LISTING OF THE WEEK
HOUSE PLAN
Wooded lot The Umpqua The Listing of the Week is a traditional home on a nearly 2-acre wooded lot in northeast Oklahoma City. PAGE 6E
The exterior exudes nostalgic appeal, while its interior is in tune with contemporary trends. PAGE 8E
REAL ESTATE
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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
Shepherd district provides snapshot of ’30s architecture BY DYRINDA TYSON For The Oklahoman dyrinda@gmail.com
For a growing family, the trim 1930s-era home at 2237 NW 28 offered the perfect location — close to jobs and just up the street from church and school. It was textbook perfect. And then there were the bedrooms upstairs. “They’re enormous — they’re big,” said Rosemary Lewis, who bought the house with her husband, Paul, 17 years ago. “And we had lots of kids, so it was perfect, spaceRosemary wise, for Lewis the kids.” Two bedrooms and a bathroom, in fact, make up the entire second story, and the Lewises’ four children were split between the two bedrooms — three boys in one with a lone sister in the other. Their parents, meanwhile, claimed a downstairs bedroom, with its own bath, for themselves. The boys have since struck out on their own, leaving the youngest sister as the sole resident upstairs for the most part. But the house still is a perfect fit. “The downstairs is just a real nice cozy size for us,” Rosemary Lewis said. The Lewis house, like most others in the Shepherd Historic District, was built in the 1930s. The family’s work on it earned a Citation of Merit at the recent Oklahoma Statewide Preservation Conference. More than 95 percent of the neighborhood’s homes were built between 1931 and 1941, according to the
Kenneth Harney THE NATION’S HOUSING
HEALTH LAW BRINGS TAX CONCERNS When the Supreme Court upheld the health care reform law, it restoked an issue that had been quiet for the past year: the alleged 3.8-percent “real estate tax” on home sales beginning in 2013 that is buried away in the legislation. PAGE 3E
IN BRIEF
TURNING PAPER INTO OBJECTS
Rosemary and Paul Lewis spent years bringing their home at 2237 NW 28 in the Shepherd Historic District back to its 1930s-era glory. Their work was recognized with a Citation of Merit at the recent Oklahoma Statewide Preservation Conference. PHOTOS BY DAVID MCDANIEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
State Historic Preservation Office of the Oklahoma Historical Society. Most of them have survived largely intact, offering a snapshot into an era’s architectural sensibilities from the intricately appointed Tudor revivals to the clean and functional lines of Minimal Traditionals, such as the Lewis home.
Historic integrity That degree of historic integrity makes the Shepherd district unique, said Melvena Heisch, deputy state historic preservation officer. The neighborhood was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and preservation officials presented the SEE SHEPHERD, PAGE 2E
Rosemary and Paul Lewis have owned their home on NW 28 in the Shepherd Historic District for 17 years.
Starting out with a starter home She’s a 28-year-old health care administrator with a steady job, and she’s eager to move out of her parents’ house. Her dream? To buy a modest yet well-kept first home with a fenced yard where her terrier can romp. Despite the young woman’s yearning for a home of her own, Jacqueline Hoff, the real estate broker working with her, said that her client is cautious about the selection process and is determined to avoid overspending. “She expects to spend at least $10,000 less than the bank says she can afford,” said Hoff, who’s affiliated with the Council of Residential Specialists (www. crs.com). “Right now mortgage rates are just insanely low and you can get an unbelievably great house for very little. It’s unbelievable how great a starter house you can get for your money in this current market, especially if your timing is flexible enough to hold out for the perfect deal.” What’s a starter home? It’s usually defined as one valued at or below the median price for a partic-
Ellen James Martin SMART MOVES
ular market. There are several variations on the theme. But in many regions, first-timers can select among several housing styles. Do you have a solid job and are you excited at the idea of buying a home in the near future? If so, these few pointers could prove helpful: I Buy ahead for your future needs. “Most starter-home buyers, who are typically in their late 20s or early 30s, are shortsighted and buy only for their current housing needs. But if you can afford it, look for a home that will meet both your wants and needs for at least five years. That way you maximize your investment dollars,” said Sid Davis, a real estate broker and au-
thor of “A Survival Guide for Buying a Home.” “Shop neighborhoods. Generally speaking, you want to buy into the most desirable area you can possibly afford,” and be mindful of any future additions to your household, Davis said. I Consider a starter home that would appeal to a family. “I don’t care if you ever plan to have kids. Even if you don’t, it’s smart to invest in a house with at least three and, ideally, four bedrooms. If you pick a quality neighborhood, this kind of property will usually gain value faster than a one- or two-bedroom place,” Davis said. To improve your future resale prospects, also look for multiple bathrooms, which are popular with every generation. I Hold out for a neighborhood with great schools, if you can afford it. These days it’s easy for anyone with Internet access to compare one set of schools with another on the basis of student test scores. Most school systems freely dis-
seminate test results, and other organizations also publish them online. You can also gain more elaboration on the pluses and minuses of various schools in your area by paying a relatively small fee for a report from an educational research service such as SchoolMatch (www.schoolmatch.com). I Don’t rule out a government-backed loan for your starter-home purchase. Many first-time homebuyers are eligible for a low-down-payment mortgage through the Federal Housing Administration. To locate lenders near you that make FHA loans, go to this website: www.hud.gov. “The only drawback of an FHA loan is you have to pay premiums for government insurance to protect against your possible default. Otherwise, an FHA mortgage could be extremely well suited for buyers with very little cash to spare,” Davis said. To contact Ellen James Martin, email her at ellenjamesmartin@gmail.com. UNIVERSAL UCLICK
In Kayte Terry’s eyes, one person’s junk is another’s creative fodder. Terry is the author of “Paper Made! 101 Exceptional Projects to Make Out of Everyday Paper.” The book offers instructions for turning various kinds of paper into objects — graph paper into lanterns, tissue paper into switch plates, paint chips into picture frames and even cardboard boxes into chandeliers. Her ideas cover home decor, fashion accessories, greeting cards, party decorations and more. “Paper Made!” is published by Workman Publishing and sells for $16.95 in softcover.
RELAXING BATH Is there anything more relaxing than a hot bath? Kohler Co. thinks so. The company has added sound therapy technology called Vibr Acoustic to its Underscore line of bathtubs. The technology is supposed to relieve tension through sound that is heard and felt. A bather can choose from four original compositions that integrate music, vibration and lighting to promote relaxation, and listen to music or podcasts from a mobile device, Internet radio or home computer. The bath is available in five colors and nine sizes. Priced from $1,055 to $4,634. Find a dealer in the “Where to Buy” section of www.us.kohler.com. MCT INFORMATION SERVICES
INDEX Stone Permits
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THE OKLAHOMAN
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
NEWSOK.COM
LEFT: This view shows the Lewis family’s living room at the home on NW 28 in Oklahoma City’s Shepherd Historic District. PHOTOS BY DAVID MCDANIEL, THE OKLAHOMAN
Shepherd: Community spirit lives FROM PAGE 1E
certificate during a neighborhood picnic. “It was clear how much everyone there appreciates the special place they live and how much they want to protect that environment,” Heisch said. “Such community spirit goes a long way to historic preservation success.” Before that, it was simply the Shepherd neighborhood, taking its name from the family who bought the property in 1896. George Shepherd built a two-bedroom home on what was an isolated piece of land at the time, distant from the hustle and bustle of stillnew Oklahoma City, and his family lived in it until a larger home could be built nearby. That little farmhouse remained in the family for 80 years, though, through Rosemary Lewis shows the patio at her home on NW 28. Renovation and restorathe first steps into state- tion of the 1930s-era structure earned a Citation of Merit at the recent Oklahoma PHOTOS BY DAVID MCDANIEL, THE OKLAHOMAN hood, two world wars, the Statewide Preservation Conference. Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Developers built Shepherd Mall around the house in the 1960s, allowing Shepherd’s last surviving daughter, Lottie Shepherd, to live out her days there. After she died in 1970, the home was moved to the Oklahoma City Zoo — Lottie Shepherd was an avid supporter — and in 1987, it was moved to the Harn Homestead.
Oasis of calm Now, tucked away north of Shepherd Mall with Villa and Pennsylvania avenues serving as bustling borders to the west and east, the Shepherd district is an oasis of calm. Row upon row of small, neat homes offer a sense of order but not boring uniformity. “I love the character,” Lewis said. “I love that they’re not cracker box, cookie-cutter homes. They just have so much more character.” The Lewises have worked gradually on their home over the years. The dining room and the kitchen were demolished back to the studs and rebuilt. Windows have been re-
Rosemary Lewis shows the kitchen in her home on NW 28. Both the kitchen and dining room were demolished back to the studs and rebuilt.
placed. And a major hailstorm in 2010 forced them to replace the roof and pull the badly damaged aluminum siding off the house and repair the original wood underneath — being situated in a historic district
required that. Lewis characterized the experience as painful. “I love the way it looks, now that it’s done,” she said, laughing. One major perk may stem from the days when this was still Shepherd
land, and a small lake dominated what is now a park. “We have really nice soil, which is unusual in Oklahoma,” Lewis said. “Anything I plant just grows like crazy.”
