The Oklahoman Real Estate

LISTING OF THE WEEK

HOUSE PLAN

Two-level home

The Copperfield

The Listing of the Week is a large home on 0.43 acre in northwest Oklahoma City.

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Families looking for a compact home with a feeling of spaciousness will find much to appreciate.

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REAL ESTATE

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THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

Rain gardens pass curb test HOUSING | IDEAL HOMES, PARTNERS SEEK MIX OF FORM, FUNCTION TO EASE STORMWATER RUNOFF POLLUTION

BY DYRINDA TYSON For The Oklahoman dyrinda@gmail.com

NORMAN — In a quiet cul-de-sac in Norman’s Trail Woods addition, environmental research is under way, though most people won’t notice.

Sets of monitoring equipment tucked in at ground level will sample stormwater runoff for the next two years, comparing the pollutant levels from one side of the cul-de-sac to levels from the other side. A team from the University of Oklahoma oversees the sampling.

The main difference between the two sides? One features standard front yards with grass extending to the curb while the other has rain gardens installed by the street — or, as most casual passers-by might see it, “Oh, what a pretty garden.”

That’s fine with Ideal Homes’ Richard and Vernon McKown, who are leveraging their family’s 42year reputation in homebuilding to explore and perfect low-impact building methods — those that limit the effect on the environment. Their father, Gene McKown, is a longtime fixture in Norman’s land development scene.

A drive through Carrington Place, where Ideal installed test rain gardens six years ago, proves the point, Richard McKown said.

“The thing is, when you drive through there, they just look like beautiful, landscaped areas,” he said.

“They don’t look like anything. So from a commercial standpoint, they’re a nice amenity. They look nice like a well-planted front flower bed in a front entry.”

But the landscaping at the entrance serves double duty: Its strategic combination of plants and soil materials is supposed to soak up rainfall as it rolls off rooftops and across concrete and herbicide-

Ellen James Martin SMART MOVES

PROVIDING ROOM FOR GRANDKIDS With thoughtful planning and flexibility, you won’t have to worry that downsizing could put your relationships with grandkids in jeopardy.

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IN BRIEF AUGUST HOME SALES PACE UNCHANGED

Special landscaping provides a natural system for stormwater runoff filtration in the Trail Woods addition by Ideal Homes in Norman.

PHOTOS BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN

laced lawns. The aim is to reduce the amount of chemicals flowing into sewer systems and ultimately into watersheds that drain into streams, lakes or aquifers.

“By the time (rainwater) gets to your gutter and through your yard, it’s already not the cleanest water,” Richard McKown said.

Ideal Homes joined with the University of Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Conservation Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency on the Trail Woods project. The condition of Lake Thunderbird, Norman’s source of drinking water, adds a sense of urgency to the work.

“Lake Thunderbird is very impaired with nutrients, and we’re starting to tackle that,” said Judith Wilkins, environmental projects coordinator in the conservation commission’s water quality division. Phosphorus in fertil-

izer is the biggest culprit, she said.

The Trail Woods site is “a demonstration project to show what we can do,” she said.

Wilkins said she has watched Ideal Homes experiment in other neighborhoods, including the rain gardens in Norman’s Carrington Place addition and several thousand dollars’ worth of carefully chosen plants along the edges on the main pond there.

“And the maintenance crew came through and mowed them all down,” she said. “So it’s an education process.”

Ideal worked with Reid Coffman, a former assistant professor with OU’s Division of Landscape Architecture, in setting up the Trail Woods project.

Though he is now at Kent State University in Ohio, Coffman is still involved.

SEE GARDENS, PAGE 2E

REPURPOSING TIPS Vernon McKown, president of sales for Ideal Homes, left, and his brother, developer Richard McKown, look at a natural system for runoff water filtration in the Trail Woods addition in Norman.

Second mortgages make a comeback WASHINGTON — If you have a pressing need to raise some cash, here’s some good news: Rising home values are encouraging lenders to revive a product that imploded during the housing bust years: second mortgages.

Researchers at Equifax, one of the three national credit bureaus, said total outstanding balances of second home mortgages at banks rose in the latest month for the first time in nearly five years.

Though the jump was relatively small — about three-tenths of a percent — analysts said any increase in the amount of second mortgages is a bellwether event, indicating major lenders are showing growing confidence that the real estate market has finally made the turn to recovery.

The Federal Reserve recently reported that American homeowners’ equity stakes rose by $406 billion in the second quarter, a 5.9 percent increase over the previous quarter and the highest it’s been since 2008.

Second loans, which include fixed-payment mortgages as well as floating-rate home equity lines

Kenneth Harney THE NATION’S HOUSING

of credit, put the bank in second position in the event of a foreclosure.

