Home Commu-nity, 9521 NW 11, manu-factured home, move-on-mobile home park, $50,000.

Cellxion Wireless Ser-vices, 7431 NW 85, tower-antenna, install, $45,000.

Quality Renovations LLC,12200 Hobbiton Court,residence, fire restoration,$45,000.

Ruby Harris, 8500 OakHill Road, manufacturedhome, move-on, $40,000.

T. Kennard Hill, 2405 NW151, residence, fire restora-tion, $39,500.

Cinemark USA Inc., 6001N Martin Luther King Ave.,theater, remodel, $39,000.

Willow Brook Invest-ments, 8100 SW 3, office-warehouse, remodel,$30,000.

Centerline Construction

Co., 5915 Philip J. RhoadsAve., accessory, move-on,$25,000.

Callahan Steel Buildings(Curt), 220 SW 83, storage,erect, $20,000.

Callahan Steel Buildings(Curt), 11824 Marbella Drive,storage, erect, $20,000.

Kenny Ford, 3024 NW 14,accessory, erect, $20,000.

Outdoor Escapes LLC,3728 SE 104, cabana-gaze-bo, erect, $20,000.

James R. Jenkins, 12625SW 54, storage, erect,$20,000.

King Crafted Construc-tion, 7901 SW 98, storage,erect, $17,200.

Outdoor Escapes LLC,3728 SE 104, residence,add-on, $15,000.

Bricktown Real Estate &Development, 150 S E.K.Gaylord Blvd., restaurant,remodel, $10,000.

Truett Rogers, 720 SE 41,residence, fire restoration,$8,000.

Scott Lape, 2842 GuilfordLane, residence, erect,$8,000.

Clint Cox, 13401 SE 59,storage, erect, $7,500.

J&J Builders GeneralContractors LLC, 5920 SShields Blvd., parking, in-stall, $7,500.

Cellxion Wireless Ser-vices, 7431 NW 85, tower-antenna, install, $5,000.

Outdoor Escapes LLC,3728 SE 104, cabana-gaze-bo, erect, $5,000.

Smartsafe Enterprises,15213 Grayson Drive, stormshelter, install-storm shelter,$4,300.

Marue Branch III, 13004 SRobinson Ave., residence,remodel, $4,000.

Don West, 1420 West-chester Drive, storage,erect, $3,500.

Home Creations, 1536

NW 125, temporary building,move-on, $2,000.

Jack Shatto, 8913 BeckDrive, manufactured home,move-on-mobile home park,$2,000.

Santa Fe Station MobileHome Park, 501 SE 44,manufactured home, move-on-mobile home park,$2,000.

Santa Fe Station MobileHomes Park, 501 SE 44,manufactured home, move-on-mobile home park,$2,000.

Santiago Sanchez, 3012W Park Place, canopy-carport, erect, $1,800.

Johnny and Virginia Sim-mons, 3320 SW 41, acces-sory, erect, $1,500.

DEMOLITIONSMike Abernathy Con-

struction, 17111 SE 59, va-cant.

L&S Demolition, 2405NW 1, residence.

Cudtro Properties LLC,Bill Carry, 3317 ParkviewAve., garage.

K&M Dirt Services, 14000Benson Road, apartment.

K&M Dirt Services LLC,700 SE 26, garage.

L&S Demolition, 305 SE67, residence.

M&M Wrecking, 612 NE29, house.



M&M Wrecking, 2608Elmhurst Ave., house.

Midwest Wrecking, 500Land Rush, racetrack.

Ray’s Trucking, 3501 NE23, residence.

Charlene Mascote, 13101 SAnderson Road, house.

Vickey Mason, 904 NE 19,garage.

Bill Walker, 505 SE 70,carport.

Permits

Owner financing. Newmanufactured housing.

Call 405-326-5728 details

1024 SW 56th St., 3/1/1no pets, $650 mo $400dep. 405-210-0961

LARGE EFFICIENCY APTW/KITCHENETTE - ALL

BILLS PAID - WALKTO UCO»» 921-6897.

