The Oklahoman Real Estate

LISTING OF THE WEEK

HOUSE PLAN

Brick home on large lot

The Braydon

The Listing of the Week is a large, two-story brick home on 7.6 acres in the Deer Creek school district west of Edmond.

This charming, two-story duplex packs a lot of living area into a fairly narrow footprint.

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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

‘Magnificent’ inspiration DESIGN | THE LATE RAYMOND CARTER HAS LASTING INFLUENCE ON HOMEBUILDER MARK DALE

BY DYRINDA TYSON For The Oklahoman dyrinda@gmail.com

NICHOLS HILLS — Mark Dale remembers Sunday mornings as a boy when his father would take the long way home from church in the Crown Heights neighborhood to their home in north Oklahoma City.

“Dad would drive home through Crown Heights and Nichols Hills, stop in front of Mr. Carter’s homes sometimes, just stop and look at them a little bit, noticing details,” Dale said.

Raymond Carter was a home designer and builder of choice for many people building in the Crown Heights area and Nichols Hills during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. He died in 1992, but his name still carries enough cachet to pop up in real estate listings in those neighborhoods — “magnificent Raymond Carter home” as one home in Nichols Hills was recently billed.

And Dale’s father, the late builder Everett Dale Jr., was mentally taking notes.

“I was a kid, so I wasn’t sure what he was looking at,” his son, also a homebuilder, recalled. “But I later found out it was cornice design, primarily, and shutters, window placement, porches — just the overall front elevation of the house. I think that’s what makes Raymond Carter’s homes so distinctive.”

Mark Dale, 61, went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Duke University and a master’s in business administration from the University of Colorado. He carries on the family building tradition with Carriage Homes, building in high-end neighborhoods ranging from Gaillardia to Esperanza to Quail Creek. He and his father joined forces to build several homes in Nichols Hills as well.

Kenneth Harney THE NATION’S HOUSING

HOW DO YOU RATE? How do you stack up as a potential mortgage candidate in this year’s increasingly tough underwriting environment? Do you have the right stuff?

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IN BRIEF CLEANING TIPS

Lark and Mark Dale, owners of Carriage Homes, walk outside their home, 6903 Trenton Road in Nichols Hills.

PHOTOS BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN

Homebuilders at home Editor’s note: This is the first of an occasional series of features about homebuilders and their own homes.

Expansive built-in shelves flank the large stone fireplace, framed by ceiling beams, in the living room of Mark and Lark Dale’s home, built in 1948 by Raymond Carter, at 6903 Trenton Road in Nichols Hills.

And he has lived in homes he built, including one in the Fairview Farms

addition where northwest Oklahoma City meets Edmond, until someone

came along one day last year and bought it.

It was almost that easy.

“A Realtor friend of mine was working with a couple that wanted to live in that neighborhood,” said Lark Dale, Mark Dale’s wife and a Realtor with Paradigm AdvantEdge Real Estate. “I said, ‘Well, show them mine.’ So she did, and they bought it. It was very painless.”

The fact that their house wasn’t on the market didn’t deter them.

“In this kind of economy, if you get a good deal like that, you just do it,” said Lark Dale, 61. “We’re flexible. I don’t mind movSEE AT HOME, PAGE 2F

Own 2 homes for fuller retirement Once, the notion of owning two homes was solely for the wealthy.

But now more middle-class baby boomers entering retirement are “trading down” from a big family house to two small abodes in separate states, according to real estate specialists.

“These aren’t rich people. …

Yet they have traditional pensions that give them enough income to support homes in two parts of the country,” said Margie Casey, a veteran real estate broker and author of “Relocate at Retirement or Not?” In a typical scenario, a retiring couple will first sell the large family house. Then they’ll buy a smaller home nearby for use as their primary residence. Finally, they’ll purchase a small, secondary residence in another state, most often in a resort setting.

Wherever they choose to live, most boomers want low maintenance — with exterior upkeep provided through a condo or homeowners association.

Here are a few tips for those considering a two-home retire-

Ellen James Martin SMART MOVES

ment dream: I First check out the financial implications of your plan.

Casey, who reviews retirement communities on her website (www.realestatescorecard.com), said anyone considering twohome ownership should first discuss the financial implications with a professional adviser.

On paper, it should be no more expensive to own two small units than a single large one. But in reality, dual homeownership can be more expensive after you take into account homeowners association fees and transportation costs.

Local taxes are also a big factor, especially in today’s tough times, where cash-strapped municipal-

ities are frequently raising them.

I Consider transportation before deciding where to relocate.

Relying on an out-of-the-way airport makes it harder to travel to distant locations for vacation or to see your offspring. It also can add to your transportation bills.

“Try to live near an airport that’s a hub for one of the major carriers. That can save you a ton on air travel costs,” Casey said.

Another transportation factor to consider is proximity to major interstate roadways.

“Most retired people want to live within a two-hour drive of their grandchildren,” Casey said.

I Avoid high expectations for visits with your offspring.

“Living near the grandkids is the No. 1 thing for a lot of retirees,” Casey said.

Still, she cautions those choosing a retirement habitat to be realistic about their expectations on how often they’ll see family, no matter how close they live.

“Your kids have busy lives.

Sure, you can hope to see them often. But don’t focus your whole

retirement lifestyle on seeing family. First and foremost, choose the lifestyle that works for you,” Casey said.

I Remember the benefits of two-home living.

One reason retirees like owning two abodes is that they can take advantage of two distinct climates — avoiding harsh winters and interminable summers.

By living in two places, Casey said many retirees have “the best of both worlds.” They can choose a primary setting near family and a secondary one that satisfies their desire for intellectual stimulation, perhaps in a college town where they can enjoy classes, lectures and cultural events.

For instance, Casey cites lowcost courses available to seniors on many campuses through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institutes (www.osherfoundation.org).

Buying a home near a college town offering such classes can enrich retirement.

To contact Ellen James Martin, email her at ellenjamesmartin@gmail.com.

UNIVERSAL UCLICK

Q. What’s the best way to clean the interiors of microwaves and garbage disposals?

A. To clean a microwave oven, steam it.

Microwave a cup or bowl of water on high till it boils, and then let the water boil for a few more minutes. The steam will soften the food spatters so you can wipe them right off.

For the disposal, grinding ice will help clean the blades, and grinding lemon peels will help eliminate odors. Freezing equal parts water and vinegar in ice cube trays and then grinding them will accomplish both goals, according to household hint writers Graham and Rosemary Haley. Or try “Queen of Clean” Linda Cobb’s tip: Plug the drain, fill the sink with 3 inches of warm water and mix in 1 cup of baking soda. Then drain the sink with the disposal running.

SAFE WAY TO REMOVE LEAD PAINT A paint stripper made from soybeans provides a safe way to remove and dispose of lead paint. Lead Out, from Franmar Chemical, is a gel stripper that encapsulates lead so lead dust can’t get into the air. It also chemically alters the lead compounds to make them insoluble, so they won’t leach out and don’t have to be treated as hazardous waste. The product is made from Americangrown soybeans and is biodegradable and non-caustic. It comes in a kit that needs to be mixed before application.

Lead Out can be ordered at www.franmar.com.

A 1-gallon container costs $99.95 plus shipping.

MCT INFORMATION SERVICES

INDEX Stone Permits

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SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

REAL ESTATE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

Left: Mark Dale, owner of Carriage Homes, with his wife, Lark Dale, in their backyard at 6903 Trenton Road in Nichols Hills.

PHOTO BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN

At home: ‘This is going to be it’ FROM PAGE 1F

ing. To me, it’s kind of a cleansing: Every time you move, you purge out the stuff that drags you down and go on to the next exciting thing.”

Their move took them from a 4,500-square-foot home to a 2,500-squarefoot condominium.

“We had a little bit of a shock downsizing and having to get rid of things, but I think it was healthy,” Mark Dale said.

The condo on Grand Boulevard was well-kept and nice, he said, but it began to feel confining.

“I found I kind of missed driving up in my own driveway in front of my own house,” he said.

So the Dales began casting around for a new home, but the search was a short one. A house at 6903 Trenton Road in Nichols Hills came on the market.

“I’d always admired the house and the style but had never been in it,” Mark Dale said. “And we opened the front door, and I looked in and thought, ‘Well, this is going to be it.’ ”

Not just any house The English cottagestyle house isn’t just any house. It’s a “magnificent Raymond Carter” home. It was built in 1948 — the year, Mark Dale pointed out, that his father got into the building business.

Everett Dale Jr. would spend the next 60 years of his life as a builder, starting out in the Wileman and Belle Isle neighborhoods around Penn Square Mall and moving on to Quail Creek and Nichols Hills, then to Timberdale, Timber Ridge, Oak Tree and other neighborhoods in Edmond.