Say you have a house worth $250,000 with a $200,000 first mortgage and a $20,000 second mortgage. The proceeds of any foreclosure would initially be used to pay off the lender in the first position. Any remainder would pay off the holder of the second lien. Because lenders assume a “junior” position when they make a second loan, these mortgages are generally considered to be higher risk and carry higher interest rates and fees than a first.

Second loans can be used for a variety of purposes — paying for kids’ college tuitions, injecting capital into a small business, financing a home improvement and paying off credit card debts are

Following a substantial gain in July, the pace of newhome sales held virtually unchanged at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 373,000 units in August, according to U.S. Census Bureau.

“New-home sales in August effectively tied the pace they set in the previous month, when they were the strongest we’ve seen in more than two years, said Barry Rutenberg, chairman of the National Association of Home Builders and a builder from Gainesville, Fla. “Looking at the big picture, sales have been trending gradually upward since the middle of last year as favorable interest rates and prices have driven more consumers to get back in the market for a newly built home.”

among the most popular.

Equifax, which receives information from virtually every major bank and mortgage lender, compiles data on a variety of loan products. In its latest National Consumer Credit Trends study, it found that home equity lending appears to be rebounding fastest in New Mexico and California, where outstanding balances jumped by 2.3 percent, along with Nevada (2.1 percent), Colorado (2 percent) and Florida (1.6 percent).

In an interview, Equifax chief economist Amy Crews Cutts said increases in equity lending “are really a healthy sign” for the economy overall because in the years following the housing bust, many banks had little confidence that home prices were stable enough to lend against in second position.

Now when Cutts speaks with bankers, she finds them “pretty willing to do (second) loans when their customers need them — they’re much more open” than they’ve been in years. Though underwriting standards are tougher than they once were, banks are lending again, and they are expe-

riencing smaller losses. In the most recent study, Cutts said, second mortgage write-off rates fell to just 2.7 percent, the lowest they’ve been since February 2008.

Matt Potere, home equity executive for Bank of America, called second loans “an important element” in his company’s “customer relationship strategy” and said “we expect growth to occur as market conditions continue to improve.”

James Chessen, chief economist for the American Bankers Association, agrees that “it’s good news that finally there’s some upward movement” in home equity lending but said he isn’t yet convinced it’s a long-term trend, in large part because of slow job growth and uncertainty about the economy. Also, notwithstanding Equifax’s finding that bank equity loan write-offs are down, Chessen’s own surveys indicate that delinquencies on home equity loans rose from 4 percent to 4.09 percent in the latest quarter.

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

WASHINGTON POST WRITERS GROUP

Repurposing is all the rage, but sometimes it’s hard to envision a new use for an old object.

Rebecca Proctor helps with “Recycled Home: Transform Your Home Using Salvaged Materials.”

The book has 50 projects, some using common materials such as old newspapers and others using such fleamarket finds as printing blocks.

Among the projects are a Shaker peg rail made from scrap wood, a child’s play mat crafted from old fabric and a towel ladder made from driftwood. Proctor encourages readers to use the projects as starting points for their own ideas.

“Recycled Home” is published by Laurence King Publishing and sells for $19.95 in softcover.

FROM STAFF AND WIRE REPORTS

INDEX Handy Permits Stone

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THE OKLAHOMAN

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

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Left: A water collection container, under construction, will be used in comparing runoff from a street in Norman.

PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN

Gardens: Providing form, function FROM PAGE 1E

“In fact, this project would never have been possible without him,” Richard McKown said.

Not all rain gardens, though, are created equal.

“Some of the early rain gardens we saw, like pictures in other marketplaces, looked like detention ponds,” Vernon McKown said.

“The water was flooded into an area, and it was kind of quasi-rain garden, but it wasn’t an asset to the community.”

Richard McKown added: “We had friends in Chicago who had to put out signs saying, ‘It’s supposed to look weedy.’ ” Ideal is striving to provide both form and function, Vernon McKown said. And it’s working.

“Every rain garden that we currently have on the ground is aesthetically pleasing and in harmony with the residence.”

But is it affordable?

“I’m not going to tell you we’ve cracked the code on that,” he said with a laugh.

“We’re in the early stages of the learning.”

This drawing illustrates the rain garden concept: Stormwater from a lawn is directed to the specially landscaped area where materials in the soil help collect pollutants to keep them out of groundwater.

Meeting challenges There are plenty of challenges. What works in the porous soils around Chesapeake Bay isn’t going to work in Oklahoma’s denser clay soil. Plus, most of the work falls outside city code, forcing the McKowns to visit with city officials on a regular basis.

“The city of Norman has been very gracious to work with us,” Richard McKown said.

And the underground elements have to be woven around sewer pipes, cable lines and other utility conduits already in place. Zac Roach, Ideal’s vice president of development, has probably gained a few gray hairs in the course of the Trail Woods project, Richard McKown said.