3615 NW 51st AmazingDuplex close to Baptist/Deaconess, 1300sf 2bd2bth 2car gar fireplace$900mo $900dp. Mustsee! 409-7989 no sec 8

New Luxury Duplex13516 Brandon Place3/2/2, fp, Deer Creek

Schls, near Mercy. Modelopen 10-4 842-7300

1016 SW 58, $550, 2 bd,Wash/Dry-Ref/Range

S-8 OK/No pets, smoking405-301-4618/642-4116

Large 2-3 bed, 2 bath,2 car garage, TH,

all appls, gated, pool,Yukon Schools,

from $800/mo. 789-3705

Brand new duplexes, 3 bd2 ba, 2 car, gated comm,call Rick, 405-830-3789.

Furnished/UnfurnishedBills Paid» Wkly/MonthlyWes Chase Apts, Elk HornApts, Hillcrest 943-1818

3717 SE 26th. 3 bd, 1 ba,$650 rent, $500 deposit.ch/a, no pets, 973-5890

HOMES FOR LEASEwww.executivehome

rentalsokc.com3-4BRs $1000-$3000

Welcome Home877-884-7434

Executive Edmond Home737 Martina Ln, 4bd2.5ba 3car, $1500 mo

$1500dep 2000sf 409-7989www.okcrentalhomes.com

15604 Sugar Loaf2,520 sf, 3/2.5/3 + ofc.

$1500/mo 405-209-9303

3bd 2K ba, 1400sf stv,frig, d/w, 1317 Mary Lee$825+$400 dep 606-9132

3 bd, 2 ba, 2 car, 1700 sf,ch&a, $1150 mo + $1150dep. 824-8954/348-9405

3 bd, 1.5 ba, 1 car, W/Dhkup, fncd yd, ch&a

$650mo + dep. No Sec. 8616 Briarwood 412-7013

9100 Jennifer Pl 3bd 1ba1car $525 mo, $350 dep

681-7272

V-Nice, 1 mi E of Tinker,3/1, ch&a, util rm, $525 +$300, no pets, 732-4351

Rent Specials All Areas4 Beds from $595 to $12953 Beds from $495 to $9952 Beds from $395 to $495

Free List 605-5477

2 bed, 2 bath, 2 car,ch&a, $750 month, $600deposit, no pets, ready9/1, call Sam, 220-9049.

1302 SW 21st 2 bd, 2 ba,2 car, ch&a, $750 mo,$600 dep. No pets, ready9/1. Call Sam, 220-9049

Beautiful 3bd 1.5ba 2cargar, W.Moore. no indoorpets/smoke $795moavail 9/6. 405-833-6291

1629 SE 9th, $795 + dep,3 bed, 2 ba, study, CH/A,att. garage, 685-6817, co

Nice 3 bd, 1 ba, 1 car, lrgfncd yard w/ shed $675 +$675dep. 308-0352

2817 Nottingham, 3bd2ba, ch/a $625

681-7272

EXECUTIVE HOMEGated community. Lease

Option 405-641-0124

1808 SunriseDr 3/1.5/2$800Home&RanchRlty794-7777





Free List 605-5477

Surrey Hills-#1 fairway3/2/2, fireplace w/gar-den room, $1500 month

821-8468

Lrg remod 3bd 2ba liv dinh/w flrs w/d hk up appls

2249 NW 18 no pets$650 301-5979 557-1288

204 NW 91, Recently up-dated 3bd, Just in timefor Schl $750+ $500depSec 8 Ok 359-0591

Section 8 OK, 3 bed,712 NW 88th; 5 bed,504 NW 91st; 3 bed,

3716 W Park. 942-3552.

3 bed, 2.5 bath, 2 car,PC Sch. $950mo + dep.

Call 229-5712

8408 Surrey Pl. 2391 sf,3 bd, 2 ba, 2 car, large yd$1200/mo. 627-2097 M-F

Great area! 3/2/2 ch&a, w/dhkup, lawn care. $925 + dep.No Sec 8 or Pets 410-1984

2 bed, 1 bath, den w/fp,$700 mo, $400 dep. $300pet dep. 405-519-5221

415 NW 119th, 2 bd, 2 baDuplex, Sec. 8 Only.

$500/month 706-8669

2 bed, 1 bath, $550month + $300 deposit3833 NW 25. 361-5131

2bed 1bath w/office1250sf $800mo $500dep

405-535-0180

OCU-SHEP-HIST 3 bd w/cottage, 2 ba, hdwd flrsfncd $750+dep 524-0222

PC Schools- 3 bd, 1K ba,2 car gar, $925/mo. 408-3074, 4409 NW 52nd St.