The elder Dale never retired. He was still on the job when he died at age 82 in 2005.

“Even on the trip from the hospital to go back home, he insisted on going to the job along the way,” Mark Dale said. “He had to make sure everything was in order.”

This stone planter is part of the backyard patio and landscaping at builder Mark Dale’s home in Nichols Hills.

PHOTOS BY PAUL B. SOUTHERLAND, THE OKLAHOMAN

But Everett Dale’s best work may have come years before, in the 1960s, when he decided to move his family into a small area under development in the north end of Nichols Hills, an area where Carter also was building some homes.

“It was the cheapest lot,” Mark Dale said. “It was on some fill, it had sort of a swampy pond on it, some unattractive trees — but it was the only lot he really felt he could afford.

He wanted to be in there.”

Despite the drawbacks, the elder Dale managed to build a house on the lot, and the family moved in.

Mark Dale remembers months later when he and his father were working in the front yard. A Chrysler Imperial drove by, turning around at the end of the block and stopping in front of the home.

“The electric window slowly rolls down, Raymond Carter sticks his head out and said to my dad, ‘Young man, you’ve taken the ugly duckling and turned it into a beautiful swan,’ and the window rolled back up just as quickly, and he drove off,” Dale said.

“That was a very proud moment for my dad.”

A view of the kitchen in the Dale home, built in 1948

by Raymond Carter.

A view of some of the backyard landscaping as seen through a window of the Dale home.

A bright red front door accents the entry of Mark and Lark Dale’s home in Nichols Hills.

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

REAL ESTATE

SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

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On loans, right stuff gets tougher WASHINGTON — How do you stack up as a potential mortgage candidate in this year’s increasingly tough underwriting environment? Do you have the right stuff — credit score, debt-to-income ratio, equity or down payment — to get you through the minefield?

A new statistical analysis, based on a large sample of all mortgage applications approved and denied in recent months, offers valuable benchmarks for anyone thinking about financing a home purchase or refinancing an existing loan. The study taps into data from the loan processing software used for roughly one-fifth of all new mortgage applications nationwide, supplied by the technology firm Ellie Mae Inc. To fit the profile of just the average successful applicant for a conventional home purchase mortgage in February, the latest month for which data were available, here’s what you would have needed: I A FICO credit score of 764. Not only is this higher than the average score for approved loans as recently as November, it’s far beyond the 620-640 FICOs that Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac once considered the minimum for a conventional prime mortgage.

It’s also well above the median FICO score nationwide, which is currently 711, according to a spokesman for Fair Isaac Corp, developer of the score.

I A loan-to-value (LTV) ratio of 78 percent, signifying a down payment of 22 percent. This is higher than even the controversial minimum of 20 percent proposed last year by Obama administration financial regulatory officials who were seeking a standard for “safe” loans offering the lowest available rates and best terms.

I Debt-to-income ratios of 21 percent for housing expenses, 34 percent for total household monthly debt.

How about the profiles of people who applied for conventional loans to buy a house but were rejected or didn’t get to closing? By historical standards, they were a fairly impressive group on average as well, with 732 FICO scores, 19percent down payments and debt-to-income ratios of 24 percent (housing costs) and 41 percent (total debt).

Homeowners who refinanced existing conventional loans had the best profiles of all: average 770 FICOs, 65 percent LTVs indicating 35-percent equity stakes, and debt-toincome ratios of 22 percent housing and 32 percent total debt.

The main alternative to conventional financing — the Federal Housing Administration — requires much smaller down payments, is more generous on credit standards, and will stretch much further on debt-to-income ratios than Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mainstays of

Kenneth Harney THE NATION’S HOUSING

the conventional marketplace. What’s the profile for success — and denial — at FHA? You might be a little surprised.

According to Ellie Mae’s data, successful applicants at FHA had average FICO scores during February of 701 and debt-to-income ratios of 28 percent for housing expenses, 41 percent for total household monthly debt. Although FHA accepts down payments as low as 3.5 percent, successful applicants threw in a bit more — an average 5 percent down.

People who didn’t make the cut averaged 666 on FICO and 6 percent for down payments, and had debt ratios of 30 percent (housing costs) and 46 percent (total debt).

Successful FHA refi applicants had 722 FICOs, 12 percent average equity stakes, and lower debt-toincome ratios than purchasers — 26 percent on average for housing costs, 40 percent for total household debt.

What to make of numbers like these? First observation: Ouch! It’s “pretty pristine out there” in the mortgage market right now, said Bob Walters, chief economist for Quicken Loans. Even those

Underwater homeowners forced to become landlords

BY PAUL OWERS Sun Sentinel

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The epic housing collapse has turned thousands of homeowners into reluctant landlords.

They’re learning the hard way about how rentals work. They’d much prefer to sell, but they can’t get the price they want or need. In many cases, the homeowners are “underwater,” owing far more than the properties are worth.

Reluctant landlords at least have a red-hot rental market going for them.

Some have taken jobs elsewhere and collect rent from afar. But even those who have stayed in town face the typical headaches: dealing with problem tenants, paying for repairs and losing money each month.

“I never wanted to be a landlord and play the renting game because it’s too much of a hassle,” said Mike Ablack, 34, of Coconut Creek, Fla. Yet Ablack is doing just that, caught in the crosshairs of the housing bust.

In 2005, at the height of the housing boom, he bought a three-bedroom Coral Springs, Fla., town house for $199,900. He put 20 percent down, but he lost all of that equity later in the massive price declines that spread throughout South Florida.

Eventually he wanted to buy a bigger place, but selling the town house was out of the question because he was underwater.

He said he owes about $140,000 on the mortgage while units in his complex are worth only about $75,000.

He didn’t have the necessary cash to pay off the loan, and he was reluctant to try a short sale — dumping the property for less than he owes, with the lender’s blessing — because that would hurt his credit rating. So Ablack decided to rent the town house instead after he and his wife bought a fourbedroom home in Coconut Creek in January 2010.

Finding good tenants hasn’t been an issue. Still, he’s $200 in the red each

TIPS FOR LANDLORDS I Make sure the tenant knows this is an arm’s-length business transaction. Don’t try to be friends.

I Consider hiring a property manager if you’ve moved out of the area.

I Don’t get into a habit of accepting late rent payments.

I Keep good records because certain landlord expenses may be tax deductible.

SOURCE: Gary M. Singer, real estate attorney

month, and he also has to cover any maintenance costs. Not long ago, he

spent $350 to replace the washing machine.

“Just little things like that I’d rather not have to deal with,” said Ablack, 34, an assistant chief financial officer with the Broward Clerk of Courts.

Still, Ablack feels fortunate that the region’s rental market has been on a tear for at least two years.

Foreclosures and price declines have left many residents leery of homeownership or unable to qualify for mortgages. n 2006, the ratio of homeowners to renters nationwide and in South Florida was roughly 7030, but it’s now 62-38, according to Jack McCabe, a housing analyst in Deerfield Beach, Fla. Within five years, the ratio could be closer to 5248, McCabe said.

rejected for loans appear to have what used to be considered solid and acceptable credit risk profiles.

It is still possible to get conventional financing with lower down payments — say, 10 percent or even 5 percent — but those loans require nearly flawless credit and come with steep private mortgage insurance premiums and add-on fees by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as well as stringent debt-to-income limits. For cash-short buyers with good — but not outstanding — credit

scores who are looking for a low down payment alternative, FHA is the way to go, unless they qualify for Veterans Affairs or U.S. Department of Agriculture rural housing loans requiring zero down.

Another thought about the numbers: Even though the profiles of successful borrowers may look challenging to match, keep in mind these are averages.

Many homebuyers make it through the application gantlet with FICO scores and debt ratios that don’t quite meet the current

benchmarks — often because their full financial and credit-risk pictures are good enough to get them accepted by Fannie Mae’s or Freddie Mac’s automated underwriting systems.

So don’t fret if you don’t measure up to the averages. You still may have a good shot. But know this about today’s mortgage standards: They’re arguably tougher than ever.

Ken Harney’s email address is kenharney@earthlink.net.

WASHINGTON POST WRITERS GROUP

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SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

The man cave could be on its last hairy leg

BY ADAM TSCHORN Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — The time has come to leave the man cave — to bulldoze the bro bunker, to kick the kegerator to the curb. The safe house for the Y chromosome is no longer safe; the perimeter has been breached. The man cave is no longer a tenable refuge from the real world.

The handwriting appeared on the beer-postered wall last year when the phrase “mom cave” began to spread and “man cave” joined the list of phrases from our lexicon that are misused, overused and targeted for their general uselessness, much like “baby bump” and “the new normal.”

But the real blow had to be the news last month that a man cave would be among the amenities at the 2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show.

Yes, the man cave has gone from sacred space to flower-show bait.