The master bedroom of the Lewis home, downstairs. Two bedrooms upstairs share a bathroom.
THE OKLAHOMAN
NEWSOK.COM
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
Health care, housing become taxing issue WASHINGTON — When the Supreme Court upheld the health care reform law on federal tax grounds, it restoked a housing issue that had been relatively quiet for the past year: the alleged 3.8-percent “real estate tax” on home sales beginning in 2013 that is buried away in the legislation. Immediately following enactment of the health care law, waves of emails hit the Internet with ominous messages aimed at homeowners. A sample: “Did you know that if you sell your house after 2012 you will pay a 3.8 percent sales tax on it? When did this happen? It’s in the health care bill. Just thought you should know.” Once litigation challenging the law’s constitutionality surfaced in federal courts, the email warnings subsided. But with the law scheduled to take effect less than six months from now, questions are being raised again: Is there really a 3.8-percent transfer tax on real estate coming in 2013? Does it pre-empt the existing $250,000 and $500,000 capital gains exclusions for single-filing and joint-filing home sellers, as some emails have claimed? In case you’ve heard rumors or received worrisome emails about any of this, here’s a quick primer. Yes, there is a new 3.8percent surtax that takes effect Jan. 1 on certain investment income of upper-income individuals — including some of their real estate transactions. But it’s not a transfer tax and not likely to affect the vast majority of homeowners who sell their primary residences next year. In fact, unless you have an adjusted gross income of more than $200,000 as a single-filing taxpayer, or $250,000 for couples filing jointly ($125,000 if you’re married filing singly), you probably won’t be touched by the surtax at all, though you could be affected by other changes in the code if Congress fails to extend the Bush tax cuts scheduled to expire at the end of this year. Even if you do have income greater than these thresholds, you might not be hit with the 3.8-percent tax unless you have certain
Gary M. Singer REAL ESTATE LAW
Short sale doesn’t rule out purchase Q: We began our short sale on our condo last year, and we’re still not finished. We were initially told that if we are current on our payments and our short sale is complete, we would be able to purchase another home without a problem. Is this true? A: If you never missed a payment, your credit should still be reasonably good and there are banks that likely will lend you money right away. But most people who complete short sales fell behind on payments, and it could be a couple of years before they can get another loan. Each lender has dozens of programs that you may qualify for and there are literally hundreds of lenders out there. Obviously, if you’re paying cash, there’s nothing stopping you from buying a home at any time. Gary M. Singer is a Florida attorney and board-certified as an expert in real estate law by the Florida Bar. MCT INFORMATION SERVICES
Kenneth Harney THE NATION’S HOUSING
types of investment income targeted by the law, specifically dividends, interest, net capital gains and net rental income. If your income is solely “earned” — salary and other compensation derived from active participation in a business — you have nothing to worry about as far as the new surtax. Where things can get a little complicated, however, is when you sell your home for a substantial profit, and your adjusted gross income for the year exceeds the $200,000 or $250,000 thresholds. The good news: The surtax does not interfere with the current tax-free exclusion on the first $500,000 (joint filers) or $250,000 (single filers) of gain you make on the sale of your principal home. Those exclusions have not changed. But any profits above those limits are subject to federal capital gains taxation and could also expose you to the new 3.8-percent surtax. Julian Block, a tax attorney in Larchmont, N.Y., and author of “Julian Block’s Home Seller’s Guide to Tax Savings,” said it will be more important than ever to pull together documentation on the capital improvements you made to the property and
expenses connected with the house — including settlement or closing costs, such as title insurance and legal fees — that increase your tax “basis” in order to lower your capital gains. Since the health care law targets capital gains, you could find yourself exposed to the 3.8-percent levy on the sale of your home next year. Here’s an example provided by the tax staff at the National Association of Realtors: Say you and your spouse have adjustable gross income (AGI) of $325,000 and you sell your home at a $525,000 profit. Assuming you qualify, $500,000 of that gain is wiped off the slate for tax purposes. The $25,000 additional gain qualifies as net investment income under the health care law, giving you a revised AGI of $350,000. Since the law imposes the 3.8-percent surtax on the lesser of either the amount your revised AGI exceeds the $250,000 threshold for joint filers ($100,000 in this case) or the amount of your taxable gain ($25,000), you end up owing a surtax of $950 ($25,000 times .038). The 3.8-percent levy can be confusing, and can bite deeper when your taxable capital gains are far larger or you sell a vacation home or a piece of rental real estate, where all the profits could subject you to the investment surtax. Definitely talk to a tax professional for advice on your specific situation. Ken Harney’s email address is kenharney@earthlink.net. WASHINGTON POST WRITERS GROUP
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THE OKLAHOMAN
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
NEWSOK.COM
Need a convenient outdoor faucet? Try an extender
This newly built house by young architects (Brett) Woods + Dangaran, a Los Angeles architecture firm with two twentysomething principals, has completed its first major project with some smart design elements, a prime view of the coast and as much outdoor living space as indoor living space. MCT PHOTO
Special Malibu house is a vision in all angles BY CRAIG NAKANO Los Angeles Times
LOS ANGELES — You could admire the ocean view from the house’s second-floor deck — coastal bluffs covered with wind-sculpted cypress trees to your right, pretty Point Dume off in the distance to your left, 10 miles of prime Malibu Beach in between. Or you could admire the architecture from the street below, looking up at a first floor that juts out from a cliff and hovers over nothingness. Or you could contemplate the house from the front, where the weathered redwood siding turns out to be planks recycled from olive and pickle tanks. You could do all of that, but then you might miss part of what makes this house special. This dream of a retreat — set along exclusive Broad Beach, among the mansions that Steven Spielberg, Robert Redford, Goldie Hawn and Steve Levitan have called home — holds smart design ideas that could translate to houses that are miles and miles away, in geography, budget or style. After all, on paper this house is merely 1,700 square feet of living space: open kitchen and living room, powder room, small office and guest bedroom with bath on the first floor, master suite on the second. That’s it. But as conceived by the young Los Angeles architecture firm W+D — www.wdlosangeles.com — this Malibu house plays out as a case study in the efficient use of space. Wedged next to noisy Pacific Coast Highway and set snugly between neighbors, the house also is inspiration for anyone trying to balance a love of the outdoors with the need for quiet and privacy. Owner Mickey Liddell, a producer whose credits include the TV series “Everwood” and the Liam Neeson action film “The Grey,”
summed up the various design solutions with one sentence: “There isn’t a room that I don’t feel like is a great room.” As seen from the beach, the house is meant to be a streamlined white box set atop a rustic base, “a juxtaposition between hard lines and soft lines,” W+D principal Brett Woods said. “Pure geometry coming off this rugged hillside.” A beacon of sorts to all who pass by, he said. The first-floor deck cantilevers over the hillside thanks to new steel beams set over an existing foundation, but when it came time to design the guest bedroom at one end of the house, Woods pulled back instead of pushing out. Rather than crowd a neighbor’s deck with more deck of their own, the architect and his client shrank the footprint of the guest bedroom to make room for a sheltered terrace. The lesson: Giving up a bit of interior square footage can yield a more pleasant, private, functional space. Three key ways the W+D house makes the most of a modestly sized space:
Appreciate obvious In trying to conceive some sort of trellis or shade structure for the second-floor deck W+D realized it had an opportunity. “Everyone responds to the ocean for obvious reasons, but we felt opportunity to embrace the sky,” Woods said, adding that a new architectural element — a roof with a hole punched through the center like a giant picture frame — draws the eye up and prompts people to appreciate the simpl beauty of a blue sky.
Deck out First and foremost, this house is proof that small can feel big. Interiors are more than 400 square feet smaller than the average American house, but 1,700
square feet of first- and second-floor decking double the living space for Liddell and partner Pete Shilaimon. Architects considered the woodand-resin composite materials on the market but ultimately chose to satisfy stringent codes by using a fireproof product called DreamDex, real wood that’s infused with a polymer and dried at high temperatures.