1418 NW 49th, 2 bed, 1bath, 1 car, appls, w/dhookup, ch&a 570-5865

Classy Windsor Hills3/2/2 $945 370-5642





Free List 605-5477

522 SE 48th3 bed, 2 bath, CH&A

washer/dryer hookup w/appliances 405-570-5865

704 SE 31, 1 bd, 1bathVery cute, w/d hook up$425/mo • 408-5836

29 SE 33rd, 1bd, stove &fridge, water & gas paid

$350 681-7272

2509 Texoma Dr 3/1/1ch/a $650912 SW 35th 2bd +, 13/4ba $450633 SW 33rd 2/1 $3502401 SW 43rd #7 1bdapt, total elect, waterpaid $325

681-7272

New Rivendell ExecHome 408-4168

Luxury indoor pool & spaFully equip'd media &wrkout rooms $5500/moOpenhouseok.com


Free List 605-5477

3bd 1.5ba 2-car, remodkitchen, 2216 SW 77thSt. close to I35 & I240,$850 mo 221-3193

Rent To Own/Lease: 2/2Townhome, W/D hkup,

A/C $485/mo 919-6827

7212 S. Land. 3 br, 1.5ba. Central heat/air.Rent & dep. 924-9691

3 bd, 1 ba, CH&A, $500.SE 2 bd, 1 ba, $400 +$400 dep. 631-8220

Sec 8 - New R. Home4bdr/1bth $800/m seputil, large lot 759-6828

3636 SW 36, section 82 bed, $500.

685-8240, 694-1570

1B $350mo $200 deposit,4B $550mo.,$250 deposit

405-631-8039

Bridgecreek, 2bd/2ba,1 acre. Mobile Home

$500mo +dep. 392-4717

223 W. Mosier, ex nice2bd home w/1 car gar,

CH&A, comp furn w/fridge,stove, washer/dryer,nice furn & dishes,

covered patio, $650 mo.Great for college student

Fidelity RE 692-1661







Open Sun 2-4New carpet, paint, MIL

plan 5bed, 3ba, 2295sqft2006 $1450/month

Call Cole Thompson w/Metro 1st Rlty 464-7125

Recently blt house w/ 4bd, 2.5 ba + offc, up-

grades, Mustang Schls$1595 mo 405-818-1702

WHY RENT WHEN YOUCAN OWN?

Easy financing with nocredit needed. Yukon schls405-815-7245

$ FREE RENT 1ST MO $2BR $395+, 3BR $495+,

MWC NO PETS 427-0627

Westoaks MHP 1 blk W ofNW 10 & Rockwell 3bd 1ba$475 2bd 1ba$375 787-1030

MANAGEMENTLEASINGSALES

SINCE 1982Spectrum Management

848-9400usespectrum.com

» RENTAL HELPER»Current Home Rental

Listing $39 at the GoldDome (405) 605-5551

Furnished bedroom,house privileges, Mus-tang area, $325 month,call Jim, 724-494-0064.

CHRISTIAN FEMALEwill share S. OKC

Country home$400mo » 306-8764

$999 MOVE IN SPECIALMeals Laundry Maid SvcTransp. & Activities! Edm& Mustang. Call Earlinefor details ’ 921-6897

Custom Built-1 owner!Lg. lot w/2400+sf, 3bd,2liv, 2din, 3car. Ingrd

pool-sprnklr sys & more.$214,900. Call Malones

Prop. 670-1411/640-8550

4005 Corbett • 473-3247www.homesofokcinc.com

OPEN SUN 2-4 1508Knightingale Ln. Built in

'04. 4070sf. 4bd 4ba$365K Brightwell

Brokerage, 639-1919

4/2/3 $185,000, 2048 sfStorm shelter, sprinklers(405)476.8207 Photos atowners.com/DAD0343.

EXECUTIVE HOMEGated community OwnerFinancing 405-641-0124

PRICE REDUCED!1233 W Churchill Way

FSBO.com ID# 142158 3 bd2 ba, blt in '05,Open HouseSun 1-4 $134,900 414-7938

FSBO: Blt '03, 1813 sf,3/2/3, lrg liv & mstr, new

crpt, reduced $149K810 E Elder Ln 306-6504

2 bd, 2 ba, 2 car GardenHome in restricted Sr.Gated community.$134,500 405-788-4209

Open SUN. 2-4. 704 NE20 St. Hist. Lincoln Terr.hrdwd foors & updated.