A trough will be used to measure and compare water runoff against a comparable nearby street using a natural system for runoff water filtration in Norman’s Trail Woods addition. PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN

“Zac’s the one who’s actually boots on the ground, making sure everybody talks to everybody, makes sure no sewer lines, phone lines, Cox Communication lines get cut, and that it all gets done as close to on budget as possible.”

So the challenge has been to create a rain garden that will work with Oklahoma’s soil and extremes in weather but won’t radically increase the home’s price.

“That’s been a very important piece of our puzzle,” Richard McKown said.

Once the OU team has completed its monitoring, the findings will be compiled into a report. The statistics will give the Ideal team something concrete to work from as they continue to refine their rain gardens.

“At the end of the day, it’s all theoretical until you prove it,” Vernon McKown said.

Meanwhile, they get the word out about rain gardens, making presentations wherever they can.

Richard McKown recalled one presentation he made with Reid Coffman in Tulsa, where a speaker said low-impact building wouldn’t work in Oklahoma — the clay soil won’t percolate water through into the aquifer, plus extreme drought and flash flooding play havoc with the plants.

When he and Coffman took the stage, they both admitted to the crowd that was all true; they’d seen it play out in various test projects, McKown said.

“And we just keep adapting and failing forward,” McKown recalled telling them. “We use that term a lot. We just keep failing forward.”

Among the plants Ideal Homes uses in its rain garAttractive cisterns are a part of a natural system for dens are, clockwise from top left, Arcadia Juniper, Purple Cone Flower, Autumn Sage, Russian Sage and runoff water filtration in the Trail Woods addition in Stone Crop.

PHOTO BY PAUL HELLSTERN, THE OKLAHOMAN PHOTOS BY PROVIDED BY IDEAL HOMES Norman.

A rain garden can appear somewhat unkempt compared to what people are used to seeing along the streets in a suburban neighborhood.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY IDEAL HOMES

THE OKLAHOMAN

NEWSOK.COM

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

Grandchild-friendly home should also suit the owners Are you a retired or nearly retired person whose life revolves around the grandkids? Do your friends joke that you’ve scaled back your career to become a “professional grandparent”? Yet are financial concerns forcing you to sell the big house that’s accommodated so many family gatherings?

If so, you might worry that your need to downsize could put your relationship with grandkids in jeopardy.

But with thoughtful planning and flexibility, that needn’t be the case, said Sue Johnson, co-author of “Grandloving: Making Memories With Your Grandchildren.”

“Children are like puppy dogs. It doesn’t matter where you live. What matters most is what you give them from your heart,” Johnson said.

After retiring from fulltime careers, she and her husband downsized to a lower-cost area within driving distance of all seven of their grandchildren.

There they selected a modest ranch-style house on a creek where the whole family can fish and play.

“We call this house our grandchild magnet. That’s because the grandkids were a huge part of why we moved here, and they love to visit,” Johnson said.

Originally, the couple’s three-bedroom house was a one-story place with just a single bathroom.

But to accommodate family gatherings, they built on a second story, adding two more bathrooms and an extra bedroom and doing much of the construction work themselves to save money.

Despite the addition, the house is still a tight fit when many family members visit.

“The kids are sleeping on cots or sleeping bags on the floor. But everyone has lots of fun,” said Johnson, who co-authors a blog on the art of grandparenting (www.grandloving.com).

Sue Patton Thoele, a semiretired psychotherapist and author of a num-

Ellen James Martin SMART MOVES

ber of books on family issues, said that although most grandparents would like to own a home that provides recreational attractions for their offspring, that’s not always an affordable option.

“Many of us have tremendous financial concerns we didn’t have before the recession,” Thoele said. “And when you’re retired, you don’t want to have a big mortgage that strangles you and makes money concerns such a huge stressor. So you’ve got to work within your means.”

She urged grandparents to select a place that’s both affordable and well suited to their lifestyle — noting that children adapt easily to new environments.

Here are a few pointers for homebuyers seeking a property that will serve their needs and those of the extended family: I Question whether you need a big yard.

Kay West, a longtime real estate agent and a past president of the Council of Residential Specialists (www.crs.com), spends as much time as possible with her three grandsons, ages 3, 6 and 10, who live nearby.

As West tells her homebuying clients with grandkids, they don’t need a lot of outside space to keep them happy. One good substitute is to buy a home in an area with a park nearby. West chose to live three blocks from a park with a large and colorful playground set that her grandsons enjoy.

I Find a location on a quiet street, if possible.

West advises homebuying clients with grandchildren to think of the kids’ safety when considering the street on which they plan to live.

“Most families prefer a

quiet street if they have a choice. Not only is that better for children and pets but it also means less noise and stress,” she said.

Protecting children from road hazards is particularly important if the grandparents are providing care for young children or if the kids live with them full-time. As Johnson notes, the number of grandparents who raise children now numbers more than 8 million and is increasing.

I Seek a home with an extra bedroom or suite.