Control the view When owner Liddell said, “I think that’s a million-dollar view,” he wasn’t talking about the ocean. He was referring to the rich light and rolling fog that creeps over the Malibu foothills on the other side of the house at the end of the day. Woods responded with clerestory windows in the living room and guest bedroom that are just large enough to capture those fog-shrouded mountaintops but small enough to minimize the rumble of PCH — and high enough to keep passing cars out of sight. MCT INFORMATION SERVICES
Is the faucet coming out of the wall in a convenient place to attach a hanger to your backyard buried in the shrubbery? coil up and store the hose. Every time you need to connect or disconCut the 4-by-4 to length. The length is nect the hose, do you feel like breaking out dependent on how far above the ground the machete and hiring a jungle guide so you decided on, plus the overall depth of you can hack your way back there? your hole. Set the post in the hole, plumb Well, rather than clear-cutting the it in both directions, and brace it tempolandscaping, you can simply set up a new rarily to hold it in place. Mix a sack of faucet in a location that’s more conve- ready-mix concrete with water — follow nient. Then you just connect the new fau- all the directions on the bag for mixing cet to the old one with a length of hose, and safety precautions — and cement and you’re all set. your post into place. Allow the concrete to There are commercial faucet extenders dry before proceeding with the next step. available that consist of a metal post with Just below the top of the post, drill a a faucet attached. The post is driven into hole all the way through from front to the ground, and the connection is made to back, using a spade bit. This hole will acthe old faucet. The problem, however, is commodate the new faucet, and the dithat most people tend to ameter is sized to the stem pull on the hose as they exof the faucet. Drill carefully tend it to water the lawn or through from the front unthe flowers. This constant til the point of the bit just Paul pulling puts pressure on the begins to come through, Bianchina then complete the drilling post, and combined with the water that drips or gets from the back; that techspilled around the base of nique prevents the wood the post, it eventually loos- HANDY @ HOME from splintering. ens up where it was driven Set the faucet in place in into the ground. the hole, then measure A better solution is to build your own from the back of the post to the back of faucet extender using parts available from the faucet. You’ll need a short piece of your local home center or hardware store. threaded, galvanized pipe to extend from It’s simple to do, and you’ll end up with a the faucet through the post. An elbow is sturdier installation. attached to the pipe, pointing down. AnYou’ll need a 4-by-4-inch pressure- other short length of pipe is attached to treated post; a sack of ready-mix con- the elbow, so that it almost reaches the crete; an outdoor faucet (also called a hose ground, then a second elbow is attached, bib), the type with a flange and two pointing away from the post. At the secmounting holes; a decorative post cap ond elbow, attach a fitting that transitions (optional); some galvanized pipe and a from the elbow to a female hose fitting. couple of fittings, which will vary deWhen you have all the pipe and fittings pending on your installation; some thread laid out the way you want, coat the treads sealant; and a short garden hose. with pipe sealant and assemble them firmly to prevent leaks. Secure the faucet Getting started to the post by driving two screws through First, decide where you want the new the flange into the post. Secure the pipe to faucet to be located. Keep in mind access the back of the post with pipe clamps. to the old faucet, a place to conveniently To complete the installation, simply store the hose, and a spot that’s easy for connect the house faucet to the pipe on you to reach. At the new location, use a the back on the post using a garden hose; post-hole digger to dig a hole down below short lengths of garden hose are available frost line, or at least 24 inches. You want at most retailers. The hose will have a feto be down far enough that your new post, male fitting on one end, which attaches to which will hold the new faucet, can be se- the male end of the faucet at the house, curely anchored without tipping or heavi- and a male fitting on the other end, which ng. Place a few small rocks or some gravel attaches to the new female fitting on the in the bottom of the hole and tamp them end of your pipe. Leave the faucet at the down to help with drainage. house on, and you can control the water Next, decide how far above the ground from the new faucet. you want the new post. You may want Remodeling and repair questions? E-mail Paul at your new faucet to remain fairly low, so paulbianchina@inman.com. All product reviews are based on author’s actual testing of free review samples provided by it’s unobtrusive, or you may want it fairly the the manufacturers. high, so it’s easier to reach without bendINMAN NEWS ing over. A higher post could also give you
THE OKLAHOMAN
NEWSOK.COM
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
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Fire pits offer warmth, light, gathering place BY JILL DRAPER McClatchy Newspapers
Carole Brown goes to sleep in a hammock outside her cabin at Matfield Green, Kan. MCT PHOTO
Cabin’s owner escapes the modern world BY CINDY HOEDEL MCT Information Services
MATFIELD GREEN, Kan. — In late December 1999, as a nervous nation fretted about what might happen if computers went haywire when they switched over to 2000, Carole Brown loaded her possessions into two station wagons and a pickup and caravanned with her parents and brother from Westwood Hills, Kan., to her new home, a 12-by-17-foot cabin with no running water or electricity in a desolate corner of the Flint Hills in Kansas. Brown, a classically trained bassist two days shy of turning 40, had no car and no cellphone — only a desire to remove herself from a civilization she felt out of sync with and a longing to steep herself in the beauty and comfort of nature. The rancher who owns the land the cabin sits on figured she’d last six months, tops. Her friends gave her three months. Twelve years later, she’s still there. Before daybreak on a recent morning, a familiar CLICK-CLICK-CLICKCLICK-CLICK awakens Brown. Leopard frogs. Brown opens her eyes and shifts under the weight of her two slumbering rat terriers, causing the hammock to sway. She watches as the inky blackness overhead melts into a wash of deep violet overlaid with a lacework of hackberry branches. The first sunrays bring up a dewy sweetness in the air, and the frog chorus is replaced by the calls of Dickcissels, bluebirds and great crested flycatchers. When Piglet and Pooh, the terriers, wake, Brown swings her legs over the side of the hammock and plants her bare feet on the cool hard dirt. Her pajama top flaps against her waist in the wind. The first thing that strikes you when you meet Brown is her un-hermitlike appearance. She has a petite frame, the upright carriage of a dancer and hip-length blond hair tied back in a ponytail. Her jeans are patched in several spots but clean. The seams of the repairs are neat and straight. She wears no makeup, but her honey-brown eyes, set off by thick brows, pull you in with their beauty and intensity. With a match, she lights the stove and places a pan of water on to boil for tea. The 200-square-foot cabin is small but abundantly stocked. Every wall is covered with open shelving and recessed cupboards that house hundreds of books, dozens of cassette tapes, a battery-powered tape player, clothing and scores of glass Mason jars containing beans, rice, spices and dried fruit. Hooks on the rafters hold a battery of cast-iron skillets and saucepans that would have done Julia Child proud. A pair of snowshoes,
Carole Brown goes to sleep in a hammock outside her cabin at Matfield Green, Kan. MCT PHOTO
skates and a hockey stick are also suspended aloft. Brown plants pole beans around volunteer sunflowers, hoping the bean vines will climb up the stalks. Done with planting, she sets up a new solar cooker, a foil-panel contraption with rocks and plastic bags in which she encases an aluminum pot filled with water and dried lentils. She has never tried this before and hopes it works so she won’t have to cook indoors as much in summer. Brown returns to the cabin to pull on a pair of rubber boots and then wades into the creek to half-fill three 5-gallon buckets with water. She hauls the buckets back up and places them in the sun to heat the water for washing her hair and doing laundry later. By midday, the ground, already showing cracks, is heating up, and the south wind is blasting harder than usual. The tall prairie grasses writhe in van Gogh swirls. The roar is disorienting, and dust, possibly from Oklahoma, cakes Brown’s skin. The past couple of years Brown has been spending about five months a year, usually November through March, at her parents’ home in Westwood Hills. It’s because she wants to spend more time with her parents as they get older and play music more — not because the bitter prairie winters are too hard on her 52-year-old bones. “I like January and February at the cabin very much. I remember reading ‘Macbeth’ during a stretch of bad weather. I would read one act each night by oil lamp with the wind howling outside. I would go outside in the blue light of the moon and come into the orange light of the candles and the oil lamp and cook Indian curries on my wood stove and think, ‘Ahhhhhhhh. This is great.’ ” Her stays in Kansas City are in winter because that is when she can get the most music gigs. She has discovered her simple life costs more than she had thought it would. Brown pays no rent or utilities and makes most of
her clothes or gets them very cheaply second hand, but constantly repairing and replacing her bicycle wheels and tires is a big expense. A set of spokes and a rim cost $72 and might last only a year. Bass strings are expensive, too. And perhaps the biggest and most frustrating money pit is food. Brown has not been able to grow as much as she hoped in the face of the same obstacles that vexed the first European settlers who tried to farm this land: thin and rocky soil, frequent droughts and hordes of grasshoppers that feast on young seedlings. So most of her food has to be purchased. Brown’s desire to live simply, as she puts it, has nothing to do with survivalist fears or religious beliefs. It is a response to what she didn’t enjoy about living in the modern energy- and technologydependent world. “People make it sound like I’m so courageous. No. Nothing else was working. This works the best for me,” she said. “People say I can live like this because I’m healthy and strong. It’s more likely I’m healthy and strong because I live like this.”