9620 NE 46 • 417-2176www.homesofokcinc.com

Sharp Spacious 4bed2-story home, great area,large dry basement (candouble for storm cellar),new carpet, fresh paint ch/a

Seller will pay all ofbuyer's closing costs

$99,750. Fidelity RE692-1661, 417-1963

2201 NW 26, hist. Beau-tiful prof. dec., 4br/3b,2306 sf, updated/xtras,Sat & Sun 2-5pm/appt.

524-0763, realtors comm

OWNER CARRY, 3 bd, 1ba, 1 car, ch&a, remod-eled, $4K down, 1157NW 81st, 348-2108.

2506 NW 20 & 4621 NW33 Terr. 503-5057

www.homesofokcinc.com

1449 NW 99 • 417-2176www.homesofokcinc.com

K Priced Home $29,500CASH 1600sf 3/2/2+ denneeds little work. Part

trade '89-'00 trk 889-4689

New & Remodeled Home1340 SE 41st. 3bed, 1ba,59,500 Michael 245-4008

4bed 2bath 2car largelot. Moore Schl $1300moW Enterprises 732-2285

Moore Schools, 3 bd, 2ba, 2 car, 30X30 work-shop, nice updates, oaklaminate, tile, $128,000,2317 SW 82nd, 473-9966

2317 SW 48, $39,900,Nu +grade carpet/paintCent H&A/Huge Util RmSuzyQ, 301-4618/642-4116

Extra sharp 3bd brick homech/a, nice area, good

condition, only $54,900Fidelity 692-1661

BANK OWNED 3/2/3, blt 961533sf, Moore schls, 2 liv,$109.9KArlene CB 414-8753

STUNNING in WindmillPark Addt. 4/3/3 approx2365', close to neighbor-hood tennis & park, allthe bells & whistles,

$259,900. Cindy,Cleaton & Associates,Inc. Realtors 373-2494

COUNTRY ESTATE6735 Mustang Rd NE3 Bd, 4 Ba, Office +

Game Rm, 3 Car 30x50Shop on 7+ Ac, Trees and

Small Pond $675KLeon 373-4820

Overland Exp Rlty

Seller has found his newhome-bring your offertoday! 1500+ sf, 3bd brk2ba, 2car, a/c, outbldg +upgrades $127,500!

Call Malones Prop670-1411/640-8550

NORTHWOOD LAKE4 bd 2.5 ba approx 2600'on 1 ac MOL walk to lake

& new elem schl.$264,900 Lisa or Cindy

Cleaton & Assoc373-2494

EXECUTIVE HOME 4/4/3approx 3232' on 1 ac

MOL. 16 x 32 ingrnd poolw/pergola & fire pit, 20 x

20 outbldg. $384,500Lisa Cleaton & Assoc

373-2494

6708 EVERY AVE NW5 AC 4Bd, 2K Ba, 2 Liv,1 Din, 2 Car, Horse Barn,

4 Stall + Wash RackLeon 373-4820

Overland Ex Realty Inc

Brick 1900 sf on 5 acres,barn w/ 5 horse runs.

Beautiful! $199,500 CallNew Horizons, 326-6273

OPEN TODAY 2-5 TUTTLE6904 Lewis Ln » 3/2/3

on 3/4 Acre (N of Hwy37 on Morgan Rd. )

Open Sun 2-4New carpet, paint,

blinds, 5bed, 3ba,2295sqft 2006 $195000

call Cole Thompson w/Metro 1st Rlty 464-7125

1939 FARM HOME-STEAD some original &

some updated w/currenttrends. Approx 1900' on

6.5 ac MOL. 3bd, 2ba,basement, detached 2

car/shop combo. 146,900Cindy, Cleaton &

Associates, Inc. Realtors373-2494

2020 sf 2-story 3 bd, 2.5ba. Needs TLC. $72,900New Horizons, 326-6273

PIEDMONT OPEN SAT2-4 & SUN 2-5. Model

home. New hms on 1/2ac lots. Info also avail-

able for new hms in oth-er additions. From NW

Expwy &Sara Rdgo4.5miNCleaton &Associates, Inc.

Realtors 373-2494

11 lotsSE 36th & Phillips

634-0181

$$$$$$$$$$$$$Up to $5000 towards

your new mobile homew/ a 4 yr. lease! Or...Wewill move your home to

one of our BeautifulProperties! Visit us atwww.aboutarc.com or

call 405-733-4072.