The spirit of the man cave has been co-opted by so many marketers hawking grill tools, barware and even neon lights in the shape of the words “man cave” (in case it needs to be spelled out for the fairer sex, one presumes) that if we don’t roll a boulder to block the mouth of the cave now, the stripmining will continue unabated until Hallmark rolls out a line of man cave cards (“Greetings from the grotto!”) and guy-asylums across the country will groan under the weight of scented candles.

OK, maybe that’s an overreaction, but it’s easy to see how the cave-craving crowd might feel as if its natural habitat is under siege.

After all, the man cave is nothing new. Its roots go back to our slope-headed forebears. Boys have long had their forts, grown men

A margarita drink machine is among the man things in Adam Tschorn’s man cave.

MCT PHOTO

their hunting camps, Thoreau his Walden Pond, Superman his Fortress of Solitude.

But perhaps the castaway couch has become so overcrowded that the only way to save the cave is to bid it a wistful farewell, especially with its place in our pop culture having marked an important milestone: its 20th anniversary.

An article March 21, 1992, in the Toronto Star had the first known use of the term “man cave,” said Mike Yost, a retired Army intelligence officer, founder of mancavesite.org and co-author with Jeff Wilser of the 2011 guide “The Man Cave Book.”

The next month, a little book called “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus” hit shelves across the U.S. It would go on to sell about 50 million copies. In one chapter, author John Gray explains the male need to retreat — as if into a cave — as a way of dealing with stress.

Gray explains that the concept can be traced back to the differences in the way men’s and women’s brains are wired: “For most men, taking time for

Los Angeles Times writer Adam Tschorn shows off his man cave in Los Angeles.

themselves is a coping mechanism for lowering stress — and a very effective one,” he writes, later adding that “women’s brains are not linked that way. When a woman is stressed, there is eight times more blood flow to the emotional part of the brain, which is connected to the talking parts of the brain. So women lower their stress by talking about what’s going on.”

In a recent phone interview, Gray said people still thank him.

“Women come up to me and say: ‘Thank you for explaining his cave. I always used to take it personally, and now I understand he just needs time in the cave and then he comes out.’ ” Yost, 49, launched mancavesite.org in 2008 as a clearinghouse for man cave photos, ideas and resources for like-minded

cave-dwellers.

“I kind of did it as an ‘I’ll build it and see if they’ll come’ kind of thing,” said Yost, who lives in Sierra Vista, Ariz.

And come they have, about 1,200 unique visitors a day.

Interior designer Courtney Cachet noted that, back in 2005, the man cave would just have been called the media room.

Whether guys are looking at a two-bedroom apartment or a huge house in the suburbs, she said, the man cave remains part of the vision.

“I promise you, as soon as the economy takes even a little bit of an uptick, there will be a resurgence that will put to shame what we’ve seen so far,” she said. “People will be pulling out all the stops.

We’ll see man caves with bowling alleys.”

MCT INFORMATION SERVICES

Key dates in history of man cave Key dates in the history of the guys’ getaway site.

July 16, 1943 The Batcave, perhaps the most famous man cave in comic book history, premieres in a Batman movie serial episode titled “The Bat’s Cave.” Hidden beneath Wayne Manor and accessible by secret entrance, it’s an actual cave filled with millionaire playboy Bruce Wayne’s high-tech gadgets and tricked-out vehicles.

March 21, 1992 Toronto home consultant Joanne Lovering pens a humorous guest column for the Toronto Star suggesting alternative names for rooms on a standard Canadian floor plan.

“Let’s call the basement, man cave,” she writes, the first known time the phrase is published in this context.

June 16, 2007

John Gray, the Johnny Appleseed of man cavery and the one most responsible for entrenching it in modern vernacular, releases his book “Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus.”

DIY Network launches “Man Caves,” a half-hour series in which general contractor Jason Cameron and former NFL player Tony Siragusa transform drab basements and ignored garages into covet-worthy rooms filled with flat screens and cigar smoke.

Cameron said he probably has hammered more than 100 man caves for the show.

Dec. 13, 2003

March 1, 2011

April 23, 1992

A bearded, disheveled Saddam Hussein is pulled from a “spider hole” near his hometown of Tikrit, proving that decamping to the man cave is never a permanent solution to running from your problems.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office grants retailer HomeGoods service mark protection for the phrase “mom cave.”

Nov. 7, 2011

LISTING OF THE WEEK

PHOTO PROVIDED

Deer Creek home has five bedrooms on 7.6 acres The Listing of the Week is a large, twostory brick home on 7.6 acres in the Deer Creek School District west of Edmond.

The 5,519-square-foot home at 22800 N May Ave. has five bedrooms, 4 ½ baths, four living rooms, two dining areas and garage space for five vehicles. The main living room has a fireplace and cathedral ceiling. One living room is a theater room with projector.

The kitchen has eating space and work island and pantry. The master bedroom has a bath with walk-in shower and large whirlpool tub. Secondary bedrooms have ceiling fans and walk-in closets. Patios are stamped concrete and one has a fire pit

March 4, 2012 The 2012 Philadelphia International Flower Show commits the unpardonable sin of using a man cave to lure flower-averse men to its garden bosom. Room 204B of the convention center is transformed with big-screen sports games, gambling tables, a virtual golf game and a full bar.

MCT INFORMATION SERVICE

Canadian paint company CIL launches its Ulti-

The Listing of the Week is at 22800 N May Ave. west of Edmond.

mate Man Caves collection, giving more manly sounding names to 20 colors. The color formerly called Plateau Grey becomes 5 O’Clock Shadow.

Butterscotch Tempest is rebranded as Beer Time, and Venetian Turquoise morphs into Bro Code.

with stone seating. The home has a tankless hot water, an exercise room, two utility rooms, a separate workshop, security system and underground sprinkler system.

The home, built in 2011, is listed for $780,000 with Ryan Litz of Keller Williams Realty. The home will be open from 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday. It is on the east side of N May Avenue between Coffee Creek and Sorghum Mill roads. For more information, call 245-7812 or 330-2626.

Nominations for Listing of the Week are welcome. Send information on single-family homes to The Oklahoman, Richard Mize, P.O. Box 25125, Oklahoma City, OK 73125.

Nominations may be faxed to 475-3996.

MCT PHOTO

REAL ESTATE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

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Home inspectors shouldn’t give mold advice DEAR BARRY: Before buying our home, we asked our home inspector about the black mold on the bedroom walls. He said we should remove it with bleach solution before repainting. Since then, we’ve learned that the mold is probably inside of the walls as well and that the drywall should be replaced. If our inspector had told this to us, we would have asked the seller to make the repairs. What do you think about our inspector’s advice?

Janie DEAR JANIE: Home inspectors should not advise buyers about methods of mold removal.

Environmental hazards such as mold are actually outside the scope of a standard visual inspection. However, when home inspectors see evidence of possible mold infection, they should recommend consulting a mold expert for further evaluation. If your inspector gave you advice

Barry Stone INSPECTOR’S IN THE HOUSE

regarding mold removal, he overstepped the limits of his profession.

DEAR BARRY: Roots have been getting into the main sewer line in our front yard. The only nearby tree belongs to our neighbor, and he wants to keep it. Our plumber says the roots will eventually do major damage to the line. If we sell the home, this will probably have to be disclosed to buyers. Is there any way to solve this problem?

Christine DEAR CHRISTINE: The solution involves some hard work but is actually quite simple. The tree roots that grow toward the sewer

line should be cut as close to the property line as possible. If you can dig a trench along the fence line, all of the roots that cross the trench can be severed. Before refilling the trench, ask the people at your local nursery about products you can bury that will retard root growth in the direction of your sewer line.

DEAR BARRY: For the past six years, the directors of our condo association have been dragging their feet on major repairs, including water damage and mold. Each homeowner has been assessed an additional $3,600 in the past two years, yet nothing gets done. We would like to sell our unit, but until these repairs are completed, this may be impossible. What, if anything, can be done to get the HOA to act?

Deb DEAR DEB: Your condo association may be overdue for new leadership. In the meantime,

members of the community should assert themselves. Since the unrepaired defects affect a number of the owners, and since all residents have been assessed thousands of dollars for repairs, a joint demand for immediate repair work seems reasonable.

The HOA should provide an accounting of the money that has been collected, as well as specific plans for making repairs.

If the HOA has sufficient funds in the account, it is time to hire contractors or to set specific dates when repairs will commence. If the board continues to delay, homeowners should hire an attorney to address it in a more convincing manner. Perhaps there should be a general meeting of all owners, rather than a closed meeting of the board. Talk this over with your neighbors and see if they are willing to take a stand.

To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com.

ACTION COAST PUBLISHING Your condo association may be overdue for new leadership. In the meantime, members of the community should assert themselves.

