HOMES&LIVING

FEATURES EDITOR: Katharine Ball PHONE: 754-4282 FAX: 754-4293 E-MAIL: living@thecalifornian.comwww.thecalifornian.com

Weekend, January 16-17, 2010

C

ELECTRONICSCONSOLE TOOLKIT$30.22 at Shinobii Technologies Ltd. , www.shinobii.com.i Contains all the tools you need to repair most gam-ing consoles.i 19 tools and a guide that tells you which ones touse. REAL ESTATE

LISTINGS INSIDE

MARK YOURCALENDAR

HOTPROPERTY

Lauren Beale, Los Angeles Times

COMING MONDAYIN LIVING

A Chualar couple builds a familythrough adoption.

BY BRODERICK PERKINSFor The Salinas Californian

If you haven’t looked into refi-nancing your mortgage underfederal programs, you could bemissing an opportunity to savemoney, keep your home and givethe economy a little juice.

Federal mortgage refinanc-ing programs have given morethan 2 million homeowners abetter shot at holding on and theeconomy a much needed shot inthe arm.

“You can refinance up to 125percent of your home’s value,”said Michael D. Rodriguez, bro-ker owner of Platinum CapitalMortgage and Real Estate in

See PERKINS, 8C

Bird count, cleanup set fortoday in Salinas

Return of the Natives, a nativeplant restoration group, todayhosts a winter bird count andclean-up at Upper Carr Lake inSalinas. It’s a service event asso-ciated with the Martin LutherKing Jr. holiday. Participants willpick up trash, recyclables anddebris and count birds. Familiesare welcome at the volunteerevent.Tools, water and snackswill be provided.i What: Winter bird count andcleanup of Upper Carr Lakei When: 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. todayi Where: Upper Carr Lake, EastLaurel Drive between Constitu-tion Boulevard and SanbornRoad, Salinas.i Information: 831-582-3686.

Cher plans to sell herluxury compound in Kona

Between performing in her lav-ish LasVegas show and makingmovies, Cher still finds time topursue her other passion: design-ing and decorating houses.

See PROPERTY, 2C

BY SUSAN ZEVONThe Associated Press

For many families, the big-screenTVhas become the contemporary fireplace— the focal point of the room and thespot where the family gathers.The chal-lenge is to get it installed to ensure thebest viewing without wrecking yourhome decor.

Ahead of the Super Bowl, the Olym-pics and Hollywood awards viewingseason, here are some tips.

HIDE OR HANG?Mark Langos, who heads his own

interior design firm in Los Angeles,reports that on the West Coast the big-screen television is treated as“a fact oflife and work of art.”Most often he pre-fers hanging it on a wall to save space.Langos, who favors clean, contempo-rary designs, advises against puttingtheTV in a packed armoire where otherobjects may distract from the screen.

“It’s generational,”says Scott Salva-tor, a NewYork City-based designer. He

finds that clients older than 45 want tohide the set, so for them he will designa custom cabinet or select one ready-made. Media cabinets are availablefrom many sources, including storeslike Ikea and Pottery Barn.

In a media room he designed for afamily in New Jersey, Salvator madetheTV a star, hanging it above a fire-place and framing it with the surround-ing paneling. For those without a

See BIG, 8C

We count on our tiresto keep us rolling, butonce they wear out,

tires can become a nuisance orworse.

Old tires can be recycled, butin most cases there is a disposalfee involved. Some people stackthem up in the yard awaiting atrip to the landfill, or resort todesperate measures to avoiddisposal fees and dump themillegally.This is where the prob-lems begin.

Tires left outside are prone tocollecting standing water, which

mosquitoes use for breeding,potentially inviting the West Nilevirus to your neighborhood.

Illegally dumped tires willdamage vegetation, createunsightly litter and pose a major

fire risk. If dumped near creeksor streams, they can damagethe ecosystem, leading to flood-ing and landslides and possiblyharming wildlife. Proper dis-posal is the only way to protectagainst these dangers.