West also encourages homebuyers with large extended families to shop for a property with an extra bedroom, particularly for those with families separated by distance.

“It’s much better to put your family up at your home rather than at a hotel. It’s way more relaxed that way. And because no one prefers to share a bathroom, it’s great to have a guest suite with its own bathroom,” she said.

Even homeowners who live near their grandchildren can benefit from a bedroom the kids can call their own. For instance, West has an extra bedroom with three twin beds and a closet full of toys that her grandsons use during overnight visits.

I Realize that living in a resort area is optional.

Some homebuying grandparents pick a neighborhood with easy access to a recreational venue, such as an ocean beach or an amusement park. Others move near cities with sightseeing opportunities.

They hope such lures will prompt their offspring to visit often.

But Thoele said grandparents who plan to move shouldn’t select a property based on its tourist attractions. That’s because most residential areas offer sufficient leisure activities to keep the kids entertained, and grandparents need to think first about their own lifestyle preferences. In addition, families can create their own fun activities around the house, includ-

Prudential agents attend forum FROM STAFF REPORTS

Stacy Lyons

Lyons moves to Paradigm north office Stacy Lyons has moved to Paradigm AdvantEdge Real Estate’s north office at 16301 N May Ave. as a residential real estate sales associate.

Lyons has sold real estate for 11 years and has earned seven professional designations: GRI (Graduate, Realtor Institute), ePro (for online and social media proficiency), SFR (Short Sale and Foreclosure Resourse Certification), AHWD (At Home with Diversity), CHMS (Certified Home Marketing Specialist), ABR (Accredited Buyers Representative) and SRS (Sellers Representative Specialist).

Lyons, who grew up in a military family, graduated from Yukon High School and has lived in Yukon ever since.

RICHARD MIZE Oklahoma Property Lines

http://blog.newsok.com/ ok-propertylines and in

Saturday’s Business

Sandra Dawson, relocation-corporate properties director, and Debbie Schreppel, relocation-referrals director, for Prudential Alliance Realty, recently attended the Brookfield Global Relocation Services and Prudential Relocation Services Forum in Phoenix.

This year’s conference concentrated on the relocation industry’s trends, opportunities and challenges.

“Energy and enthusiasm ran high at the forum as attendees exchanged ideas, shared experiences and discussed best practices,” Schreppel said. “It seems everyone is antici-

pating and preparing for better times in our industry.”

The event drew more than 600 relocation and real estate professionals, client representatives, service providers and others.

The theme was “Moving Forward,” symbolizing the momentum generated by Brookfield’s December 2011 acquisition of Prudential Relocation. The transaction created the world’s second-largest relocation services provider.

“Brookfield Relocation is committed to providing exceptional customer service, and the strong attendance and participation we witnessed demonstrates this commitment,” Dawson said.

ing crafts and games.

I Don’t worry if you live a distance away.

Johnson said many grandparents can’t afford to make a long-distance move to be closer to their grandchildren — especially if the kids live in an area with high-cost housing.

And there’s no guarantee your grown children might not make another move later, should their careers cause them to relocate.

Johnson said there are many ways to stay connected with grandchildren, even if you live a plane ride away and don’t have the funds or good health to travel often.

Through the book and blog she co-authors, she provides low-cost strategies for staying in close touch.

“There is a multitude of ways to stay connected long distance. You just have to have the right frame of mind and a big heart,” she said.

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

UNIVERSAL UCLICK

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Purchase contracts fall from July high

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy previously occupied homes fell in August from a two-year high in July.

The National Association of Realtors said that its index of sales agreements dropped to 99.2. In July, the index rose to 101.9.

That was the highest level since April 2010, when the market benefited from a federal homebuying tax credit.

A reading of 100 is considered healthy. The index is 10.7 percent higher than it was a year ago. The index bottomed at 75.88 in June 2010 after the tax credit expired.

Contract signings typically indicate where the housing market is headed.

There’s generally a one- to two-month lag between a signed contract and a completed deal. Last month, completed sales hit a two-year high.

Sales of new homes remained near a two-year high in August, the government said.

Builder confidence is at

a six-year high and construction of single-family homes rose last month to the fastest annual rate in more than two years.

Sales have been boosted by ultralow mortgage rates. The average rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage fell to a record low of 3.40 percent. The average rate has been below 4 percent all year.

A limited supply of homes for sale has also helped drive prices up.

Higher prices could boost more sellers to list their homes.

Even with the gains, home sales and construction remain well below healthy levels. And many homebuyers, particularly first-time buyers, aren’t able to qualify for mortgage loans.

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12 steps to winterizing your home The leaves are turning, the mornings are getting chilly and winter isn’t too far away. It’s time once again for my annual checklist of important things that I recommend you do to get your home ready for the coming change of seasons.

On the inside

I Check smoke detectors: Change your smoke detector batteries, and check for proper operation. Also, check the date on the bottom of the smoke detector. Smoke detectors have a life span, and if yours is more than 10 years old, it may not work properly in a fire, so replace it with a new one.