BACK TO SCHOOLSPECIAL! Free month'srent in. No applicationfee. wac Yukon schools3bd/2 bath. All electric.

Going fast. Call787-0136 or 495.1463

We'll PAY to haveYOUR Home moved to

any one Our parks.Conditions apply Call326-5728 for Details

Want FREE lot rent?Call for more info.Conditions apply

405-326-5728

Huge Inventory home sale!Own Land or have FamilyLand use land to purchasenew home! Need Land?Land/Home I-20 acresavailable. 3, 4, 5 bedrmManufactured & Modularhomes. Turn Key, we doit all! 1000 furniturepackage with purchase888-878-2971 405-204-4163

Price Reduced! New3bd/2ba Mobile Homesalready on land located

in Shawnee, Prague,Cromwell & HarrahOwner Financing

Woodlake Properties405-273-5777

www.property4sale.com

First Time Homebuyer.New & repo homes avail-able. Move to your landor to community. Tradein homes are welcomed.888-878-2971 405-602-4526

3 bed dbl. w/fireplace,huge glamour bath,

walkin closet island kit.$389mo wac 470-1330

DW on Acreage, 4 Bed/2Bath, 2350 sq ft, 2 cargarage ¡ 405-412-6236

Single Wide, 3bd/2ba setup in park. $17,500 Callfor info: 512-567-8345

1997 2 bd, 2 ba, 16X80,car port, gas & elec, W.OKC, $24,950, 470-2886.

3bd 2ba MH in SE OKCquiet park. Must see

$16K 619-7270, 979-0016

Land/Home Repo’sMany locations around OK.E-Z Qualifying405-787-5004

3bd 2ba DW on acreagew/pond. Less than $500mo, WAC 631-3609

3/2 bath set up quiet parkCall for details405-631-7600

Repo 10 acres 2200 sf, E ofCity. 301-2454/517-5000

2200 sf 4x2, Newcastle301-2454/517-5000

4/2 bath set up with2.5 acres 405-631-7600

Repos 3x2 starting $19,900Del. 301-2454/517-5000

DO NOT Call Unless…Foreclosure/Behind PaymtOverleveraged/Repairs

Call/Web 800-Sell-Now.com

I BUY HOUSESAny condition. No cost

to U 495-5100

417-2176

Heard of a SHORT SALE?SELL YOUR HOUSE TODAY!Foreclosure/behind Pymts340-9879/HouseKings.com

I BUY & SELL HOUSES27 YRS EXP 650-7667

HOMESOFOKCINC.COM

Land Bargain!Possum Kingdom Lake

Depression - like pricinghas spurred brisk sales!Mountain top lakeacreage that has beenowned by one family forover 100 yrs is nowavailable. Huge oaks,mtn streams, gorgeousmeadows, abundantdeer, turkey & otherwildlife. Enjoy gorgeoussunsets overlooking Pos-sum Kingdom Lake aswell as private lake ac-cess for fishing, boating,skiing, sailing & more.Or, just relax at our pri-vate clubhouse & infinityedge pool. Excellent fi-nancing w/ easy terms.This is a must see forthe entire family.Call now for no-pressureguided tour-FREE pics &map, too 1-877-888-1636

632-Unit Mini Storage inDuncan, Ok. 28ac +/- of land$1,995,000 580-248-4337

Bank owned 18 Units$350K, 16 Units NearOCU $550K, 22 Units

Paseo area $775K, ProjectPartners wanted $100K –Earn 8% - 20%. Seabrooke

Realty 405-409-7779

117 acres +/- in Duncan, OKwith many improvements$375,000 580-248-4337

New bldg, I-35 frontage,shop, ofc, kitchen, bath,heat/air, $1000, 412-7665

Warehouse/OfficeI-40 & Meridian,

2200-4819sf, 946-2516

GREAT SpaceOFFICEConvenient

NW Locations:I-40 & Meridian

NW Expressway & MayBritton/Lake HefnerParkway 200-6000sf

946-2516

1, 2 & 3-Room Suites$150 & up ¡ 50th & N.

Santa Fe area 235-8080

4000 sf. Easy access,great location, 12x14O/H drs. Nicolma Park. 1yr lease + dep. $1800/monegotiable. 630-0394

1800 sf, whse & office,heat & air, 12x12 O/Hdoors, paved parking.Nicoma Park, 1 yr lease +dep. $725/mo 630-0394

VERY, VERY QUIET!Near mall, schls, hosp,

Try Plaza East•341-4813

SENIOR LIVING 55+1 BED APTS. 348-4065

1 & 2 BEDROOMS,QUIET! Covered ParkingGreat Schools! 732-1122

$200 OFF RENT1&2bedrooms. Spring TreeApartments. 405-737-8172.