The good news is that freetire recycling is available now

through Feb. 6, thanks to SalinasValley Solid Waste Authorityand a grant from the CaliforniaIntegrated Waste ManagementBoard. Residents may dispose ofup to nine tires, with or withoutrims, for no charge during WornOut Wheels Weeks.

During the Worn Out WheelsWeeks in Salinas earlier thismonth, 3,500 tires were collectedat the Sun Street Transfer Sta-tion. Worn Out Wheels Weekscontinue through Jan. 24 at the

See STYLES, 8C

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

This photo released by Scott Salvator shows the media room in the family home, where he made the TV the star by hanging it above a fireplace and fram-ing it with surrounding paneling.

Here are some decorating solutions for big-screen TVs

9000112465MyMy REALTORREALTOR®

LLegacy Real Estateegacy Real Estate831-229-0663

Lucy JensenLucy Jensen

GreenfieldGreenfield208 San Antonio - Complete Remodel!208 San Antonio - Complete Remodel!OPEN SAT & SUN 12-3PM - $159,000OPEN SAT & SUN 12-3PM - $159,000

FEATURED PROPERTIES

35 Maple StreetSalinas

831-424-0001www.tncrealestate.com

SELLING MONTEREY COUNTY FOR OVER 30YEARS.

LISTINGS

SCOTT CRAIG214-2651

13480 SWANER CIRCLENORTH SALINAS

$149,500SCOTT CRAIG214-2651

211 TAWNY PORT WAYGREENFIELD$187,000

MIKE HANDLEY262-2400

416 CALAVERAS DR.NORTH SALINAS

$173,000

9000113346

9000113346

9000113130

9000113130

9000113346

9000113130

9000113346

1234 AVINAAVE., GREENFIELD......................................$182,900239 SAN ANTONIO DR., GREENFIELD ........................... $110,000914 ACOSTA PL. #79, EAST SALINAS..............................$69,300168 DENNIS AVE., EAST SALINAS ................................. $119,900804 LA CUESTA CT., EAST SALINAS .............................$174,900619 MAE, EAST SALINAS ................................................$169,6001440 TEHAMA CR., NORTH SALINAS ...........................$149,000

14 TREVITHAL ST., NORTH SALINAS.............................$135,0001835 CHEROKEE DR., NORTH SALINAS .........................$87,50046 STONE ST. #46, SOUTH SALINAS................................$54,5001609 LOWELL ST., SEASIDE ...........................................$178,900916 ENTRADA DR., SOLEDAD .......................................$230,0001014 PRADO DRIVE., SOLEDAD ....................................$145,000240 OAK ST., SOLEDAD.....................................................$94,900

PENDING

BIG-SCREEN THEME

Throwaway tires can create major problemsRefinancingmay saveyou money

ALAN STYLESRecycling

DETAILSFor information on Worn Out WheelsWeeks, visit www.svswa.org or call 831-775-3000.

HOMES & LIVINGWeekend, January 16-17, 20108C

separate media room,study or family room, hesays,“the living room is‘every room.’ It is the larg-est room in the house. PuttheTV there and dress theroom down to an infor-mal decor so it really getsused.”

For those situations,Scott recommends countrystyle as“easy to do, happyand forgiving of stains.”

VIEWING DISTANCEMostTVs perform best

when viewed straight on.The screen size shoulddepend on the viewer’sdistance from it.

Stuart Silloway, trainingmanager for consumerelectronics at Samsung,recommends measuringthe distance from viewerto screen and dividing itby three to get the screensize. If it’s 120 inches fromeye toTV, for example, youshould have a 40-inch set.

The feel will be like sit-ting in the back third of amovie theater, he says. Ifyou prefer sitting closerto the front, adjust the for-mula accordingly.

Scott Salvator has a sofafacing aTV on a wall in hisoffice so his clients can tryout the viewing distance.You can try this at a neigh-bor’s house or even in astore.“Kids,”Salvator says,“generally like to be rightup close to theTV.”