Also, make sure you have a smoke detector at each sleeping room, and one centrally located on each level of the home.

I Install a carbon monoxide detector: If you have a furnace, fireplace,

water heater or other appliance that’s fueled by propane or natural gas, or if you have an attached garage, install a carbon monoxide detector. They just plug in, and you can get them inexpensively from most home centers and other retailers. If your existing carbon monoxide detector is more than 5 years old, replace it with a new one.

I Check gas appliances: Speaking of gas appliances, consider having your utility company or heating contractor inspect flues, fittings and other components of your natural gas or propane appliance and heating systems for potential problems.

I Change furnace filters: Always put in new furnace filters in the fall.

It’s a simple and inexpensive way to add to your home’s efficiency and your family’s comfort.

Paul Bianchina HANDY @ HOME

I Check and seal heating ducts: Crawl a little, save a lot. Check the ducts in your attic, basement and crawl space for gaps between ducts and fittings, and seal them with a quality metallic tape, not regular duct tape, which doesn’t last. Also, check to be sure that all of the ducts are off the ground and adequately supported.

I Check insulation levels: Increased insulation can make a huge difference in both your comfort and your heating bills, so don’t put off having your insulation levels inspected. Call your local utility company or building department to learn what levels are opti-

mum for your area. Check the attic, underfloor, kneewalls, skylight shafts and ductwork. Upgrade underinsulated areas as needed, either as a do-ityourself project (home centers and hardware stores have all the supplies you need) or with the help of a licensed insulation contractor.

On the outside

I Check the roof: A roof that leaks not only has the potential to cause significant structural damage, it also wets insulation, which causes a drop in the insulation’s ability to resist heat loss. Examine roofing shingles and flashings and repair or replace them as needed. It’s easier and safer to take care of these problems now than during winter’s ice and rain.

I Seal masonry surfaces: Apply a sealer to concrete driveways and walkways, brick patios and

other exterior masonry.

Masonry sealers prevent water from penetrating into cracks and crevices where it can freeze and cause serious damage. You can find sealers at home centers, paint stores and masonry supply retailers.

Apply with a brush, roller or sprayer.

I Check weather-stripping: Gaps around doors and windows waste expensive heated air and create chilling interior drafts.

Check and replace or adjust weatherstripping and door sills to create an airtight seal. Everything you need can be found at home centers, hardware stores and many other retailers.

I Handle yard chores: Many plants require pruning this time of year, and lawns should be fertilized with a fall-winter fertilizer to feed them through the winter and get them ready for a fast green-up when spring returns. Clean up all

your yard tools and put them away for the season.

I Close foundation vents: You should have opened your foundation vents for the summer to allow any accumulated crawl space moisture to escape, so now’s the time to close them up again for winter freeze protection.

Also, install exterior faucet covers.

I Trim trees: Overhanging trees deposit debris on your roof, scrape and damage shingles, promote the growth of mildew and, worst of all, have the potential for devastating damage if they snap during a wind storm. Consider having a professional tree service inspect overhanging trees, and safely cut them back as needed.

Remodeling and repair questions?

E-mail Paul at paul bianchina@inman.com. All product reviews are based on the author’s actual testing of free review samples provided by the manufacturers.

INMAN NEWS

Treading water with upside down mortgages

BY CHRISTOPHER QUINN Atlanta Journal-Constitution

ATLANTA — Marquita Shealey is having a tough time after the house she bought lost more than half its value in two years.

The loss put the 29-year-old first-time buyer in the same position as about 31 percent of U.S. homeowners, according to California real estate and data firm Zillow: She is upside down, or owes more on the mortgage than the worth of the home.

For younger buyers, especially those trying to relocate or just sell a home, it is a financial hardship that ripples through the economy, cutting into sales at department stores, stifling hiring and pulling down other home values.

In Shealey’s case, she can’t sell and take a loss and has also suffered some other financial hits, such as expensive home repairs and a split with the man with whom she bought the house in Lithonia, Ga. So she is stuck in a home that suppresses her ability to flex with new financial constraints. She cut back spending and is considering pulling her daughter out of private school.

Marquita Shealey, left, and her 4-year-old daughter Gabriel Blount are shown in their home in Lithonia, Ga. MCT PHOTO

“I thought once I closed, everything would be smooth sailing,” Shealey said. “Now everything is on me.”

Zillow economist Stan Humphries said younger buyers typically paid low down payments, have little equity in the home and are more likely to have purchased in the past 10 years as home prices hit a peak. Home values dropped on average about 35 percent here since 2006.

Younger buyers typically are at the beginning of their careers, earn less than older counterparts and have amassed fewer assets that could help them get through tough times.

Humphries noted that being underwater on a loan can prohibit a young worker from moving to a new location for a betterpaying job, because they can’t afford to sell at a loss.