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Since ancient times, man has been drawn to fire for food, warmth and comfort from the dark. That attraction is still going strong, and options for gathering around a backyard circle of dancing flames with family and friends are more numerous than ever. Whether you’re looking for a small, portable fire pit for around $100 or a large, outdoor fireplace for $10,000 or more, you’ll want to consider the full line of products available. “It can be a daunting task for the homeowner to sort out,” said Andy Wright, a landscape designer with Landworks, which works in the Kansas City, Mo., area. “The market is really evolving. We’re on the verge of many possibilities.” Wright begins by asking clients how they entertain and what goals they have for the space. Are they trying to screen something? Do they want built-in seating? What is the budget? Ron and Amy Mertz met with him about building an outdoor fireplace in their yard in Overland Park, Kan. First he helped them select a basic design using various widths and colors of pavers from a local hardscape company. Next the fireplace was constructed at a factory in Wisconsin. It was delivered by truck six weeks later in two pieces and assembled on a concrete pad in about two hours. For the Mertz family, Wright suggested attached benches on either side of the fire box, but they could have chosen built-in wood-storage boxes, or mini-waterfalls flowing over the sides or a pizza oven. While the modular construction is slightly cheaper than a fireplace constructed block by block (about 10 to 20 percent less, Wright said), the main attraction is the ease of installation. “The level
A “fire boulder” burns at the home of Peggy and Craig Schwartz in Overland Park, Kan. MCT PHOTO
AVOID FIRE PIT PITFALLS I Plan for drainage, or you’ll end up with a smelly mess. I Consider a cover for the pit when it’s not in use. I Locate the fuel controls in a place where they’re somewhat concealed, but never inside the pit. I Make sure the fuel line has adequate pressure. I Don’t block a great view with a large chimney. I Consider the typical direction of the wind so you won’t be bathed in smoke.
of detail in this project would have taken lots of man hours to fabricate onsite,” he said. The fireplace was an immediate hit. “We went from never hanging out in the backyard to being outside every free weekend,” Ron Mertz said. His children, under a watchful eye, use it frequently as well, and it has been the scene of many hot dog and s’mores parties. Mertz also likes the way the pavers tie in with the materials used for their patio, steps, walls and deck. At another Overland Park home, Craig and Peggy Schwartz were considering purchasing a traditional fire pit when they
noticed a fire boulder at a nearby model home. They were intrigued and thought it would add character to their yard. Jared Barnes, a designer with Next to Nature Landscape, steered them to Canyon Stone in Olathe, Kan., to browse its selection of pre-drilled limestone and sandstone boulders. Cripple Creek Rock Co. in Kansas City also pre-drills boulders, specializing in granite. “The main thing to consider with these is placement,” Barnes said. “Once you plumb a gas line and set a 1,200-pound boulder, you don’t want to move it.” He situated the rock at one end of the Schwartz’s patio with a water feature behind it. At the other end, his crew used pavers to build a rectangular bar with a fire tray running along the middle. Gas flames flicker through smoky black glass beads, while the fire boulder holds lava rocks. The unusual combination has drawn the attention of neighbors, Peggy Schwartz said. “People are always coming by to see what’s happening and saying how pretty everything looks.”While the Schwartz home has a custom-built fire bar, patio furniture stores often sell manufactured fire tables ranging from traditional to contemporary designs. At the upper price range — $1,200 to $2,500 — the tables feature granite tops and come in various heights: chat, dining and bar.
6E
THE OKLAHOMAN
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
California cities ponder seizing bad mortgages BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
FONTANA, Calif. — In the foreclosurebattered inland stretches of California, local government officials desperate for change are weighing a controversial but inventive way to fix troubled mortgages: Condemn them. Officials from San Bernardino County and two of its cities have formed a local agency to consider the plan. But investors who stand to lose money on their mortgage investments have been quick to register their displeasure. Discussion of the idea is taking place in one of the epicenters of the housing crisis, a working-class region east of Los Angeles where housing prices have plummeted. Last week brought another sharp reminder of the crisis when the 210,000strong city of San Bernardino, struggling after shrunken home prices walloped local tax revenues, announced it would seek bankruptcy protection. Now — and amid skepticism on many fronts — officials from the surrounding county of San Bernardino and cities of Fontana and Ontario have created a joint powers authority to consider what role local governments could take to stem the crisis. The goal is to keep homeowners saddled by large mortgage payments from losing their homes — which are valued at a fraction of what they were once worth. “We just have too much pain and misery in this county to call off a public discussion like this,” said David Wert, a county spokesman. The idea was broached by a group of West Coast financiers who suggest using the power of eminent domain, which lets the government seize private property for public use. In this case, they would condemn troubled mortgages so they could seize them from the investors who own them. Then the mortgages would be rewritten so the borrowers would have significantly lower monthly payments. Steven Gluckstern, chairman of the newly formed San Francisco-based Mortgage Resolution Partners, says his main concern is to help the economy, which is being held back by the mortgage crisis. “This is not a bunch of Wall Street guys sitting around saying, H ` ow do we make money?’ ” he said. “This was a bunch of Wall Street guys sitting around saying, ‘How do you solve this problem?’ ” Typically, eminent domain has been used to clear property for infrastructure projects like highways, schools and sewage plants. But supporters say that giving help to struggling borrowers is also a legitimate use of eminent domain, because it’s in the public interest.
Under the proposal, a city or county would sign on as a client of Mortgage Resolution Partners, then condemn certain mortgages. The mortgages are typically owned by private investors like hedge funds and pension funds. Under eminent domain, the city or county would be required to pay those investors “fair value” for the seized mortgages. So Mortgage Resolution Partners would find private investors to fund that. Mortgage Resolution Partners will focus on mortgages where the borrowers are current on their payments but are “under water,” meaning their mortgage costs more than the home is worth. After being condemned and seized, the mortgages would be rewritten based on the homes’ current values. The borrowers would get to stay, but with cheaper monthly payments. The city or county would resell the loans to other private investors, so it could pay back the investors who funded the seizure and pay a flat fee to Mortgage Resolution Partners. The company says that overall, all parties will be happy. The homeowners, for obvious reasons. The cities, for stemming economic blight without using taxpayer bailouts. And even the investors whose mortgage investments are seized. Mortgage Resolution Partners figures they should be glad to unload a risky asset. Rick Rayl, an eminent domain lawyer in Irvine, Calif., who is not connected to the company, isn’t so sure. “The lenders are going to be livid,” he said. He thinks the plan could have unintended consequences, like discouraging banks and other lenders from making new mortgage loans in an area. The company says that focusing on borrowers who are current on their loans is a smart way to do business, rewarding those who are already working hard to keep their homes. But, Rayl pointed out, those are also the exact mortgages that investors are eager to keep. Already, the outcry was heard at the first meeting of the joint powers authority, even as chairman and San Bernardino County chief executive Greg Devereaux said the entity — which was inspired by Mortgage Resolution Partners’ proposal — has not decided on a course of action. Timothy Cameron, managing director of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association’s asset managers group, told the authority that residents of the region would find it harder to get loans and investors — including pensioners — would suffer losses. He also said such a move would invite costly litigation. “The use of eminent domain will do more harm than good,” he said.
NEWSOK.COM
LISTING OF THE WEEK
The Listing of the Week is at 12808 Teakwood Road in northeast Oklahoma City. PHOTO PROVIDED
4-bedroom home rests on a 2-acre wooded lot The Listing of the Week is a traditional home on a nearly 2-acre wooded lot in northeast Oklahoma City’s North Country Estates addition, in the Oakdale and Edmond school districts. The 2,306-square-foot home is at 12808 Teakwood Road, northeast of NE 122 and Air Depot Boulevard, 1½ miles east of Interstate 35. It has four bedrooms, two baths, one
living room, two dining areas and an attached twocar garage. The main living room has a vaulted ceiling, builtin bookcase and ceiling fan. The dining room has a ceiling fan. The remodeled kitchen has eating space and a ceiling fan. The master bedroom has a ceiling fan and bath with whirlpool tub. Secondary bedrooms all have ceiling fans. The home has an open
deck, open patio, outbuildings and intercom system. The home, built in 1977, is listed for $279,900 with Dutch Revenboer of Flat Iron Realty Group. For more information, call 590-6563 or 513-7300. Nominations for Listing of the Week are welcome. Send a copy of the Multiple Listing Service information sheet on a single-family home to The Oklahoman, Richard Mize, P.O. Box 25125, Oklahoma City, OK 73125. Nominations may be faxed to 475-3996.
THE OKLAHOMAN
NEWSOK.COM
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
Here’s how to become a home inspector DEAR BARRY: I am an active-duty service member, currently stationed in California. After my discharge, I would like to start my own home inspection business and was hoping you could offer some advice to someone entering this field. Joseph DEAR JOSEPH: Thank you for your service to our country. The first thing to keep in mind if you become a home inspector is liability. Homebuyers will base a major purchase decision on your findings. They will rely on your expertise to inform them of conditions that could affect the safety of occupants and the costs of ownership. Your job will be to ensure that they find no adverse surprises after
the close of escrow. If you miss any defects in the course of an inspection (and every home inspector misses defects, especially new home inspectors), the buyers may call you after the close of escrow, expecting you to pay for the undisclosed problems. If you’re lucky, the missed items will not be very costly — perhaps a few hundred dollars. But there is always the possibility of missing a major defect, such as a foundation problem, a failed heating and airconditioning system, a major ground drainage problem, or a significant roofing issue. Those are the times when home inspectors ask themselves, “Why did I go into this business?”