While aTV usually

should be placed eye-levelfrom a seated position,in bedrooms it gener-ally should be somewhathigher, to be viewed fromthe bed without craning

your neck. Langos recom-mends putting theTV onan adjustable mount onthe wall that can tilt orswivel.There are motor-ized versions that may be

operated from a remote.

WHAT ABOUT WIRES?A tangle of wires can

scar the look of a room.When possible, make them

disappear by running thembehind the wall or, withthe proper equipment, youcan have all the apparatusin a different room or in acloset.

According to Silloway,with dry wall construction,running the wires behindthe wall is a relativelysimple process that mostprofessional installers canmanage, and if you arehandy you can do it your-self. Plaster walls presenta greater challenge.

“Always make surethe installer you hire isbonded and insured,”hesays. For those whosebudgets allow it, mediasystems may be integratedwith lighting and windowshades, all of which maybe operated remotely.

BE SEATED!For clients with a desig-

nated media room, Salva-tor has installed tieredseating like a movie the-ater. But for most people,a comfortable sofa andswivel chairs with an otto-man serve well. An uphol-sterer can convert yourfavorite chair to a swivel.

LIGHTING“The darker the room,

the better the image,”Sillo-way says. He recommendsinstalling blackout shadesand minimizing any light-ing that might reflect offthe screen. However,“evenmovie theaters have someambient light,”Langossays. He suggests puttinglights on dimmers.

Consider the time of daywhen you do most of yourTV viewing. If it is at night,you probably do not needblackout shades.

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

This photo released by Mark Langos shows a TV mounted on a wall above a custom console in a contemporary California desert home designedby Langos. The console is designed to hold media equipment and store DVDs.

BIGContinued from page 1C

Johnson Canyon Landfillin Gonzales, and run Jan.25 through Feb. 6 at theJolon RoadTransfer Sta-tion in Salinas.

Unfortunately, busi-nesses are not eligible toparticipate in the events;only residents of theSVSWA service area mayrecycle tires free of charge.SVSWA hopes to exceedthe tire collection numbersfrom 2007, when 30,000tires were collected andrecycled.

Old tires will be recycledinto pavement for roads,playgrounds and school-yards. Other uses for recy-cled tires include alterna-tive fuel for manufacturingindustries, creating soles

for shoes and work boots,sidewalks, and more.

Start the NewYear with aresolution to reduce, reuse,recycle, and keep thoseresources in your old tiresrolling.

i Alan Styles is recyclingcoordinator for the SalinasValley Solid Waste Author-ity. His column appearsthe third Saturday of themonth in Central CoastLiving. Contact him atalanst@svswa.org.

STYLESContinued from page 1C

Salinas.“That’s up from105 percent as part ofPresident Obama’s plan.”

What’s more, fixed inter-est rates are down andwere recently listed as lowas 4.75 percent for 30-yearconforming mortgagesthat go to the best quali-fied homeowners, accord-ing to Santa Clara-basedErate.com.

First American Core-Logic’s“How the U.S.Consumer Has Benefitedfrom Mortgage FinancePrograms in 2009,”reveals2.2 million homeownershave saved an average$120 a month on theirmortgage payment — a10.5 percent reductionfrom the previous mort-gage payment.

The study says the refi-nance activity adds up to$2.3 billion in mortgagepayment savings for bor-rowers who refinancedin the first six months of2009.

Over the next five years,the total benefit to hom-eowners who refinancedin 2009 will grow to$11.5 billion.

The study analyzedresidential mortgagerefinances that occurredbetween October 2008and June 2009 to test theimpact of Federal Reserveefforts to lower inter-

est rates and to measurethe effect of MakingHome Affordable’s HomeAffordable Refinance Pro-gram (HARP).

This summer, HARPgave a hand up to morehomeowners sufferingmortgages larger thanthe value of theirhome.

Borrowers current onpayments with FannieMae- or Freddie Mac-guaranteed loans couldbe eligible for refinancinginto new loans even ifthey owe as much as125 percent of the home’scurrent value.