Walford Apts 518 NW 12MIDTOWN District

Amazing! All electric,1bd 1ba, ch/a. Corner

Studio $550mo $450dpEfficiency $475mo $375dp

409-7989 no sec 8

Spring SpecialLARGE TOWNHOMES

& APARTMENTS• Washer, Dryers, pools• PC Schools, fireplaces

Williamsburg7301 NW 23rd

787-16202810 Dorchester Dr Apt 5spacious 2bd 1.5ba, largeliving area, ch/a, completely

remodeled, $650 moFidelity RE 692-1661

The Plaza 1740 NW 17thK Off Special

1bd, 1ba 750sf, woodfloors, all elec, $450 mo,$200dp. No sec8 409-7989

WOW! $149 1st Month1 Bed-2bed available

»» ALL BILLS PAID»»POOL. 405-946-0588

DREXEL ON THE PARK

Briargate 1718 N IndianaK Off Move in Special!

800sf 1bd 1ba, cha, all elec,wood floor, $450mo, $200dep. No sec 8 409-7989

Foxcroft Apartments1, 2 & 3 beds

»»» 787-6655 »»»

Efficiency Apt. All billspaid included cable ex-tended, $460 month nice,Mayfair area. 942-3139

2528 NW 12th 1bd 1ba900sf $400mo $200dp

Garage apt 600sf$325mo$175dp 409-7989 no sec8


800 N. Meridian: 1bd, allbills paid & weekly ratesavailable. 946-9506

$99 Move-In Special1bd 1ba $295-350, stove,fridge, very clean 625-5200

» MOVE IN SPECIAL »LARGE 1, 2 & 3 BEDS

Rockwell Arms, 787-1423

MAYFAIR GARDENS His-toric Area! Secure, wash/dry hardwd flrs 947-5665

Oakwood Apts 1bd 1bth750sf $325/mo $175/dep409-7989 no sec 8

NW 50th and Portland,Remodel, from $525/mo.»» 405-692-5584 »»

Quiet Casady!Low rents $440 751-8088

•ABC• Affordable, Bugfree, Clean » 787-7212»

$201 Total Move-In CostEnergy Eff., $301 movein/1 bd, $401 move in/2bd. $1 First Week RentWeekly Avail: Effic $115

1bd $125, 2bd $165Disability & Social Security

recipients welcome616 SW 59th, between

Western&Walker634-4798Drug free environment

Not all bills paid

$99 SPECIALLg 1bdr, stove, refrig.,clean, walk to shops.$325 mo. 632-9849


San Tee Apts. small eff$275/mo $85/depositPlus elec 685-2909 9a-5p

$99 Move In Special!!!Lg 1 and 2 Bdr, $325 to

$395 mo. 632-9849

$305 & Up per monthFurnished 1bd & Efficiency2820 S Robinson 232-1549

PIEDMONT OPEN SAT2-4 & SUN 2-5. Model

home. New hms on 1/2ac lots. Info also avail-

able for new hms in oth-er additions. From NW

Expwy &Sara Rdgo4.5miNCleaton &Associates, Inc.

Realtors 373-2494

CASHION ACREAGEwith trees & creek. 6 to11 ac MOL tracts start-ing @ $25,000. Ownerfinance possible. Lisa

Cleaton & Assoc373-2494

1N to 10A, E. of OKC,pay out dn. before 1st pmt.starts, many are M/H readyover 400 choices, lg trees,some with ponds, TERMS

Milburn o/a 275-1695paulmilburnacreages.com

HOME W/ 20 AC MOL3 bd 2.5 ba approx 2495'

w/office & gamermCashion schls. $284,900Lisa or Cindy Cleaton &

Assoc 373-2494

Move In ready 14x80 MH3bd 2ba DW on 7.29 Acre

plenty of deer/turkeyStonewall Schools 14miE of Ada. »» $70,000

(580) 279-3925 279-3749

6A Land Mustang.18079 199 Renov Big home.11850 Lakewood Big home.