If owners can’t sell, it creates a

Some young, first-time buyers are skipping the starter home

BY JIM BUCHTA Star Tribune

Joseph and Kayla Simons aren’t your typical first-time homebuyers.

Armed with low interest rates, bargain prices and good income, the young couple sidestepped a starter home and bought a 3,000-square-foot house on a tree-lined street in Maple Grove, Minn.

“Since we knew we could easily afford to buy more than we were initially looking to spend, the choice was quite simple,” said Joseph Simons. “Why not buy a forever home with everything we want?”

Real estate agents say more twentysomething, childless buyers are snapping up sprawling homes instead of starting out small. It’s a trend that’s gaining momentum as young buyers seize on some of the best housing deals in history.

While the shift is unlikely to kick-start construction of new subdivisions filled with McMansions, it’s helping to revive sales of midpriced and upper-bracket houses. The Simonses, for instance, initially planned to spend about $200,000 on a town house, but ended up spending tens of thousands more once they started shopping.

“The more starter homes we saw, the less impressed we became,” Joseph Simons said.

Clearly, most first-timers don’t have the financial muscle to buy their dream house, but with rents on the rise, the Simonses and other young buyers face competition from investors who can pay cash for inexpensive properties they can use for rentals.

For the Simonses, increasing their budget increased their options, even though they bought a house that has far more space than they need.

“At this point the house still feels a little big, but we love it,” Joseph Simons said.

“And when we decide to start a family, we don’t have to go anywhere.”

This shift to larger homes runs counter to buying trends in recent years that showed higher demand for smaller houses. When the recession hit, many builders decreased square footage and touted their homes as more efficient and

Mike and Ann Jewison, both in their twenties, are taking advantage of low interest rates to make the four-bedroom home under construction behind them their first home.

MCT PHOTO

economical for buyers.

But Walter Maloney, spokesman for the National Association of Realtors, said many of today’s buyers are realizing that it could take many years to gain enough equity to trade up to a costlier house, so many are planning to stay longer. Last year, the typical buyer expected to be in their house 15 years compared with 10 years in 2010, he said.

Mike and Anne Jewison learned that lesson the hard way. Before they were married, Anne Jewison bought a town house near peak prices, and now owes more on the mortgage than the house is worth. That’s why when they decided to buy a house together, the twenty-something couple opted for a place they’d enjoy for years. They’re building a 4,500square-foot house in the Enclave, a new subdivision in Medina, Minn., where prices range from $420,000 to more than $500,000.

While they’re building a bigger house than they need, they say they’re not stretching their budget. They’ve even made sure they can afford the house even if one of them wants to take a break from work after they start having children.

Lennar sales agent Jeremy Berg said the Jewisons are not unusual. He has several young, childless buyers who are building 3,500-square-foot houses that will serve their needs for at least a couple of decades.

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secondary effect up and down the economic ladder. There are fewer available homes on the market for willing buyers. Being underwater retards the ability of homeowners to sell and move up, a traditional strong sector of the housing market.

“It does gum up the inner workings of the housing market,” Humphries said.

The frustration of being stuck in a house encourages homeowners to default to get out of the payment, causing more foreclosures in the housing market and depressing everyone’s home values.

Georgia real estate investor Bob Massey said he has friends with one child who want to sell their small house and move to a more spacious home, but they cannot because they are underwater. The couple is holding off having a second child.

Another friend in the military moved here from Maryland but cannot sell his underwater home there. If they are able to rent it, the income will still be less than the mortgage payment and the couple will have to make up the difference.

“Here is a young couple

spending an extra $400 or $500 a month and trying to keep his credit clean because it affects his job,” Massey said.

“If he did a short sale, it would affect his credit and he can’t get loan for another three or three years,” he said.

Humphries said despite the difficulties, about 92 percent of homeowners are staying current on their payments. Being underwater does not mean that those homeowners will soon be among the foreclosed-upon.

And being underwater may not be a big deal to older homebuyers. They typically bought years ago when prices were lower and have built up equity, which lowers what they owe.

If older owners don’t have a disaster such as a job loss and had no plans to move, they are less affected because they can wait for prices to come back, Humphries said.

Zillow got its mortgage data by giving estimated home values to credit information company TransUnion, which matched the estimated values against known mortgage balances at those addresses.

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SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

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Organizing your closet can help your wallet

BY JOHN-JOHN WILLIAMS IV The Baltimore Sun

BALTIMORE — After years of watching Lynn Weisberg purchase garment after garment, boutique manager Karen Ciurca-Weiner finally told her loyal customer a hard truth: She needed to stop buying and start looking at what she had.

Ciurca-Weiner suggested that what Weisberg really needed was to organize her closet.

“She kept buying all these clothes,” CiurcaWeiner said as she stood inside her client’s closet, a 9-by-12-foot converted office space that now has shelving and drawers to accommodate Weisberg’s clothes. “I told her to stop buying items and make outfits out of clothes” she already had.