Since the unrepaired defects affect a number of the owners, and since all residents have been assessed thousands of dollars for repairs, a joint demand for immediate repair work seems reasonable.

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SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

REAL ESTATE

Bank reports point to housing market healing John and Megan Henshel pack belongings in the Chicago condo they were renting to move to a home they just purchased.

AP PHOTO

Homebuying season signals a recovery

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — Five years after the U.S. housing bust sent sales and prices plunging, the spring homebuying season is pointing to a long-awaited recovery.

Reduced prices, recordlow mortgage rates, higher rents and an improving job market appear to be emboldening many would-be buyers. Open houses are drawing crowds. A wave of foreclosures is leading investors to grab bargainpriced homes.

And many people seem to have concluded that prices won’t drop much further. In some areas, prices have begun to tick up.

Interviews with more than two dozen potential buyers, sellers, brokers, Realtors and economists suggest that confidence is up and that sales will move slowly but steadily higher.

“The biggest challenge that we’ve had over the past four years is fear — fear that the economy is collapsing, that property values are collapsing, that the world is coming to an end,” said Mark Prather, a broker at ERA Buy America Real Estate in La Palma, Calif. “The fear factor is all but gone.”

Prather said the number of prospective buyers who contacted his company last month was about 35 percent more than a year ago.

The spring buying sea-

son got an early lift off from an uncommonly warm January and February — a winter that was the best for sales of previously occupied homes in five years. Permits to build houses and apartments rose in February to their highest level since 2008.

“People feel much more confident,” said Steve Brown, co-owner of real estate company Irongate Inc. of Dayton, Ohio. He said sales jumped more than 16 percent for the first two months of 2012 over the same period last year.

“There’s no question there’s a good feeling in the marketplace,” he said.

Some analysts detected a slight uptick in prices for February and March.

CoreLogic, a real estate data firm, said prices for homes not at risk of foreclosure — about two thirds of the market — rose 0.7 percent in February. It was the first increase in four years. Price gains occurred both in some hard-hit areas, such as Phoenix, and some still-thriving areas like New York and Washington.

In Miami, Fla., the average sales price surged 14 percent in the past year, according to Trulia, a real estate data firm. In Phoenix, the average is up 13 percent, in Pittsburgh 9 percent. Still, few think the housing industry is nearing a return to full health. For that to happen, a robust job market would be needed.

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK — Earnings reports from two major banks painted a picture of a healing housing market, with more Americans taking out mortgages, paying them on time and taking advantage of low interest rates to refinance.

At JPMorgan Chase, the biggest bank in the United States, income from new home loans set a record from January through March. The bank issued 6 percent more mortgages than a year ago and got 33 percent more applications.

Wells Fargo, which issues the most home loans, booked the most mortgage fees since 2009. It issued 54 percent more mortgages than a year ago and took 84 percent more applications.

A healthier housing market is welcome news.

Housing has been the biggest drag on the economic recovery, while other segments, such as manufacturing and consumer spending, have held up or grown.

Home prices are still falling, though more slowly than in recent years, and more than half a million American homes were in the foreclosure process at the end of March, according to RealtyTrac.

Still, stronger mortgage business helped JPMorgan and Wells Fargo beat Wall Street expectations for first-quarter earnings.

JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon boasted that the bank had originated 200,000 mortgages in the quarter.

Two key factors helped: I The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage dropped to 3.87 percent in February, the lowest since long-term mortgages began in the 1950s. Rates have stayed low.

Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf said the housing market is close to a “tipping point” at which it can take off.

“When you have the dynamics of higher rental rates and lower home val-

Habitat for Humanity looking for a few good women, men FROM STAFF REPORTS

Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity will have its 11th annual Women Build May 4-June 2 and is looking for volunteers to help build an affordable home for a deserving, lowincome Oklahoma City family.

Construction crews comprised mostly of women from all across Oklahoma will work during the four-week program.

Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity is part of a worldwide, nonprofit, nondenominational Christian housing ministry that provides zero- interest mortgage loans to qualified families living on a limited income.

“This is one of the most exciting builds we do each year” said Ann Felton Gilliland, chairman and CEO of Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity. “Many women think since we are building homes that they cannot volunteer, but I’m here to tell you, it’s amazing what we can all get done together.”

The Women Build program, sponsored nationally by Lowe’s, recruits and educates volunteers to be advocates in their communities for affordable, highquality housing. As a part of the program, Lowe’s holds clinics to help improve the construction skills of interested volunteers. The clinics offer the basics to women who have no construction experi-

Women raise a long framed wall during a previous Women Build by Central Oklahoma Habitat for Humanity in the Hope Crossing addition at NE 83 and Kelley Avenue. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN ARCHIVES

ence and serve as a tune up for repeat volunteers.

Central Oklahoma Habitat’s Women Build clinic date is set for April 24 from 6-8 p.m. at Lowes, 3801 N May Ave. This year’s home, in Hope Crossing

addition at NE 83 and Kelley Avenue, will add to the national total of more than 1,900 homes that have been constructed by Women Build crews over the years.

To volunteer, contact Rick Lorg at rick. lorg@cohfh.org. For sponsorship opportunities, contact Desiree Baber at desiree.baber@cohfh.org.

ues at great financing rates, there’s a point in time where the market’s going to clear and you’re going to see improvement,” Stumpf said.

Some markets, he said, like Texas, Northern California and Washington, D.C., have already reached that point.

I Job growth in January and February was some of the strongest since the Great Recession, and the unemployment rate has fallen to 8.2 percent, the lowest since January 2009.

At Wells Fargo, 15 percent of mortgage applications came from the government’s Home Affordable Refinance Program, which helps Americans who owe more than their property is worth get more affordable loans.

“It is great to see people who have made their payments every month even though they are underwater, or hugely underwater,” Stumpf said. “And now to be able to help them put a few hundred dollars extra in their pocket every month, that is terrific.”

Foreclosures are still holding the housing market back. A $25 billion settlement reached in February between the nation’s biggest mortgage lenders and state officials has paved the way for banks to take action on unpaid mortgages, many of which have been in a procedural limbo for months or years.

Those homes could be foreclosed on and end up back on the market. Foreclosures typically sell at a discount to other homes.

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

THE OKLAHOMAN

NEWSOK.COM

SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

7F

8F

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SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

REAL ESTATE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

HOUSE PLAN

With file storage, Duplex packs lot of living room keep it simple The Braydon is a charming, two-story duplex that packs a lot of living area into a fairly narrow footprint. Entry porches and rear patios are widely separated for maximum privacy. Each unit has three bedrooms.

Four gables face the street. The widest caps both garages, while the narrower front gable highlights the extended garage on the left. Twin gables accent the matching dormers, set farther back on the main roof.

Inside, the two units are mirror images, so one description will suffice. Entry is via a recessed porch bounded by a slender post.

A coat closet is just inside, near the door to the utility room.

Direct garage access is also located at this juncture, as is a stairway to the second floor.

The living room expands out from the entry, and is open to the kitchen across a raised eating bar.

An optional TV cabinet fits in nicely along the living room’s inner wall.

Range and oven are built into the kitchen’s longest counter. Sink and dishwasher are next to each other behind the eating bar, a handy spot to hang out and chat with people working in the kitchen. A small pantry fills the niche next to a refrigerator with overhead cabinets.

The nook is naturally bright on all but the darkest days, and its wide sliding glass doors open onto a covered patio, which could be screened.

A vaulted ceiling expands the main-floor bed-

BY DIANA REESE

McClatchy News Service

room, which has direct patio access and links to the bathroom.

Two more bedrooms are upstairs, along with another full bathroom. A

wide dormer enlarges the front bedroom in both units of the Braydon.

A review plan of the Braydon 60-012, including floor plans, elevations, section and artist’s conception, can be

purchased for $25 by phone, mail or online. Add $5 for shipping and handling.

Associated Designs, 1100 Jacobs Drive, Eugene, OR, 97402. www.associateddesigns.com. (800) 634-0123.

Despite efforts to become a “paperless” society, we’re still faced with mountains of mail, receipts, bank statements and tax documents.

“We are inundated with paper,” said Linda Henderson, certified professional organizer and owner of Concepts in Organizing in Raymore, Mo. Much of it can be tossed, but some of it you need to keep — and be able to retrieve when necessary.

And what better place to store it than in a file cabinet?

Don’t shudder at the thought of one of those gunmetal gray steel boxes wedged in the corner of a room. Today’s cabinets come in bold colors and materials (often so disguised they don’t even look like file cabinets).

“You can choose file cabinets made of metal or wood,” said Vickie Stewart, an interior designer in Kansas City, Mo. Some are designed to look like furniture, or maybe you prefer one that’s “out there in your face,” she said.

“A good filing system streamlines the business of life,” said Peter Walsh, professional organizer from the TLC show “Clean Sweep” and author of several books on clearing clutter.