Barry Stone INSPECTOR’S IN THE HOUSE
Now that you’ve read the big warning to all aspiring home inspectors, we can proceed with advice on how to become one — assuming that I haven’t changed your mind yet. I Step No. 1: Enroll in an introductory course with a reputable home inspection school such as Casey, O’Malley & Associates or American Home Inspectors Training Institute. This will provide you with the basics needed to get started. I Step No. 2: Join a local
chapter of a recognized home inspector association such as the American Society of Home Inspectors (ASHI) or a state association such as the California Real Estate Inspection Association (CREIA). The monthly educational meetings and the education conventions provided by these association are essential to maintaining a level of professionalism as an inspector. I Step No. 3: Find some experienced home inspectors who will take you on a few home inspections for some firsthand exposure to see how it is done. From this you will learn inspection procedures, as well as ways to explain the findings of an inspection to homebuyers and their agents.
I Step No. 4: Become as knowledgeable as possible about residential building codes. If your local community college has courses in the codes, be sure to enroll. You should also obtain copies of Code Check, available online from Casey, O’Malley. This is the best summary version of building codes available anywhere. Home inspection can be a rewarding career or a treacherous one, depending on how well prepared you are when you enter the business and how much you continue to educate yourself once you are in the business. Best wishes for success in your civilian career. To write to Barry Stone, visit him on the web at www.housedetective.com. ACTION COAST PUBLISHING
Home inspection can be a rewarding career or a treacherous one, depending on how well prepared you are when you enter the business and how much you continue to educate yourself once you are in the business.
7E
8E
THE OKLAHOMAN
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
NEWSOK.COM
HOUSE PLAN
New mortgages Exterior exudes nostalgic appeal boost Wells Fargo
The Umpqua is a compact shingle-style home. Its exterior exudes nostalgic appeal, while its interior is totally in tune with contemporary trends. You can’t help but be intrigued by the medley of shapes and textures outside. Two smooth slender posts, one behind the other, highlight the recessed porch. The posts are seated on a rectangular support covered with stone veneer. Shake-textured shingles fill the triangular gable fronts and extend down to the level of the wainscoting. Composition shingles cover the roof. Craftsman styling, with its distinctive gridded appearance, adds its appeal to the windows, entry door and garage door. Front windows are also highlighted by a lintel with a raised accent. Inside, a long entry hall sweeps past the secondary bedroom wing, utility room and coat closet before opening out into the spacious family gathering areas. Natural light washes into the living and dining rooms through rear and side windows, and sliding glass doors access the covered patio. Both rooms are open to the kitchen, which is minimally separated by a work island. It’s easy to serve up snacks and light meals on the island’s eating bar. And, while working at the kitchen sink, you can keep tabs on activities in the larger spaces and even enjoy watching flames in the gas fireplace across the way. Cupboards and counters wrap around two sides, and a roomy pantry nestles into the inner corner. Natural light spills
BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
down through a rectangular skylight. The owners’ suite has a good-sized walk-in closet and private bathroom, complete with a towel hutch, double vanity, and separately enclosed toilet
and shower. Convenient interior access to the Umpqua’s garage is through the utility room. The garage sink comes in handy for cleanup after gardening or vehicle main-
tenance. A review plan of the Umpqua 30-825, 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.
Wells Fargo reported higher earnings, higher revenue and a record number of mortgage applications last week — but nobody was paying all that much attention. The spotlight instead was on JPMorgan Chase, where executives fielded questions about a giant $5.8 billion trading loss, which surprised investors when it was announced in May and has only become more troublesome as estimates about the scope of the problem have grown. Then again, that’s the way Wells Fargo usually works: Getting ahead by staying under the radar. The comparison was not lost on Wells Fargo’s chief financial officer, Tim Sloan. “It’s not that we don’t make mistakes,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “But we don’t take on a risk and then decide that the way we get comfortable with it is by hedging it. We just don’t do it in the first place.” The bank, based in San Francisco far from its New York peers, was considered a large regional bank until the end of 2008, when it stepped onto the national scene by scooping up Wachovia, a major bank in the South that was teetering on the brink of collapse. Wells Fargo has since staked its reputation on mortgages, churning out more loans than any other bank. It’s fond of pointing out that, at least compared to peers, it relies more on plain-vanilla customer
lending rather than investment banking services that can carry big profits but also big risk. It’s now the biggest U.S. bank by market value, a crown it took from JPMorgan. When Moody’s downgraded the ratings of most of the major banks last month, Wells Fargo escaped intact. In recent weeks, as industry analysts cut their estimates for most other big banks, they raised them slightly for Wells Fargo. In a call with analysts, Wells Fargo executives highlighted how the bank had expanded lending and curbed the proportion of bad loans. Net income rose 18 percent to $4.4 billion, compared with $3.7 billion in the same period a year ago. On a per-share basis, the bank earned 82 cents, in line with estimates of analysts polled by FactSet. Revenue rose 4 percent to $21.3 billion, also in line with analysts’ expectations. Mortgage originations more than doubled, to $131 billion from $64 billion. About 16 percent came from the government’s Home Affordable Refinance Program, or HARP. The trade publication Inside Mortgage Finance estimates that Wells Fargo controls 34 percent of mortgage lending in the U.S. The runner-up, JPMorgan Chase, controls 11 percent.
THE OKLAHOMAN
NEWSOK.COM
Building permits Oklahoma City CMS Willow Brook, 10900 N Sooner Road, school, add-on, $4,110,000. Adams & Associates Architects, 7646 W Reno Ave., shell building, erect, $1,453,650. Flintco Inc., 3300 Northwest Expressway, hospital, remodel, $1,100,000. Simon Properties, 1901 Northwest Expressway, retail sales, remodel, $1,005,000. Cornerstone Group LLC, 13108 Rohan Court, residence, erect, $600,000. Harrison French Associates, 6305 Waterford Blvd., office, remodel, $563,000. HSE Architects PLLC, 5915 W Memorial Road, medical clinic-office, remodel, $500,000. Lingo Construction, 324 N Robinson Ave., restaurant, remodel, $500,000. Apollo Building Systems Inc., 6421 S Sooner Road, warehouse, add-on, $480,000. Saratoga Roofing & Construction, 17520 Egrets Landing, residence, erect, $350,000. J.E. Dunn Construction
Co., 13313 N Meridian Ave., medical clinic-office, remodel, $350,000. James Timothy King, 12611 Old Country Road, residence, erect, $340,000. No name provided, 4001 Huntington Parkway, residence, erect, $318,000. Saratoga Roofing & Construction, 3433 NW 175, residence, erect, $300,000. Ancon Development Corp., 9433 N Kelley Ave., office, erect, $300,000. Don Chesser Homes Inc., 19616 Crest Ridge Drive, residence, erect, $290,000. Dodson Custom Homes LLC, 9208 Via del Vista, residence, erect, $287,000. Dave Carr Construction, 15216 Daybright Drive, residence, erect, $275,000. Jason Powers Homes, 2136 Sycamore Creek Ave., residence, erect, $260,000. Carr Custom Homes Inc., 4709 NW 155, residence, erect, $240,000. J.W. Mashburn Development Inc., 5613 NW 121 Circle, residence, erect, $240,000. Jason Powers Homes, 2120 Sycamore Creek Ave.,