Since their initial session five years ago, the two have come together twice a year to organize Weisberg’s clothes — once at the beginning of spring and once at the beginning of fall.

The nearly four-hour sessions allow Weisberg to maximize her closet space while planning her outfits for the upcoming season.

“She cleans out and refreshes my closet every season,” the Pikesville, Md., resident said about Ciurca-Weiner. “It’s a time-saver and a huge money-saver.”

Professional organizers More and more people are seeking the help of closet organizers to create

For the past six years, Karen Ciurca-Weiner, left, has been helping her clients organize. Here she assists Lynne Weisberg with her closet in Pikesville, Md.

order and save money, according to experts. In addition to purging closets of space-eating out-of-date garments, the experts are using their knowledge to identify hidden gems to create fresh looks for their clients.

Although more attention is being paid to the closet, it still remains one of the least-used rooms in the home, according to Ciurca-Weiner, who works at the Baltimore women’s clothing boutique Jones & Jones.

“The biggest problem is that people don’t know how to utilize their space,” she said. “They don’t have enough cube space. And they don’t stack things such as sweaters.”

You don’t have to have a lavish “Sex And The City”-type closet to use the services and suggestions of a closet organizer,

according to experts. With the addition of several hooks for clothes and jewelry, a few shelves for shoes and even a curtain rod to hang scarves, anyone can maximize their closet space, said CiurcaWeiner.

“It’s very important to create closet and drawer space,” she said. “You must utilize every space.

You have to have a need for each space.”

Ciurca-Weiner organizes closets by garments and colors — arranging items from light to dark. “I organize a closet like it’s like a store. I make it easier to shop your closet,” she said.

Weisberg’s closet reveals Ciurca-Weiner’s handiwork. Behind the sliding door is a space filled with outfits pieced together by Ciurca-Weiner. One wall is lined with customized shelving and

LISTING OF THE WEEK

The Listing of the Week is at 7625 NW 133 Place.

PHOTO PROVIDED

Two-level home in gated addition has 5 bedrooms The Listing of the Week is a large, two-level home on 0.43 acre in the gated Canyon Lakes addition in northwest Oklahoma City.

The 4,753-square-foot home at 7625 NW 133 Place has five bedrooms, three baths, four living rooms, three dining rooms and an attached three-car garage.

The home has a walkout basement leading to a large, fenced backyard; the

lower level also has a large den, hobby room, theater room, bistro bar and two bedrooms. The main level has the master suite and two other bedrooms, chef’s kitchen, study, balcony, hand-scraped wood floors and plantation shutters. The home has a covered porch, covered patio, security system and underground sprinkler system.

The home, built in 2008, is listed for $614,900 with Ed Collins of Churchill-Brown & Associates Realtors. For more information, call 330-0031 or 203-3747.

Nominations for Listing of the Week are welcome. Send a copy of the MLS 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.

stacked with 100 heels and wedges by designers such as Jimmy Choo and Stuart Weitzman. On the same wall, drawers are neatly organized by items including jewelry and exercise clothes. A hanging rack on the back of the door is filled with assorted ballet flats and sandals. A vanity and comfy, plush chair allow Weisberg to coordinate her makeup with her ensemble for the day.

Not for storage “I use every little bit of space there is,” Weisberg said. “This is not storage.”

Image consultant Judy Pressman would agree that closets shouldn’t be used just for hanging clothes that get little wear.

As the founder of the Baltimore-based J.P. Images, Pressman has finetuned her closet organizing over the past 30 years.

Heels and wedges have their own dedicated space in Lynne Weisberg’s closet.

MCT PHOTOS

“After you work with me, you’ll feel great. The confusion is gone. It will take you two seconds to get dressed in the morning,” said Pressman, whose roster of clients includes professional women in Baltimore, Washington and Virginia, and can swell to up to 100 at the start of the spring and fall seasons.

Pressman’s sessions, which run $150 per hour for an average of three hours, include a consultation, an overall cleaning and organization of the closet, a mission statement where she assigns clients labels such as “elegant chic” and “glamour spice,” and creation of a

“look book” charting every item of clothing in the closet.

Pressman then makes a list of items her clients need.

“After we’re done, no item is bought unless it has a purpose,” Pressman said.

“My clients are professionals. They don’t have time to waste. Image is important to them.”

Upon completion of the closet reorganization, Ciurca-Weiner provides clients with a list of clothes they need.

“That way, they’ll go in the store with a list of basics they need to fill in,” she said.

MCT INFORMATION SERVICES

6E

THE OKLAHOMAN

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

Building permits Oklahoma City Timberlake Construction, 3600 S Sara Road, school, erect, $15,800,000.

Freels & Associates Inc., 1629 S Prospect Ave., hotel-motel, erect, $6,000,000.