The previous HARPloan-to-value limit was105 percent.

Also, if the existingmortgage was writtenwithout mortgage insur-ance, the new loan won’tbe burdened with that

extra cost. Fannie Maeand Freddie Mac loanstypically require mortgageinsurance when the loanis more than 80 percent ofthe home’s value.

Of course, if the currentmortgage has mortgageinsurance and the newloan is 80 percent or moreof the home’s value, mort-gage insurance comeswith the deal.

The new 125 percentlimit also may not applyif a second mortgagecombined with the first is125 percent of the home’svalue.The new dealdoesn’t allow homeownersto take cash out; rather,it’s designed to ease themonthly payment.

Loan-to-valueAnother plus from the

program: The higher loan-

to-value ratios were firstavailable only to qualifiedborrowers who appliedthrough their existingservicer.

That’s changed.

Shop aroundSince Oct. 1, homeown-

ers have had the optionto shop around and refi-nance through any Fannieor Freddie lender.

In addition to loweringyour monthly payment,a refinanced mortgage,provided you qualify, canmove you to a cheaperfixed or adjustable rate,shorten the term of yourhome loan, or let you taphome equity, with a lend-er’s approval.

“Your credit score needsto be at 580 absolute mini-mum for some loans, 620,”for some refinanced loans

with higher loan-to-valueratios, Rodriguez said.

“The quantitative eas-ing policies of the FederalReserve and refinanceactivity made possible bythe Home Affordable Refi-nance Program (HARP)have allowed more than2 million consumers toreduce their monthlymortgage debt obligationsand put more money intheir pockets,”said Core-Logic study author andchief economist MarkFleming.

To compare rates, costsand other factors by state,see Erate.com’s data.

i Broderick Perkins oper-ates a digital real estatenews service, the Deadline-News Group. Contact himat broderickperkins@dead-linenews.com or visit www.deadlinenews.com.

ONLINETo check your eligibility for a

refinance under the new federalprovisions, go to Making HomeAffordable at www.makinghomeaffordable.gov.

PERKINSContinued from page 1C

Call us today at831-754-4145.

Source: MORI Research 2009

Let us help you capitalize onthis consumer habit.

67%OF

NEWSPAPERUSERS CLIPAND SAVECOUPONS.

9000112468

AffinityAffinityPropertiesProperties

“The Salinas Californian is

the best way to reach clients

throughout the Salinas Valley!

Our sales representative is

wonderful – she makes

placing ads easy.

Thank you Californian!”

Rose Ann BarnettOffice ManagerCentury 21 A Property Shoppe

9000109139

If you’re one of the five million people who list their home for sale this year, the National Association of REALTORS® wants you

to know that when it comes to selling a home, you’re better off using a REALTOR®. Someone who can get the job done in half

the time, and can sell it for more than if you sold it on your own. That’s because REALTORS® are experts—they have extensive

experience staging the home, showing it and attracting qualified buyers to view it.

Work with a REALTOR®, a member of the National Association of REALTORS®, they can explain options in your area that

best fit your situation. To learn more, visit HousingMarketFacts.com.

EVERY MARKET’S DIFFERENT, CALL A REALTOR® TODAY.

A REALTOR® CAN SELL YOUR HOME FASTER ANDFOR MORE THAN YOU COULD YOURSELF.

LEAVING YOU MORE TIME TO ENJOY YOUR LIFE.

©2008 National Association of REALTORS®.

Based on The 2007 NAR Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers.

9000110772

Monterey County Association of Realtors201- A Calle Del OaksDel Rey Oaks, CA 93940

831-393-8660

Let us show you how newspaperads can deliver customers.

56%OF ADULTS BOUGHT

SOMETHING IN THE PASTMONTH AS A RESULT OF A

NEWSPAPER AD.

Call us today at 831-754-4145.Source: MORI Research 2009

Top deals on wheels for work,family and fun.