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012 residence, erect, $240,000. Jim Campbell Homes Inc., 5400 Midway Drive, residence, erect, $232,000. Bellstark Builders LLC, 332 NW 155, residence, erect, $230,000. Jason Powers Homes, 2136 Redbud Creek Ave., residence, erect, $230,000. Jason Powers Homes, 8905 NW 109, residence, erect, $225,000. First Star Homes, doing business as Turner & Son Homes, 16709 Rainwater Trail, residence, erect, $220,000. D.R. Horton, 2301 NW 156, residence, erect, $219,990. Quality Designed Homes LLC, 6405 Bentley Drive, residence, erect, $209,000. Jeff Click Homes LLC, 17309 Grey Hawk Lane, residence, erect, $208,000. W.R. Moore Brokerage Inc., 4713 SW 126 Place, residence, erect, $200,000. W.R. Moore Brokerage Inc., 4717 SW 126 Place, residence, erect, $200,000. Wand Construction, 7725 W Reno Ave., parking, install, $200,000. Allenton Homes & Development LLC, 7016 NW 159 Place, residence, erect,
$200,000. Jeff Click Homes LLC, 2417 NW 174, residence, erect, $199,000. Ideal Homes of Norman, 18501 Mesa Road, residence, erect, $192,000. Braxton Homes LLC, 3916 Wayfield Ave., residence, erect, $190,000. Braxton Homes LLC, 3912 Wayfield Ave., residence, erect, $190,000. Harrison French Associates, 6305 Waterford Blvd., office, remodel, $187,000. Kimberly Cook, 317 SE 97, residence, erect, $185,000. Preston Rose, 16400 SE 74, residence, erect, $185,000. Vesta Homes Inc., 4916 SW 126, residence, erect, $185,000. Gary Owens Carpet & Construction Inc., 2305 Wheatfield Ave., residence, erect, $180,000. Braxton Homes LLC, 4000 Wayfield Ave., residence, erect, $180,000. Taber Built Homes LLC, 15301 Western Vista Drive, residence, erect, $180,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 2428 NW 180, residence, erect, $178,000. D.R. Horton, 11236 NW 97, residence, erect, $174,990. Quality Designed Homes LLC, 11700 SW 24
Restaurant & Convenient Store LAKE TENKILLER 918-261-5932
BUILDER SHOW HOME 15201 KESTRAL LAKE DR., THE LAKES AT TRADITIONS. Gameroom, Study, Gated Community, Exotic Granite,Custom Woodwork 4bed, 3.5ba, 3700sqft $499,999 OPEN SAT. 11-5, SUN. 1-5
Must See 3 bd/ 2 ba, Everything updated. www.zillow.com/homedetails/ 111-Cherrywood-Dr-MidwestCity-OK-73110/21996138_zpid/ (405) 410-9459 517 N Post, 1A, 3/1.5/2 Brk, Updated roof, HVAC. Selling ''as is'' Market value 81K sell 65K 650-7667 www.homesofokcinc.com
1445 SW 63rd sharp 3bd home with 1car garage, storm shelter, ch/a, great area, only $61,900. Fidelity Realty 410-4300 5613 S Villa - 3bd 2ba 2car garage Over 1900sf, $89,900 OBO Owner/Broker, 314-2618
IMMACULATE 3/2/2 approx 1646' w/2liv lrg backyd w/storm shelt $147,900 AWESOME workshop 3ba 2.5ba on 1.84 ac MOL w/ 30 x 50 wkshp $189,900 Lisa 919-5717 Cleaton & Assoc 373-2494
211 N Cedar 3/2/1. Like new. $87,500 • 650-7667
Open House Sat/Sun 1-5, 11321 Wolf Creek Rd, 3 mi N. on Santa Fe & Waterloo, Cedar Springs Addn. N of Oaktree. Gorgeous home on 3+Acres 2500sf +/- 3bd 2 remdld baths, storage+, 2K attached gar, 1K detached gar 30x40 workshop, lrg barn, green house, landscaped, sprinkler syst, storm shelter, central vac + More! 405-282-1468 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 PIEDMONT OPEN SUN 2-5 Model home. New hms on 1/2 ac lots. From NW Expwy & Sara Rd go 4.5 mi N Cleaton & Assoc 373-2494 "Must See" 4-14 Beautiful Acres Guthrie/Coyle area Price Reduced Owner Financing 405-273-5777 www.property4sale.com Now accepting major Credit Cards
PIEDMONT OPEN SUN 2-5 Model home. New hms on 1/2 ac lots. From NW Expwy & Sara Rd go 4.5 mi N Cleaton & Assoc 373-2494 Bank Owned 3/2.5/2 blt 85 brick, $74,900 Realty Experts 414-8753
Immaculate 4/2/3, blt '08 granite, SS appls $166k Rlty Exp 414-8753
2021 Peachtree 2bd 11,000 cash 417-2176 2/1, 1161 sf, $32,000 obo AS IS, 2115 N Bath + extra lot, 751-2029
Shawnee area, 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car home with 3 acres near I-40 & Hwy 102, $176,000, 405-395-9345
7036 Stoneycreek Dr, sharp 3bd home 2ba 2car, great floor plan, on cul de sac lot, only $112,850 Fidelity Realty 410-4300
Call for Maps! See why we sell more acreages than anyone in Okla. E of OKC. o/a 275-1695 40 ACRES HUNTING LAND HUGHES CO $17K 405-886-1643
Westpoint Homes, 6000 NW 151, residence, erect, $130,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 14113 Wagon Boss Road, residence, erect, $127,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 14100 Wagon Boss Road, residence, erect, $125,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 18417 Carillo Road, residence, erect, $124,000. Cathy Spillers, 10408 Ski Drive, residence, erect, $120,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 18404 Bodegon Road, residence, erect, $112,000. Home Creations, 19609 Vista Ave., residence, erect, $111,500. Harbor Homes, 413 SW 170 Terrace, residence, erect, $110,000. Rausch Coleman Homes LLC, 11501 SW 24, residence, erect, $109,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 509 Hutton Road, residence, erect, $108,000. Home Creations, 19709 Vista Ave., residence, erect, $105,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 11432 NW 131, residence, erect, $104,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 16400 Drywater Drive, residence, erect, $103,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 13329 SW 4 Terrace,
$200 Off
3 bed, 2 bath, 2car aprx 1600sf $1100mo Call Alex 990-0488
1st Mo Rent Selected units 2 & 3 bed Townhouses Washer/Dryers, Fireplaces, P.C. Schools
PARKLANE
Duplex For Sale: 310 & 312 NW 118th St, OKC. $90,000 Call 405-706-8669
OFFICE/WAREHOUSE 4609 S. Rockwell, 2860sf + 5 nice offices. Below mrkt rent $1000/mo. Call Gene 359-4966
OFFICE SPACE available. $6/sq ft. Great for medical or professional. 3801 NW 63rd. 640-8206. GREAT Office Space. Various NW locations, 300-6000sf 946-2516 7608 N Western. Retail/Office space, 1200sf available 370-1077
Reduced $16K! Updated Brick 3/1 newer roof & ch/a, wd floors Now $68,000! Realty Experts 414-8753 2325 NW 33rd, approximatley 1000 square feet, financing available, 640-8206. 4 bed, 2K bath, 2 car, PC Schools, completely updated, 4921 NW 29, $149,900, 330-1880.
GOLF COURSE BUILDING SITES ~ MOUNTAIN HOMES SOUTH FORK, CO
SAT, AUG 4TH 10 AM MDT SouthFork-Auction.com 886-874-7100
$99 Special
1 & 2 BD & Townhouses •City bus route/Shopping •Washer/Dryer hookups
Valencia Apts
I BUY HOUSES Any condition. No cost to U 410-5700
$99 SPECIAL Lg 1bdr, stove, refrig., clean, walk to shops. $345 mo. 632-9849 Furnished/Unfurnished. Bills Paid » Wkly/Mnthly. Wes Chase Apts Elk Horn Apts, Hillcrest 370-1077 $99 Move In Special!!! Large 1 & 2Bdr, $345 to $420 mo. 632-9849
525K SW 26 upstairs 1bd 1ba $350mo $175dep 700sf 409-7989 1 bed, all appls, water paid $395mo + elec, $300dep 326-3370
Bills Paid
Furnished/Unfurnished Weekly/Monthly 370-1077
I BUY & SELL HOUSES 27 YRS EXP 650-7667 HOMESOFOKCINC.COM We Buy Houses Fast Cash or Payments »» 405-412-7800 »» 6100 Cox Ave completely remodeled 3bd starter home, fresh paint, new carpet, roof & vinyl siding, located on large corner lot, only $32,850 Fidelity RE 410-4300
Falcon Head Resort, 1bd 1ba, condo for sale,580-657-3959
VERY, VERY QUIET Near mall, schls, hosp Try Plaza East 341-4813
Nice Rental - Bethany Schools 4807 N Mueller 3bed, 2ba, 1100 sq ft $900 (405)709-2000
Free Month Rent! 1&2bd QUIET! Cov. Parking Great Schls 732-1122
A MUST SEE! Beautiful 3 bedroom, 1.5 bath, 2 living areas, washer, dryer, dishwasher & refrigerator included. $900/mo+ $500 dep. No Pets. OPEN HOUSE Sun, July 15, 2-5pm. 2104 Connie Dr, Del City, OK. 405-641-4734 4500 SE 78th 4/2/2, 1540sf $1200 Home & Ranch Realty 794-7777
Wilshire Valley Apts. Newly Remod. 1, 2 & 3 bed S8 (upgrd. + 1 bd) Call 475-9984.