First of all, remember that 80 percent of what people file is never retrieved again. “It never sees the light of day,” Walsh said.

“But 20 percent of it you’re going to try to find

later,” pointed out Tracy Hoth, owner of Simply Squared Away in Kansas City. “There’s no right or wrong system. If it works for you and the rest of your family, then it’s great.”

Some pointers

I The key is to keep your system simple, so you’ll do it. Here are some pointers to get you started.

I Sort the papers you have. Put like with like.

You may end up with 15 to 20 piles.

I Decide on categories based on your piles of papers.

I Create folders for each category, such as automotive, household, medical, utilities and taxes.

I Go through and purge from each category.

“You don’t need 14 copies of your car insurance,” Henderson said. A fourthquarter statement for your 401(k) may include a summary of the year, so you can toss earlier statements.

Hoth suggested asking yourself, “What’s the worst thing that can happen if I throw this out? Can I find it online or elsewhere?”

Make a cheat sheet of your categories and place it in the first file in the first file drawer.

Use color-coded files or products to make it easier to find files. “You can see at a glance what’s what,” said Jen Bilik, CEO of Knock Knock.

“Organization is critically important,” she said.

“If you can make it fun, it’s more likely you’ll get it done.”

MCCLATCHY-TRIBUNE INFORMATION

REAL ESTATE

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

Permits Oklahoma City JHBR Architects, 3233 SW 44, school, remodel, $4,500,000.

Herschman Architects Inc., 14200 N Pennsylvania Ave., retail sales, erect, $4,100,000.

LinCo Construction Services Inc, 324 N Robinson Ave., shell building, remodel, $3,000,000.

59/320, 6005 S Air Depot Blvd., office, remodel, $1,750,000.

Willco Homes LLC, 17408 Hawks View Court, residence, erect, $675,000.

Real Property Construction, 5400 Mystic Place, residence, erect, $325,000.

D&R, 9333 W Reno Ave., amusement, erect, $300,000.

J.E. Byrd Construction LLC, 5001 Turtle Lake Court, residence, erect, $300,000.

Maccini Construction, 3433 NW 56, medical clinic-office, remodel, $295,000.

Candelaria Foster, 5740 NW 135, shell building, erect, $275,000.

TLP Custom Homes LLC, 7117 SW 105, residence, erect, $260,000.

Neal McGee Homes Inc., 3108 NW 163 Court, residence, erect, $246,761.

TLP Custom Homes LLC, 1504 SW 133, residence, erect, $240,000.

Bella Vista Homes LLC, 19401 Chestermere Circle, residence, erect, $235,000.

Gary Owens Carpet & Construction Inc., 5213 Horizon Blvd., residence, erect, $220,000.

CH 4 Quality Homes LLC, 13712 Cascata Strada, residence, erect, $210,000.

Sun Contracting LLC, 316 SW 174, residence, erect, $210,000.

Vickie James Custom Builder Inc., 8817 NW 74, residence, erect, $210,000.

Quality Designed Homes LLC, 6413 Bent Wood Drive, residence, erect, $206,000.

Lingo Construction Services, 1901 N Lincoln Blvd., office, remodel, $205,000.

Cornice Unlimited, 10900 East Side Drive, residence, erect, $200,000.

Lowery Homes LLC, 1100 S Gregory Road, residence, erect, $200,000.

Smith & Pickel Construction, 6240 N Western Ave., clubhouse, erect, $200,000.

D.R. Horton, 15508 Blue Jay Drive, residence, erect, $189,300.

Lorenz Heritage Homes LLC, 12609 Lexington Drive, residence, erect, $185,000.

Bradbury Homes Inc., 11740 SW 20, recreation center, erect, $180,000.

R.J. Designs Inc., 3600 Galatian Way, duplex, erect,

$180,000.

R.J. Designs Inc., 3602 Galatian Way, duplex, erect, $180,000.

Taber Built Homes LLC, 19109 Butterfly Blvd., residence, erect, $180,000.

Johnston Builders LLC, 5512 NW 126, residence, erect, $175,000.

Johnston Builders LLC, 5510 NW 126, residence, erect, $170,000.

Lachance Quality Homes LLC, 18825 Red Oak Drive, residence, erect, $170,000.

Cosset Construction LLC, 2313 NW 195, residence, erect, $170,000.

Taber Built Homes LLC, 15504 Homecoming Drive, residence, erect, $160,000.

Two Structures LLC, 9116 NW 90 Circle, residence, erect, $160,000.

Mashburn Faires Homes LLC, 17301 Aragon Lane, residence, erect, $155,000.

Two Structures LLC, 9024 Scarlet Blvd., residence, erect, $155,000.

Tom Vorderlandwehr Inc., 9309 Scarlet Blvd., residence, erect, $153,000.

American Fine Homes, 10920 SW 30, residence, erect, $150,000.

Johnston Builders LLC, 5508 NW 126, residence, erect, $150,000.

Monarch Properties LLC, 15528 Brook Hill Drive, residence, erect, $150,000.

Johnston Builders LLC, 5514 NW 126, residence, erect, $140,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 308 Durkee Road, residence, erect, $125,000.

D.R. Horton, 2313 NW 155, residence, erect, $114,700.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 11424 NW 131, residence, erect, $112,000.

Struble Construction, 1131 NW 15, duplex, erect, $110,000.

Struble Construction, 1131 NW 15, duplex, erect, $110,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 18617 Abierto Drive, residence, erect, $109,000.

Rausch Coleman Homes LLC, 11808 NW 132, residence, erect, $109,000.

Rausch Coleman Homes LLC, 2517 Demotte Drive, residence, erect, $109,000.

Precision Style Homes, 721 Tall Grass Drive, residence, erect, $108,000.

Foster Signature Homes LLC, 3405 NW 163, residence, erect, $105,000.

Precision Style Homes, 12120 SW 13, residence, erect, $104,000.

Danny E. and Doris King, 10500 Hefner Oaks Drive, manufactured home, move-on, $101,000.

Sooner Traditions LLC, 8224 NW 159, residence, erect, $100,000.

Sooner Traditions LLC, 8220

NW 159, residence, erect, $100,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 18604 Andalucia Drive, residence, erect, $99,000.

Foster Signature Homes LLC, 3409 NW 163, residence, erect, $95,000.

Home Creations, 2417 NW 197 Terrace, residence, erect, $91,600.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 16332 Drywater Drive, residence, erect, $91,000.

Home Creations, 12513 Nittany Circle, residence, erect, $90,600.

Foster Signature Homes LLC, 3304 NW 164 Terrace, residence, erect, $90,000.

Jack Daggs Construction, 14501 N Kelley Ave., storage, erect, $83,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 15245 Stillwind Drive, residence, erect, $79,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 9532 SW 27, residence, erect, $78,000.

Nizar Jiwani Jiwani Master Distribution Inc., 2120 W Main, retail sales, remodel, $78,000.

Precision Construction Group LLC, 14000 Quail Springs Parkway, office, remodel, $77,848.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 1609 NW 146 Terrace, residence, erect, $76,000.

Metro Mark Properties Inc., doing business as Kent Hoffman Construction, 3205 NW 19, accessory, erect, $70,000.

Caston Construction, 1025 Straka Terrace, pedestrian walkway, install, $70,000.

Cornerstone Group LLC, 10713 SW 36, residence, erect, $65,000.

Cornerstone Group LLC, 10717 SW 36, residence, erect, $65,000.

Caston Construction, 3000 N Grand Blvd., equipment, install, $50,000.

Nidoma Inc., 1501 Stable Rock Road, accessory, erect, $48,000.

Titus Construction, 13321 N Meridian Ave., office, remodel, $45,000.

Doris O’Brien, 12016 SW 15 Terrace, manufactured home, move-on-mobile home park, $42,000.

Champion Window Co., 9400 Frances Lane, residence, add-on, $39,460.

Downtown OKC Inc., 400 W Reno Ave., recreation center, install, $35,000.

Petro Serv, 2120 W Main, canopy-carport, erect, $35,000.

Champion Window Co., 8804 NW 84, residence, add-on, $32,500.

Westgate Marketplace Developer, 213 S MacArthur Blvd., business, remodel, $32,500.

Morton Buildings, 2201 Jamie Drive, accessory, erect, $30,000.

Nashert Contracting Group, 6397 NW 63, storage, add-on, $30,000.

Trinity Interiors, 5401 N May Ave., business, remodel,

SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012 $30,000.

Trinity Interiors, 10400 S Western Ave., retail sales, remodel, $25,000.

Westwind Enterprises, 9009 NW 10, manufactured home, move-on-mobile home park, $24,000.

Evans Building Concepts, 14000 Quail Springs Parkway, office, remodel, $21,502.

Mike and Kim Moffeit, 4121 N Frankford Ave., accessory, erect, $20,000.