417-2176www.homesofokcinc.com

1-28 acres » All AreasOwner Financing

Woodlake Properties405-273-5777

www.property4sale.com

BUILDING SITES PIED-MONT 3/4 and 1 AcreLots, Close In-Good

Streets Leon 373-4820Overland Ex Realty

3/2/2 on 2K ac, 26x32shop, 424 Sherwood Ln,

Edm $165,500 436-3055

Extra sharp 2bd 1.5ba2-car, ch/a, new roof &

siding, only $59,900Fidelity 692-1661

Open Sat 8-5, Sun 11-4,4 bed, 2K bath, 2 story,on 8 acres, $149,900, fordirections: 918-285-1542.

ACREAGE HOMESITES AVAILABLE» The Ranches at Olde

Tuscany 1+Ac Moore Schls» Olde Tuscany III

5-10 ac Moore Schools» The Timbers 5 ac

Moore Schools» Montecito 1+ ac

Norman Schools» Belleau Wood

1+ ac Edmond Schools» Stillbrook Glen 2.5-10ac Bridgecreek Schools

Call Mike 317.0582landmarkfinehomes.com

Visit one of our fullyfurnished model homes

today! *We build onyour lot or ours*

FSBO: 4008 acres inwestern Oklahoma inboth Beckham & Greer

Counties. Approx. 10 miSW of Sayre, OK. Haystack Creek and othercreeks run through the

property. Big trees, goodhunting, good cow opera-tion, corrals, ponds. $695per acre. 806-248-7224

or 806-676-6503 or night806-354-0253

Furn 1BD most billsPaid + EMSA, no sec 8and no pets, 524-2730

Yukon Rent Specials1 bd From $3592 bd From $4593 bd From $559

For info & specials 354-5855

1 bed, 1 bath, W/D,fireplace, fridge, ceilingfans, 1 covered parking,security gates, pool, free

water & cable. QuailSprings Condo. $525/mo

Call Bryan, 722-3882

2720 SW 74th unit 18,extra sharp 2bd townhouse,ch/a, built in appliances,washer/dryer hookups,patio area, only $575Fidelity RE 692-1661

Hemingway -Gated, 2 bd,2 ba, (1st Floor), W/D,FP, Appls, pool, coveredparking $725 mo, 210-5803

8012 NW 7th Pl Unit 324extra sharp 1bd, 1.5ba,1-car garage ch/a, $525

Fidelity RE 692-1661

3245 NW 50th #2442 bed 2 bath $550 mo

TMS Prop 348-0720

Exec condo, 2/1K /2, gat-ed, pool, tennis, lease,$950, 831-4371.

Edmond Condo, CrossingWay East, pool, tennis,3/2/2 $750mo 348-4823

135 Barrett Place 2/1/1kit appls, $625 mo no

pets/section 8 517-1222

4013 SE 45th Ter 3/1.5/1Sec 8 ok, $700 rent, $600dep, ch&a, 408-6361.

Thomas Trails Beauty4/2/2, $176,900. Brkr/Owners would considerlse purchase for $1500/mo. New carpet, lrg fncback yd. Bud 245-1271

3209 Pioneer, 1 bed, 1bath, 1 car, 1 year lease,$450 +$300 dep 694-9730

Commercial REMustang 319

Condominiums,TownhousesFor Sale 304

Acreage For Sale 302

Edmond 314

Del City 313

Chandler/Wellston 311.8

RE for sale

Moore 318

Norman 322

Vacation PropertyFor Sale 347

Yukon 330

Piedmont 327

Suburban, NW(El Reno, Guthrie, Cashion, Deer Creek, Etc.) 332

Tuttle/Newcastle 329

OKCSouthwest 326

OKCSouthwest 326

OKCSoutheast 325

OKCNorthwest 324

OKCNortheast 323

Lots For Sale 337

Open Houses 334.2

Mobile Home Parks Community/Acreages 338

Mobile Homes, Manufactured Houses 339

Suburban, SW(Minco, Union City, Etc.) 334

Real EstateWanted 346

Real EstateNotices 345

Yukon 438

Edmond 444

Edmond 422

MWC 424

Condominiums,TownhousesFor Rent 441

OKCSouthwest 433

OKCNorthwest 431

OKCNorthwest 431

OKCDowntown 429.5

Duplexes

Apartments

OKCSouthwest 455

OKCNorthwest 453

Hotels/Motels 462

Yukon 460

RE for rent

MWC 468

Edmond 466

Del City 465.5

Mustang 470

Moore 469

Norman 473

OKCNorthwest 475

Yukon 482

Mobile HomeRentals 483

Tuttle/Newcastle 481

OKCSouthwest 477

OKCSouthwest 477

OKCSoutheast 476

Senior Living 489.5

Rooms For Rent 489

Rental Services 487

Business Property For Sale 351

Offi ce SpaceFor Rent 363

Industrial PropertyFor Rent 361

Business Property For Rent 360

Investment Property For Sale 355

Warehouse SpaceFor Rent 363.5


adjacent to the livingroom, thus decreasing thesize of the family room.