$200 off
1st Mo Rent Selected Units Large Townhomes & Apartments • Washer, Dryers, pools • PC Schools, fireplaces
WILLIAMSBURG
7301 NW 23rd 787-1620
705 Juniper Ave, 3 bd, 1 ba, 2 car, ch&a, nice, $585 mo, 476-5011. 421 N Key Blvd 2/1 $475 681-7272 1 mi E of Tinker, 3b 1b 2c, ch&a, $575+$400dep No pets 732-4351 2 bed, 1 bath, $565 rent, $500 dep., No Sec 8. 740-8419
Spacious 2bd $575
1 Month Free! Casady 751-8088 Oakwood Apts 5824 NW 34 & MacArthur 1bd 1ba Apt $325/mo $175/dep U pay Elec only 409-7989 no section 8 Newly Remodeled, 2 bed, NW 50th & Portland »» 405-692-5584 »» Furnished/Unfurnished. Bills Paid » Wkly/Mnthly. Wes Chase Apts Elk Horn Apts, Hillcrest 370-1077 The Plaza 1740 NW 17th 1bd 1ba, 800sf, ch/a, wood floors, $550mo, $250 dep 409-7989 no sec 8 MAYFAIR Great loc! 1&2 bd W/D hdwd flr quiet secure ¡ 947-5665 800 N. Meridian 1 bed. All bills paid 946-9506 •ABC• Affordable, Bug free, Clean » 787-7212» Remodeled 2 bd, 1.5 ba, water pd. $500mo 1434 NW 92nd 249-5362
Casita Blanca 2614 NW 50th 2bd 2ba 2car garage, 1200sf, $1300mo $1300 dep 409-7989 no sec 8 2547 NW 20 - 1bed 1ba 1car 900sf $600/mo $300/dep close to OCU 409-7989 no sec 8 908 N Gardner 3bd 1O bath corner fp, w/d hk ups water/ garbage pd $550mo 408-5836 7718 NW 113 Pl, 2/2/1, $750 mo + dep, no sec 8, 301-4695 .
1 bed, 1 bath, all appl's, 1209 N Harvey, #301, $940 mo, 205-2343.
SEE PERMITS, PAGE 10E
721-5455
8100 N. MacArthur Blvd
MULTI PROPERTY AUCTION
BEAUTIFUL almost new 3/2.5/1 approx 1777' Bethany schls $129,000 Lisa 919-5717 Cleaton & Assoc 373-2494
Open House Sunday 2-4 www.4516se23rd.com 2bed, 1ba, $64,500. 405-570-2626
Exclusive Collateral Recovery franchise business for sale in Okla. City. Operating territory unlimited. Exclusive territory optional. Franchise company formed in 1979. Financing available. For information call: Jim Golden, American Lenders Service Co, 1-800-583-4777
Special Gov't Program! Own Land/Family land ZERO DOWN! New and Repo homes avail. E-Z qualify by phone. Top dollar for your TRADE in. $2,000 furn allowance with purchase. WAC 405-631-7600 405-834-8814 Cash 4 Clunkers! Guaranteed $5,000 for any trade towards down pymt of new home WAC 405-631-7600 405-834-8814 16 by 80 Fleetwood 3bed, 2ba, Mobile Home, for sale 708-8824 Abandoned D/W Repo set up on 5 Acres!! Ready to move in. Free phone application 405-631-7600 REPO REPO REPO 4bd/3bth $648MO. wac 405-324-8000 Rent to Own: Nice 2 & 3bed MWC $350 & up 390-9777 Double Wide REPO Like New $395mo. wac 405-577-2884 NEW 3bd/2bth $1500 down, 7.5% $281mo. 405-324-8010
SEVERAL ABSOLUTE PROPERTIES!!
SPORTSMAN’S PARADISE 160 Acre Farm Auction Thur – July 19 – 10:14 a.m. West of Clinton, Oklahoma Near Foss Lake & State Park 160 Acres Offered in 5 Tracts GREAT HUNTING POTENTIAL Deer, Turkey, Quail & More! Heard-Knight Auction 580-323-6120 or 580-331-9156 www.heardknight.com
Terrace, residence, erect, $170,500. 4 Corners Construction LLC, 5825 SE 145, residence, erect, $170,000. Ideal Homes, 18412 Las Meninas Drive, residence, erect, $166,000. D.R. Horton, 11312 NW 96, residence, erect, $164,990. D.R. Horton, 11240 NW 97, residence, erect, $164,990. Mashburn Faires Homes LLC, 3104 SW 136, residence, erect, $161,000. Gary Owens Carpet & Construction Inc., 11913 SW 18, residence, erect, $160,000. Vesta Homes, 12100 Chesterfield Lane, residence, erect, $160,000. Marathon Builders Inc., 8413 SW 27, residence, erect, $150,000. Apollo Building Systems Inc., 6421 S Sooner Road, office, erect, $150,000. Rice Custom Homes LLC, 19116 Pinehurst Trail Drive, residence, erect, $150,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 400 Durkee Road, residence, erect, $147,000. No name provided, 341 NW 122, manufacturing, remodel, $141,000. Cutter Homes, 2340 Chase Way, residence, erect, $140,000. Nailed It LLC, 8301 N Midwest Blvd., residence, erect, $130,000.
2221 N. Meridian 946-6548
K Office, K Warehouse. Various sizes. 221 W Wilshire 842-7300
5 ACRE tract w/trees & creek in Piedmont schls. $45,000 Lisa 919-5717 Cleaton & Assoc 373-2494 OWNER FINANCING 1-10 Acres Many Locations Call for maps 405-273-5777 www.property4sale.com
Truitt Estate Open House Today 2-4 or by Appt. 8109 NW 33rd St., Super Home on .75 AC W/1500 F/Fshop 3000 plus s/f, close to Overholser, Lots of Amenities. Auction Date Late August. Bidder-Up Auctioneers 405-600-1016
Oilfield Service Business in NW Oklahoma, includes generators, pumps, poly pipe, etc. If interested please call 580-254-1736. 50's DINER NE 23rd, Nicoma Park Equipmt for sale, space for lease. 405-769-8585 • • 405-620-1826
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16417 Otter 3/2/2 $1095 524 NW 139 3/2/2 $995 1403 Fretz 2/2/1 $725 1013 Apollo Cir 3/2/2 $995 1064 Skyline 5/3/3 $2395 22655 Stherly Farm 3/2.5/5 $2395 Express Realty 844-6101 www.expressrealtyok.com 15628 Darlington Lane 3bd 2ba plus study, 2car garage, 1846sf, $1675 mo, $1675 dep, 409-7989 no sec 8
1608 NE 10th 3bd 2ba 2car extra sharp home in great condition, only $875, available for occupancy 8/1 Fidelity RE 410-4300
328 Raliegh 2ba 2 car great area, only $1395
4bd Executive Home excellent condition, access to HOA pool, Fidelity RE 410-4300
204 NE 16th 3bed 1bath $650 per month 408-5836
FOR LEASE: 2,600sq ft Luxury Upstairs Duplex, Newly Remodeled. 4 bed, 2 bath or 3 bed & office, 2 car garage. All major kitchen appliances provided. 2209 NW 49th St. $1,350/month + $600 deposit. 405-206-5476 KAT Properties-Apt & Homes for rent. Scan this w/your phone app
3817 NW 52nd 3bd, 1ba, 1car, newly remodeled $750 + $500dep No pets. Nice Area. ¡¡ 831-8577 » 4313 NW 56th Terr, PCO » extra nice 3 bd, 2 ba, 2 car, appls, fp, avail 8/15, $1050, 721-1831. 1540 NW 48 3bd 1ba ch&a $725 mo $500dep sec 8 ok 831-0825 VILLAGE 3br 2ba 2 car garage. $1100. 842-2425 1127 NW 97TH 2bed 1bath $425 per month 408-5836 3bed 3bath 2car Townhouse 2123 NW 118th Terrace 842-7300 616 NW 92nd 3bd 1ba $475 681-7272 2 bed ,1 bath ch&a $500mo MG Realty, 831-0207
IMMACULATE 3bed 1.5bath 2 car, new hdwd flrs $990mo $1200dep 1yr lse: 2528 El Toro. 627-3791 » WE LOVE TFA » 4013 SE 45th Terr. 3/1.5/1 $750mo, $500dep ch&a, all appls, Sec 8 OK. ¡ 408-6361 704 SE 31st. 1bed 1bath $425 »»»» 408-5836 2bed on SE 45th. washer/dryer, frig, range.$650 + dep. 634-8220
1032 SW 62nd nice 3bd home fresh paint all updated ch/a washer/dryer hookups $595 Fidelity RE 410-4300 2517 SW 42nd 2/1 $495 681-7272 1009 SW 58th 4/1 $750 Free List ¡ 681-7272
3bd 2ba 2car, recent updates, $1350/mo $1000 dep 740-0935
2501 Renwick 4/3/3 $1895 Express Realty 844-6101 www.expressrealtyok.com
3bd, 2ba, w/appls incl. + W&D, Edmond Schools, storage shed. No pets. 348-6240 or 623-1181 Rent to Own: Nice 2 & 3bed MWC $350 & up 390-9777
All bills pd except cable & ph, furn w/prvt entry/bath $400 371-8426
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THE OKLAHOMAN
SATURDAY, JULY 21, 2012
Permits FROM PAGE 9E
residence, erect, $100,000. Rausch Coleman Homes LLC, 8520 SW 48, residence, erect, $100,000. Rausch-Coleman Homes, 3120 SE 96, residence, erect, $100,000. Rausch-Coleman Homes, 8513 SW 48, residence, erect, $100,000. Sam Gresham Architect, 5823 Mosteller Drive, office, remodel, $100,000. Home Creations, 3037 NW 182 Terrace, residence, erect, $96,700. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 18544 Abierto Drive, residence, erect, $92,000. Home Creations, 3033 NW 182 Terrace, residence, erect, $90,700. P&G Construction LLC, 5129 SE 51, residence, erect, $90,000. Home Creations, 2432 NW 197, residence, erect, $86,200. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 11445 NW 131, residence, erect, $86,000. Adams & Associates Architects, 7646 W Reno Ave., retail sales, remodel, $85,150. St. Andrews Environmental Fuel Systems, 2501 W Memorial Road, restaurant, remodel, $85,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 2701 NW 186, erect, erect, $81,000. Home Creations, 2428 NW 197, residence, erect, $78,400. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 2701 NW 186 Terrace, residence, erect, $78,000. Cornerstone Group LLC, 10700 SW 35, residence, erect, $75,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 2700 NW 187 Terrace, residence, erect, $72,000. Ideal Homes of Norman, 2728 NW 180, amusement, install, $70,000. Westpoint Homes, 15904 Positano Drive, residence, erect, $70,000. Matt’s Remodeling & Renovation Inc., 1805 Edinburg Court, residence, add-on, $63,780. Adams & Associates, 7646 W Reno Ave., retail sales, remodel, $56,580. C.W. Homes Inc., 6700 NE 109, residence, addon, $50,000. Crown Construction LLC, 423 NW 20, accessory, erect, $50,000. Champion Window Co., 16500 S Peebly Road, residence, add-on, $49,461. Vicky Bowen, 12113 Woodland Hills Drive, manufactured home, move-on, $43,000. Rockford Building LLC, 1315 NW 20, residence, remodel, $42,000. Fuller Miller Construction, 4100 S Eastern Ave., storage, erect, $32,000. Adams & Associates Architects, 7646 W Reno Ave., retail sales, remodel, $31,330. Adams & Associates Architects, 7646 W Reno Ave., retail sales, remodel, $30,480. A Better Construction LLC, 5200 S Westminster Road, residence, add-on, $30,000. Adams & Associates Architects, 7646 W Reno Ave., retail sales, remodel, $26,000. Adams & Associates Architects, 7646 W Reno Ave., retail sales, remodel, $25,900. Adams & Associates Architects, 7646 W Reno Ave., retail sales, remodel, $23,000. Chad Everett, 7308 S Douglas Ave., accessory, erect, $20,000.