Goodman Networks, 1004 E Reno Ave., tower-antenna, erect, $20,000.

Goodman Networks, 6715 N Hudson Ave., tower-antenna, erect, $20,000.

Jim Abernathy Construction, 3240 Hickory Stick Road, residence, add-on, $15,000.

Joe Ward Construction, 2700 Somerset Place, residence, addon, $15,000.

No name provided, 13100 Skyland Drive, accessory, erect, $12,000.

Daniel Gober, 6500 S Indian Meridian, storage, erect, $10,000.

Double D Construction/Lawrence Davis, 16309 N Santa Fe Ave., retail sales, remodel, $10,000.

Tiffany McBride, 817 S Mustang Road, retail sales, remodel, $8,000.

Chris Harper, 9212 SW 27, accessory, erect, $7,800.

JHBR Architects, 3233 SW 44, school, modular, $7,000.

JHBR Architects, 3233 SW 44, school, modular, $7,000.

JHBR Architects, 3233 SW 44, school, modular, $7,000.

Millennium Roofing & Construction LLC, 4004 SE 47, residence, remodel, $5,940.

Erin Gayer, 12917 Deerfield Circle, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $5,000.

Donald Sipes, 8700 Rayburn Ave., residence, install-storm shelter, $4,995.

Robert Hambrick, 17300 Hardwood Place, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,800.

Win A. or Cynthia D. Chaney, 2400 NW 180, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,800.

Jimmy Robertson, 1129 SW 133 Place, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $4,595.

Sonya and Benjamin Best, 6717 Greenway Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,595.

Virginia Childress, 6432 N Nicklas Ave., storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,595.

No name provided, 4704 Dove Tree Lane, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $4,595.

Antonio Bustos, 2416 SW 112, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,500.

Johnston Builders, 9204 N Kelley Ave., canopy-carport, erect, $4,500.

Janice Rodgers, 10821 SE 68, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,295.

Robert Watts, 14101 Glen Oaks

Business Property For Rent Condo for Sale 11301B N May Ave. Completely Remodeled!

3 bed/2 bath upstairs condo w/fireplace 1,275sq ft. MUST SEE! $71,000 (405)630-5985 Open House Sunday, April 15th 11am-4pm

Farms, Ranches For Sale, Okla. 308

LAND AUCTION 155Ac. sold in 11 tracks Juliette Williford Estate 14300 SW 104th Mustang Thr Apr 26 7pm 5; 10; 15; & 40Ac tracks offered indivual or whole Auction loc. Mustang Community Center 1201 N Mustang Rd. Mustang. For pics & more info see web: kencarpenterauction .com 405-620-1524

PUBLIC AUCTION South of Altus Jackson County, OK April 21st 10 AM 320 acres, Excellent Hunting Ground w/ 220 acres of minerals and (4) 20 acre tracts of minerals to be sold separate. www.lemasterauction.com

Homes For Sale

309.9

1N to 10A, E. of OKC, pay out dn. before 1st pmt. starts, many are M/H ready over 400 choices, lg trees, some with ponds, TERMS Milburn o/a 275-1695 paulmilburnacreages.com

4005 Corbett 3/2/2 3712 SE 48 Pl 3/2/2 James 417-2176. www.homesofokcinc.com

49 AC. MOL, 1/4 mi S of I-40 on exit 108, 30 min.

W of OKC. Easy off & on access w/ pond, metal shed & corral. (405) 884-2890/(580)345-2417

L@@K!

BUILDER CLOSEOUT OPEN SA SU 1-5 or appt: call 919-4933 for directions!!

SE, 20 min to Tinker!

New Custom homes on nice Acreage Tracks OWNER FINANCING 1-10 Acres Many Locations Call for maps 405-273-5777 www.property4sale.com

Land Loans

OPEN HOUSE SAT. 2 TO 4 1916 NE 31st Street in Moore. Gorgeous home to come home to! Blt 2009 4 bed 2 ba 3 car storm shlt 1,645 sq ft Wood laminate in living Kitchen Granite w/ central island Great Mstr. $172,000 Call Bill 405 - 562 - 0886 MUST SELL 3/1.5/2, WILL TAKE REASONABLE OFFER needs some repair.

1312 Southminster, 405-314-9409

Easy Commuting 3843 NW 21st ST C H/A, 2bed, 1ba, 1 Car $69,900 405-850-4810 Very nice, must see! 3bd 1ba, PC schls, 7237 NW 21st. $72,900 • 495-2728 4621 NW 33 Ter. 4/2.5/2 James 417-2176. www.homesofokcinc.com

Great for investor or first time homebuyer!

Nice 3bd home on corner lot, completely remodeled. Only $35,500!

Fidelity692-1661, 410-4200 OWNER FINANCING $2000 down No Credit Ck 708 SE 27, 4/1 $45,000 2728 Texoma 4/1, $5k dn ¡596-4599 ‘ 410-8840¡ 5824 S. Shartel Avenue Very Nice 2 bed, 1 bath, 1 car $43,500 ¡ 550-2145

CUTE hm on cul-de-sac 3/2/2 approx 1309' on 3/4 ac MOL $122,000 STUNNING on 1 ac MOL 4/3.5/3 approx 2773' bonus rm $269,900.

Carmen 833-0106 Cleaton & Assoc 373-2494 PIEDMONT schls better than new 3/2/2 approx 1742' $162,000 Carmen 833-0106 Cleaton & Assoc 373-2494

PIEDMONT OPEN SUN 2-5 Model home. New hms on 1/2 ac lots. From NW Expwy & Sara Rd go 4.5 miNCleaton&Assoc373-2494

Lots and Acreages McClain Bank 527-6503 Member FDIC

PIEDMONT OPEN SUN 2-5 Model home. New hms on 1/2 ac lots. From NW Expwy & Sara Rd go 4.5 miNCleaton&Assoc373-2494 Call for Maps! See why we sell more acreages than anyone in Okla.

E of OKC. o/a 275-1695 Ten acre family friendly horse farm in Norman.

Priced right.

250-9486

RENOVATED 2008 N. Ann Arbor Place OPEN HOUSE SUN 2-4 405-205-3623 OpenHouse Sa Su 12 - 5 8416 Aspen Hills Dr 3bed,2ba,1455 sq ft $122,500 405-245-0401

PREFAB OR MODULAR HOMES homestogousa.com (405)631-5200

Own your Own home For less than rent.

Payments as low as $350mo. 405-577-2884 Abandoned D/W Repo set up on 5 Acres!! Ready to move in. Free phone application 405-631-7600 Palm Harbor Repo 4bd/3bth-BEST Quality 405-324-8000 Land & Home Repos Save $$$ 405-324-8010 Rent to Own: Nice 2&3bd MWC $350&up 390-9777

Office Space For Rent Gorgeous 2132 sq ft Office and nice 960 sq ft office available at Castlerock Business Plaza in Mustang, OK. Call 580-243-0624 7608 N Western Ave Retail/Office space, up to 2200sf avail, 370-1077 GREAT Office Space Various NW locations 300-6000sf 946-2516

Warehouse Space For Rent K Office, K Warehouse for lease. Various sizes.

221 W Wilshire 842-7300

I BUY HOUSES Any condition. No cost to U 410-5700

$100 Off

1st Mo Rent 1&2 Bedrooms Furnished & Unfurnished NEWLY REMODELED GATED COMMUNITY

CAVE CREEK ON ROCKWELL 3037 North Rockwell

495-2000

$99 Move In

on Selected Units LARGE TOWNHOMES & APARTMENTS • Washer, Dryers, pools • PC Schools, fireplaces

WILLIAMSBURG

Off 1st Month's Rent Huge Apartment sizes HUGE Grounds to walk or play 416-5259 TUSCANY VILLAGE 1 BED ALL BILLS PAID $575. Veterans & HUD VASH Program welcomed.

On-site laundry. Close to bus line & shops. No pets. Call Pat at 641-5402

804 NW 21st Mesta Park 2bed 1ba 1000sf $675mo $300dep dishwasher free laundry 409-7989 no sec 8

25 year old electrical business, large established customer base, some equipment, asking $150,000, 405-737-8547.

NW OKC BAKERY, 8 yrs operation, (405) 720-7566 609-7249 cell

Free Month Rent! 1&2bd QUIET! Covered Parking Great Schools! 732-1122

Florence 429 NW 11th Midtown Studio, Granite Counters, CHA, Free Laundry $675mo $400dep 409-7989 No sec 8 Briargate 1718 N Indiana 1bd, 1ba, 850 sf, wood floors, all elect, $550 mo, $250dp 409-7989 no sec8 Furnished/Unfurnished Bills Paid » Wkly/Monthly Wes Chase Apts, Elk Horn Apts, Hillcrest 370-1077 Putnam Heights Plaza 1bed, ch/a, Dishwasher 1830 NW 39th 524-5907

Wilshire Valley Apts.