For a review plan, in-cluding scaled floor plans,

A family room at theback gives a spacious,open feeling to the com-pact Phoenix, a ranch-style home that fits on astandard lot. This single-level plan is suited to theneeds of empty nesters,young families or singles.

The U-shaped kitchen iscompletely open to thefamily room, so the cooksand cleanup crew neednever feel left out of familyactivities.

Counters and cupboardsstretch along one wall, anda pantry provides addi-tional storage capacity. Acook top and oven are builtinto a central work islandthat adds more counterspace. Bring in a few stoolsand the islands doubles asan eating bar.

Stacked windowsbrighten the living room, aquiet space at the front ofthe home. The corner fire-place serves as a focalpoint in winter, and itsmantel offers a display areafor family mementos.

The owners’ suite andutilities are to the right ofthese gathering spaces.The walk-in closet is muchlarger than one expects tofind in a home this size,and the private bathroomhas a luxurious oversizedshower.

Utilities are in a pass-though space convenientto the kitchen, owners’suite and garage. Second-ary bedrooms are on theleft side of the Phoenixwith a bathroom with acombined tub and shower.

If a basement is desired,stairs will be on the frontwall of the family room,

elevations, section andartist’s conception, send$25 to Associated Designs,1100 Jacobs Drive, Eugene,OR, 97402. Please specify

the Phoenix 10-061 andinclude a return addresswhen ordering. For moreinformation, call (800)634-0123.

HOUSE PLAN

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Ranch home is perfect sizefor new families, empty nest DEAR BARRY: We

bought our home in thewintertime, so our homeinspector did not test theair conditioner. He said theoutside temperature wastoo cold to run the system.But that left us with an un-disclosed problem. Thesummer arrived with 100-degree temperatures, andwe found that our air con-ditioner did not work.

The contractor we calledsaid the system had notbeen fully connected whenit was installed, but thiswas not reported to usduring the home inspec-tion. Is our home inspectorliable for failing to reportthis problem?

Kathy

DEAR KATHY: Yourhome inspector could beliable, depending on whathe did or did not say in hisreport. At the same time,there remains the issue ofwhether to test an air-conditioning system incold weather. So let’s take alook.

Many home inspectorsrefuse to test air condi-tioners when temperaturesare below 60 degrees. Thisis because air-condition-ing systems can be dam-aged if they are operatedduring cold weather. How-ever, damage is unlikely tooccur if the system is brief-ly operated for purposes oftesting and inspecting.Prolonged use is whatcauses damage. Therefore,failure to test an air-con-ditioning system duringcold weather is not fullyjustified.

However, if a home in-spector chooses to skip thetest, the report should rec-ommend testing by a li-censed heating-ventila-tion-air-conditioningcontractor before close ofescrow, rather than allow-

ing the homebuyers topurchase the propertywithout knowing the con-dition of the system. Ifyour home inspector de-clined to test the unit butmade no recommendationfor further evaluation,then he was professionallynegligent.

DEAR BARRY: Webought ceramic floor tilesfor our bathroom andhired a tile setter to installthem. But the workman-ship was terrible. So nowwe’re going to tear it outand start over. But we wantto make sure we get a goodtile contractor this time.How can we find someonewho is competent to dothis work?

Laurel

DEAR LAUREL: Find-ing a qualified contractorcan sometimes be a shot inthe dark, but there is agood way to find compe-tent flooring installers.Stores that sell flooringmaterials seldom employtheir own workers. In-stead, they contract withvarious carpet layers, vinylinstallers and tile setters.

And these store ownersusually know which con-tractors are better than theothers.

The next time you buyfloor tiles, ask the vendorwhich tile installer is thebest of the bunch.

To write to Barry Stone, visit him atwww.housedetective.com.

ACCESS MEDIA GROUP

Inspector didn’t checkair system in winter

BarryStone

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