Chad Everett, 8713 SW 80, accessory, erect, $20,000. Duc Van Huynh, 2501 N Classen Blvd., retail sales, remodel, $20,000. Jerrod Walker, 10800 Leafring Circle, accessory, erect, $20,000. Callahan Steel Buildings (Curt), 5501 Lazy Fawn Trail, accessory, erect, $18,000. Callahan Steel Buildings (Curt), 14409 Locust Ave., accessory, erect, $17,000. Graystone Properties, 3805 SW 23 Place, manufactured home, move-onmobile home park, $15,000. Placido Castillo, 1415 SE 18, residence, add-on, $15,000. M.L. Harris & Co., 55 N Robinson Ave., office, remodel, $15,000. Pamcorp, 708 W Memorial Road, tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Pamcorp, 2601 Northwest Expressway, towerantenna, install, $15,000. Pamcorp, 1607 N Portland Ave., tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Pamcorp, 701 NW 63, tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Pamcorp, 2002 N Classen Blvd., tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Pamcorp, 2 E California Ave., tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Pamcorp, 5909 Northwest Expressway, towerantenna, install, $15,000. Pamcorp, 2501 N Stiles Ave., tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Pamcorp, 105 N Hudson Ave., tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Pamcorp, 101 Park Ave., tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Pamcorp, 125 NW 15, tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Pamcorp, 325 SW 25, tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Selective Site Consultants Inc., 11212 N May Ave., tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Selective Site Consultants Inc., 700 NE 13, tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Selective Site Consultants Inc., 2325 SW 59, tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Selective Site Consultants Inc., 17650 N Western Ave., tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Selective Site Consultants Inc., 3535 NW 58, tower-antenna, install, $15,000. Aaron Glenn, 8528 SW 2, storm shelter, install storm shelter, $12,000. Gerardo Gonzalez, 225 SW 41, residence, remodel, $10,000. Sooner Traditions, 1530 SW 119, business, remodel, $10,000. Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 16113 Raindust Drive, residence, erect, $9,100. Richard Cook, 16605 Sunny Hollow Road, residence, add-on, $8,100. Carl Stone, 11831 SE 128, accessory, erect, $8,000. Alfredo Pineda, 1326 NW 94, residence, addon, $6,000. CBR Commercial Contracting LLC, 4401 W Memorial Road, business, remodel, $6,000. Brent Swift, 1000 NW 37, supplement, remodel, $5,000. Eric Spor, 217 W Wilshire Blvd., day care center, remodel, $5,000. S&K Multi Family, 14117 N Rockwell Ave., temporary building, move-on, $5,000. Jon Nolen, 9401 Regina Ave., storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,600. Christy and Michael
Bennett joins Paradigm MIDWEST CITY — Phyllis Bennett has joined the Paradigm AdvantEdge Real Estate office at 2150 S Douglas in Midwest City as a residential real estate sales associate. She has sold real estate for 18 years in the Oklahoma City metro area. She is a licensed broker and holds the Graduate Realtor Institute professional designation. She is a longtime member of the Mid-Del Board of Realtors
Phyllis Bennett
Smith, 7617 Geneva Rea Lane, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,595. Robert G. Marshall and Deborah J. Canary-Marshall, 10716 Lakeridge Run, install-storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,595. Eugene Ramsey, 5136 NW 20, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,550. Doris Harris, 10016 Hollyhead Way, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,500. Gregory Clopton, 3101 SW 141, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,500. Douglas Hall, 17120 Cedar Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,445. Carol Vande, 249 SW 137 Terrace, storm shelter, remodel, $4,000. David Abney, 2925 North Place, residence, add-on, $4,000. Ruth Ann Dooley, 11113 NW 112, storm shelter, remodel, $4,000. Tommy and Sherrie Dawson, 1704 NW 195 Circle, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $4,000. Flat Safe, 3532 Quail Creek Road, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,875. Gordon Klundt, 6020 NW 152, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,500. Geoffrey Stafford, 2432 NW 176, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,395. Mike Do, 7213 NW 109, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,395. Misti Sloan, 3852 Cashion Place, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,395. Son Do, 3300 E Overholser Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,395. Phillip Henry, 4800 Stag Horn Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,300. Tommy Team, 5604 NW 120 Circle, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,300. Bill Fort, 2500 NW 115 Place, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,145. David Roberts, 10104 Glascow Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,100. Christopher and Laura Manahan, 8608 NW 107, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,000. Heather Thomas, 8516
NW 125, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000. Marvin Meyer, 6409 Sandlewood Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000. Hit Steel, 2229 NW 46, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,000. Valerie Walton, 14525 Harli Lane, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000. Linda Case, 3825 NW 51 Place, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000. Jason and Kacee McDonald, 6105 NW 162, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,999. Barbara Siegrist, 16008 Deer Court, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995. Brent Worcester, 2813 SW 139, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995. Cliff Holder, 616 SW 161, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,995. Hector Najar, 2424 NW 113, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,995. Jonalyn Oakes, 8813 NW 113, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,995. Kathy Sercel, 6000 NW
158, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,995. Nathan Hawkings, 6412 Bent Wood Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995. Pamila Barnes, 11024 NW 115, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,995. Ron Kilman, 8201 NW 121, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,995. Kacey Komerak, 1420 NW 182, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,900. Karin Haywood, 10417 NW 41, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,900. Mary Ann Shelton, 4533 Kiva Court, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,900. Sarah Glenn, 2632 NW 153, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,900. Trudy Smith, 1344 SW 109 Place, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,900. Sharon Lawrence, 4412 NW 43, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,750. Kenith Hibler, 3225 SW 99, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,700. Debi Jindra, 8316 NW 99, storm shelter, install-
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storm shelter, $2,695. Roy and Hope Curry, 12100 SW 26, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,295. Daviga Enterprises Inc., 13025 S Peebly Road, residence, add-on, $2,100. Jerry L. Johnson, 830 NE 70, storage, erect, $2,000. Angel DeLeon, 4113 NW 22, canopy-carport, erect, $1,500. Dalen Hawkins, 200 NW 23, retail sales, moveon, $1,500.
Demolitions Crown Construction LLC, 423 NW 23, garage. Kendall’s Concrete & Demolition, 8925 Acre View Drive, single-family residence. Ray’s Trucking, 1205 N Page Ave., house. Ray’s Trucking, 1205 N Page Ave., garage. Ray’s Trucking, 2209 Glen Ellyn, garage. Ray’s Trucking, 13505 Kasbaum Lane, singlefamily residence. Ray’s Trucking, 13505 Kasbaum Lane, singlefamily residence. Ray’s Trucking, 13505 Kasbaum Lane, singlefamily residence.