Newly Renovated 1, 2 & 3 bed apts. S8 Ok. Now Acc. 2 bd voucher for 3bd w/ income. Call 475-9984.

Condominiums, Townhouses For Rent 441

Luxury Glenbrook condo, 3 bed, 2K bath, NW 63rd & Grand, 830-0271.

787-1620

•ABC• Affordable, Bug free, Clean » 787-7212» 800 N. Meridian 1bd All bills paid 946-9506

Brick 3/1/1 ch&a fncd new carpet & paint! $550mo + $500 dep 996-6271

Place, residence, add-on, $4,250.

Paul G. Pierce, 2508 Warwick Drive, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $4,050.

No name provided, 13800 Plymouth Crossing, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,050.

Karon Betts, 4025 Apple Valley Drive, residence, remodel, $4,000.

Susan Stults, 832 SW 67, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,999.

Marcus Martin, 1812 NW 194 Circle, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,995.

Maricela Frausto, 7008 Danner Drive, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,995.

No name provided, 10600 S Harvey Ave., storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,995.

Monty and Sherri Compton, 10608 SW 21, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,925.

Shaun and Teri Cook, 10521 NW 45, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,900.

John Longan, 10500 Ashford Drive, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,825.

Michael Clutter, 15924 Burkett Circle, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,695.

Oscar and Barbara Wysocki, 15221 Worthington Lane, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,695.

Harold Jack Shatto Jr., 9009 NW 10, manufactured home, move-on-mobile home park, $3,548.

Larry Hill, 11640 SW 10, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,500.

No name provided, 1437 SW 33, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,500.

No name provided, 11616 NW 114, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,500.

No name provided, 2409 NW 44, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,395.

No name provided, 17416 Hawks View Court, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,395.

Nancy Young, 12520 SW 4, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,350.

Glen Halley, 8808 Parkridge Terrace, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,295.

Gary and Leona Wano, 4024 Apple Valley Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,200.

Johnny L. Hurst, 10310 Bonnycastle Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,200.

Karen Radko, 10513 Westover Ave., storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,195.

Nicholas R. Bergman, 4008 Morning Star Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,195.

Tracy and Glen Shahan, 13525 Mamosa Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,195.

No name provided, 3404 NW 176, storm shelter, install-storm SEE PERMITS, PAGE 10F

3801Woodshdw3/2/2 $2095 18112CalleWay3/2/2 $1250 1013 Kelly Pk 4/2/2 $950 8330 Belcaro 3/2.5/3 $1995 Express Realty 844-6101 www.expressrealtyok.com 1609 Foxfire Rd, 3 bd 2ba 2 car 1500sf, amazing open layout comes w/ fridge & stove $1300 mo $1200dp 409-7989 no sec8 3600 NE 143rd 3bd 2.5ba 2car gar, approx 2000sf ch/a, $1150 mo 370-1077 3/2/2, Edmond Schools, great neighborhood, large closets, $1,000/mo. 749-0603

2/2/2 fenced back yd, Moore Schls, 15104 Kyle Dr #B $975. no pets no sec 8. Maria 618-0563

2528 NW 20th 1bd 1ba duplex, washer & dryer connections 800sf 409-7989 no sec 8 3237 Castle Rock Rd Quail Creek 2/2/2 Edmd Schls. $900 mo $750 dep TMS Prop 348-0720 6024 NW Expressway, large, luxury, 1 Bed, FP, pool, appl, all amenities $550.» 685-0332

2 bed, appls, bills paid, No pets. $600mo + dep. ¡ 272-0650 ¡

OKC SW, 1bed, bills paid, no pets, $450 month + dep. 272-0650

Bills Paid

Furnished/Unfurnished Weekly/Monthly 370-1077

KAT Properties-Apt & Homes for rent. Scan this with your phone app

4016 Thomas Ave 2/1 $495 Free List 681-7272

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Large 2bd $575

Commercial RE

Furnished/Unfurnished Bills Paid » Wkly/Monthly Wes Chase Apts, Elk Horn Apts, Hillcrest 370-1077

$895, 2bd 2ba 2car, E of Brdway N of Memorial W of Blvd. Edmond 210-6997

$239 - 1st Mo 1 Beds Quiet, Park, Pool 293-3693 DREXEL ON THE PARK

TOP LOCATION! Pd. wtr/garb. Near malls.

Try Plaza East 341-4813

$99 SPECIAL Lg 1bdr, stove, refrig., clean, walk to shops. $345 mo. 632-9849

7301 NW 23rd

1mo Free Casady751-8088 BEAUTIFUL LAKE TEXOMA Gated Community with Boat Dock 3200 sf, 2-story brick home w/ storm room.

Master suite has lrg walk-in shower, jacuzzi tub, walk-in closets, dbl sinks. Granite throughout! ¡‘¡ 580-564-9162

9F

Houses for rent

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.

14421 N Penn 2/2.5 $850 2622Featherstne3/2/2 $1095 4210Washington3/2/2$1200 Express Realty 844-6101 www.expressrealtyok.com 3232 Brushcreek, in Quail Creek on the golf course, 3 bed, 2.5 bath, 2 car, 1 FP, $1875 mo, $1500 dep. ¡ 831-0825 7032 Stony Creek, 3/2/2 fp, fenced, NO Pets $975mo $900dep, Move in mid May TMS Prop 348-0720 200 NW 81st, 4/1.5, ch&a, brick, Sec 8 OK, $650/mo + $500 dep. 408-6361 315 NW 89 4bd 1.5ba ch&a, $775mo $400dep sec 8 ok 831-0825

4308 S Youngs Completely remodeled spacious 2bd home with fenced yard, new carpet, new ceramic tile, fresh paint $525mo. Fidelity 692-1661, 410-4200 Large 3bd, 1400 sf, 2 liv areas, 2ba, gar, built-ins, ch&a, sec. syst, $695mo $500dep ••• 631-8039 3bd 1.5ba den, storm shelter, patio. $725mo no sec 8 no pets. 691-5479 2837 SW 82nd 3/1/1 $725 Free List 681-7272

3401 Stumpf, 3bd 1ba, $650/mo $500 dep. Ref required. 405-209-4125

Cotton Wood Ridge Condo 2bd 1.5ba 900sf Amazing must see, fireplace, ch/a, New Stove & Dishwasher, Stackable Washer/Dryer $700/month $600deposit 409-7989 No Sec 8

1305 Pinewood Ct 3/1/1 new carpet $550 9317 NE 14th 3/1.5/1 $575 4308 Meadow Park 3/1.5 gar converted to living $775 Free List 681-7272

3bd, 2ba, 2car $990-$1190 1bd 1ba $990 ¡ Downtown Best Realty 405-205-2343

Newly remodeled 3bed, 1 K bath, 2 car garage, fenced yard, nice area $825 Broker/Owner823-6856M-Sat

3/2/2, ch&a, new roof, new tile, $895; 2/1/1, ch&a, $575; 550-5128.

3 bd/1 ba April Free Rent $665 mo in Oak Ridge Lot rent/lawn serv incl Edmond 341-9209

3 bd, 1.5 ba, 2 car, ch&a, 1000 Eagle ¡ $850mo + dep. Call 694-1384

1719 NW 1st 1/1 $350 Free List 681-7272

Rent to Own: Nice 2&3bd MWC $350&up 390-9777

For Lease, 3/2.5/2, PC Schls, 4904 N. Brunson, $1,100/mo. 405-245-6464

3bd 1.5ba 2car 1000sf $850 Home&RanchRlty 794-7777

For lease/For sale, 4 BR, 2200sf, Mustang Schls, $1750 mo, 405-820-6607

3bd 1.5ba 2car carport 2.5 acres 1275sf $750mo Home&RanchRlty 794-7777

2 SE 33rd large 2bd home on corner lot with 1car detached garage, large fenced in yard, ch/a, clean $550 mo. Fidelity RE 692-1661, 410-4200 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car garage, CH&A, $650 rent, $500 dep. No Sec 8. 740-8419 4 bed, 3 bath, 3 liv, 2 car, 1/2 acre. $975 /mo.

414-4004

833 E Eubanks 3/1, gar converted to storage $550 Free List 681-7272

29 SE 33rd 1bed, water & gas paid $350 Free List 681-7272

10F

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REAL ESTATE

SATURDAY, APRIL 21, 2012

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

Don’t neglect ducts for savings, safety Your clothes dryer is one of the hardest-working appliances in your home.

It’s also a fairly basic appliance in how it operates, and if it’s properly vented and maintained, it should give you years, even decades, of reliable service.

But “properly vented and maintained” is the catch. Because a dryer is such a simple appliance to install and operate, many people don’t give it much thought. They set it in place, plug it in, vent it through that pipe coming up out of the floor — typically with the wrong type of vent hose — then forget about it. And there it sits, slowly degrading in performance, using up increasingly greater and greater amounts of energy, and becoming a bigger fire hazard with each passing day!

Dryer operation 101 When you put in wet clothes and activate a drying cycle, here’s what happens: A fan is activated to draw air into the dryer through the front. The air is heated by a heating element, then passed through the drum, which is rotating to circulate both the clothes and the air. The hot air draws moisture from the clothes, and is then directed through the dryer’s door and through a lint screen. A fan pushes the now moisture-laden air into a duct that exits through the back of the dryer.

The two important things for you to know in all that is that the air in

Permits FROM PAGE 9F

shelter, $3,100.

Ankur Rughani, 301 W Eubanks, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

Brent Williams, 6005 SE 82 Circle, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

Brian Busey, 18012 Providence Ave., storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

Dan Snodgrass, 5101 SE 90, residence, remodel, $3,000.

Jacob Gutierrez, 15513 Calm Wind Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

Jeff Brazell, 8112 Hawksbury Road, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

Jeremy Dirkson, 2437 NW 180, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

Joseph Bradley, 2821 SE 96, residence, remodel, $3,000.

Lashonda Thompson, 17317 Prado Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

Regan Wade Cole, 11905 Rosemeade Court, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

Rosalie Stavinoha, 4212 NW 54, accessory, erect, $3,000.

No name provided, 2716 NW 173, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

No name provided, 1717 NW 185, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

No name provided, 9401 Prosper Drive, storm shelter, remodel, $3,000.

Casey and Melissa Oliver, 14016 Korbyn Drive, storm shelter, install, $2,995.

Dave Dunn, 7404 Noah Parkway, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

David Koelsch, 12124 Kingsgate Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

Greg Storie, 10505 S Linn Ave., storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

Hung Cao, 2800 SW 135, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,995.

Katie Scott, 10501 Queensbury Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

Randle Cooper, 15425

Paul Bianchina HANDY @ HOME

your dryer is both extremely moist and also — despite the lint trap — still full of fine lint. If you don’t handle that air and that lint properly, it’s inevitably going to lead to problems.

Lint that builds up in the dryer and in the vent pipes will retain moisture. Now every time your dryer operates, it has to work harder and harder to dry the clothes, and to push the wet air past the wet lint in the lines. That lengthens the time your clothes take to dry, which, plain and simple, is throwing away your hard-earned money.

It also shortens the life of your dryer. Besides that, the moisture in the lines is a breeding ground for mold, and it prevents your clothes from being and smelling completely clean.

Finally, lint farther along the lines that dries out is extremely flammable, and is one of the leading causes of house fires.

Proper dryer venting At the rear of your dryer is a 4-inch diameter vent, which is where the internal fan is going to push all that wet air. It’s up to you to make sure that vent pipe gets properly connected to the outside, and there are three basic components in the dryer venting system Coral Creek Lane, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

Shamika Mack, 2417 NW 177, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

Sharon Carothers, 8333 NW 106, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

Victor Juvera, 2225 SW 135 Place, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

B. Kay Keck, 8721 Sally Court, residence, installstorm shelter, $2,995.

No name provided, 3717 Spyglass Road, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

No name provided, 12901 Brandon Place, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,995.

No name provided, 2401 Monte Cavallo Circle, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,995.

No name provided, 13304 Baldwin Drive, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,995.

No name provided, 9824 Casa Linda, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

No name provided, 16236 Panther Way, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995.

Harold Brown, 5313 NW 111, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,970.

Andrew and Amanda Black, 12501 Smithfield Lane, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,900.

Casey Cook, 10712 Woodridden, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,900.

Ken and Pamela Timmie, 10605 Peggy Lou Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,900.

Steven Barnett, 11517 Walters Ave., storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,900.

No name provided, 19500 Skylers Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,900.

Richard Stone, 16220 Old Olive Way, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,800.

William Lukes, 15320 Meadow Vista Drive, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,800.

No name provided, 1109 NW 138, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,795.

James Goelz, 17609 Cranbrook Road, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,750.

Clint Lawson, 11708

that you’ll want to set up in order to do that correctly: I 1. The duct between inside and outside: From the inside of the house, you’ll need a duct that leads to the exterior. In homes with a crawl space or a basement, this is usually run under the floor, elbowing up through the floor to terminate right behind the dryer. If the dryer is located on an exterior wall, you can simplify the installation and shorten the duct run by simply going right through the wall.

For dryers located on a second floor, or on a concrete slab, duct pipes are often run vertically into the attic, then out through a side wall.

Use 4-inch smoothwall galvanized or aluminum duct pipe that’s made for this purpose, not flex duct. Flex duct traps both lint and moisture, and is hard to clean. Smoothwall pipe is typically sold in 5-foot lengths, with one end crimped so that it slides easily into the uncrimped end of the next pipe. Seal the joints using a good-quality metallic seam tape — not regular cloth duct tape. For changes in direction, use adjustable elbows.

Remember that the dryer fan has only a limited ability to push the wet air, so keep the length of the duct run as short as possible, with as few elbows as you can. Support the ducts with strapping to avoid sags, and try to angle the run down from the dryer to the exterior to prevent any moisture from accumulatTuscany Ranch Road, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,700.

Adam Cochrane, 8004 John Robert Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,600.

Brandon Presley, 4017 SE 89 Terrace, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,600.

Alan Howenstine, 8101 NW 110, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,570.

Tamara Burnette, 13216 SW 2 Terrace, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,570.

Lisha Chandler, 9353 SW 21, install-storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,500.

Steven and Jennifer Samthers, 2405 Lysander Place, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,500.

ZSR Inc., 9117 S May Ave., business, remodel, $2,500.

Diane Booze, 6201 Woodbridge Road, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,300.

Garrett Skeen, 3501 NE 10, equipment, erect, $2,000.

No name provided, 1401 NW 192 Terrace, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,000.

Richard Belcher, 805 SE 34, accessory, erect, $1,700.

Duane Compton, 101 SW 39, canopy-carport, add-on, $1,500.

Lacey Burnett, 7504 NW 115, storage, erect, $1,500.

Stephanie Clawson, 12229 SW 13, storage, erect, $1,500.

Steve Fischer, 10312 Fawn Trail Road, storage, erect, $1,500.

Select Recycling, 7005 W Wilshire Blvd., recycling, remodel, $1,000.

Garrett Skeen, 3501 NE 10, recreation center, erect, $1,000.

Demolitions Ray’s Trucking, 124 NW 29, garage apartment.

Ray’s Trucking, 19 SW 24, single-family residence.

K&M Wrecking, 14310 N Midwest Blvd., residence.

Metro Mark Properties Inc., doing business as Kent Hoffman Construction, 3205 NW 19, residence.

Nykoha Johnson, 2336 SE 10, accessory.

M&M Wrecking Inc., 14512 SE 44, single-family residence.

dryer out for periodic cleaning, this connection needs to be flexible — it’s the only flex line in the entire setup. To avoid potential fire hazards, this flex line needs to be aluminum, not the inexpensive white vinyl.

Keep it clean

If your clothes dryer is properly vented and maintained, it should give you years, even decades, of reliable service.

ing in the pipe. Refer to the dryer manufacturer’s specific instructions for their suggestions on maximum ducting lengths and other information.

I 2. Exterior cap: At the outside of the house, whether you pass through a wall or a foundation, you’ll need to terminate the duct pipe in a cap. The best type of cap to use is one with a set of three or four overlapping damper

flaps, as opposed to one large one. These smaller flaps will open easily when the dryer is in operation to allow air to exit, then close to keep cold air and pests from entering the house.

I 3. Interior flex connection: Behind the dryer, you’ll need a connection between the dryer’s vent pipe and the duct pipe that’s coming through the floor or the wall. In order to make it easier to pull the

Now that you have everything properly set up, it’s crucial that you keep everything clean. Remove and clear the lint trap with every load of laundry. Every couple of weeks, rinse the lint trap in the sink and clean it with a fine brush, like an old toothbrush, so that fine lint particles don’t build up on the screen.

Even with the screen, lint still accumulates in the duct system. To keep your dryer working correctly and to avoid wasting money, you should clean the duct system itself every couple of years — more if you have a large family and use the dryer a lot. You can probably clean a short run yourself, such as those that pass straight through an exterior wall. Longer runs should be professionally cleaned by a company that has the proper vacuums and brushes; check online under “lint cleaning” or “dryer cleaning,” or call a local appliance repair shop to check for recommendations in your area.

Remodeling and repair questions? Email Paul at paulbianchina @inman.com. All product reviews are based on the author’s actual testing of free review samples provided by the manufacturers.

INMAN NEWS