Fuller Miller, 1101 SE 34, erect, erect, $6,000,000.

W.S Bowlware, 1220 SE 82, office-warehouse, erect, $1,190,000.

Sheppard & Sons Construction Inc., 713 SW 119, medical clinic-office, erect, $750,000.

DK Mullin ArchitectsTeresa Heitmann, 9118 S Western Ave., recreation center, remodel, $450,000.

Larry Russell Homes, 2609 Guilford Lane, residence, add-on, $400,000.

McCaleb Homes Inc., 13120 Rock Canyon Road, residence, erect, $400,000.

Noble Contractors LLC, 8338 SW 15, warehouse, erect, $400,000.

Dodson Custom Homes 1 LLC, 9009 Bella Vista Lane, residence, erect, $370,000.

4 Corners Construction LLC, 5817 SE 142, residence, erect, $300,000.

Thomas Neal Hall III, 13001 SW 47, residence, erect, $293,000.

RJ Designs Inc., 5400 Lazy Fawn Trail, residence, erect, $280,000.

Mary Candice Cox, 10916 San Lorenzo Drive, residence, erect, $260,000.

Mike Metcalf Construction LLC, 12605 Quartz Place, residence, erect, $260,000.

J.W. Mashburn Development Inc., 5620 NW 119 Circle, residence, erect, $252,000.

Greg and Dianna Allen, 3921 NW 44, residence, erect, $250,000.

Rice Custom Homes LLC, 17121 Royal Troon Drive, residence, erect, $250,000.

Seagull Homes, 5509 NW 130, residence, erect, $250,000.

Anthony & Blatt, 5100 S Interstate 35 Service Road, office, remodel, $250,000.

J.W. Mashburn Development Inc., 3141 SW 136 Terrace, residence, erect, $240,000.

TLP Custom Homes LLC, 1505 SW 134 Terrace, residence, erect, $240,000.

Woodland Homes LLC, 1804 NW 195 Circle, residence, erect, $240,000.

Vintage Custom Homes LLC, 12641 Williamson Farms Blvd., residence, erect, $231,900.

Jason Powers Homes, 12605 NW 7, residence, erect, $227,000.

Authentic Custom Homes LLC, 8305 NW 141 Circle, residence, erect, $225,000.

Cutter Homes, 15517 Park Lake Road, residence, erect, $220,000.

J.W. Mashburn Development Inc., 3116 SW 136 Terrace, residence, erect, $210,000.

Arensdorf Investments, 3021 NE 50, automotive repair-wash, install, $200,000.

Craftsmanship Homes Inc., 13724 SE 95, residence, erect, $200,000.

Remington Builders Inc., 5328 Starling Way, residence, erect, $200,000.

Seagull Homes, 5504 NW 130, residence, erect, $200,000.

Stone Creek Homes Ltd, 4804 SW 126, residence, erect, $200,000.

D&R Development, 4401 SW 44, warehouse, erect, $185,000.

R&R Homes LLC, 3509 Tecumseh Drive, residence, erect, $180,000.

Taber Built Homes LLC, 3433 Stone Brook Court, residence, erect, $180,000.

Taber Built Homes LLC, 3441 Stone Brook Court, residence, erect, $180,000.

Autotainment Ventures LLC, 14201 Broadway Extension, automotive repair-wash, add-on, $180,000.

Tom Vorderlandwehr Inc., 9113 NW 90 Circle, residence, erect, $165,000.

Fuller Miller Construction, 12231 S May Ave., office, add-on, $157,300.

4 Corners Construction LLC, 14808 Almond Valley Drive, residence, erect, $150,000.

Woodland Homes LLC, 4012 Chesterfield Place, residence, erect, $150,000.

The McKinney Partnership Architects, 201 NW 10, restaurant, remodel, $150,000.

Cliff Marical Homes Inc., 10628 SW 34 Terrace, residence, erect, $140,000.

Cliff Marical Homes Inc., 10633 SW 36, residence, erect, $140,000.

Authentic Custom Homes LLC, 8021 Waters Edge Way, residence, erect, $130,000.

Cliff Marical Homes Inc., 10624 SW 34 Terrace, residence, erect, $130,000.

Jim Abernathy Construction, 11905 Maple Ridge Road, residence, remodel, $125,000.

Structural Systems of Oklahoma, 10701 W Garnett , warehouse, erect, $125,000.

Don Chesser Homes Inc., 2918 NW 21, residence, erect, $120,000.

J&A Homes LLC, 3513 NW 176, residence, erect, $120,000.

Myers & Associates, 444 W Wilshire Blvd., equipment, remodel, $120,000.

Myers & Associates, 444 W Wilshire Blvd., equipment, remodel, $120,000.

Home Creations, 3608 Morgan Creek Road, residence, erect, $117,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 14112 Wagon Boss Road, residence, erect, $115,000.

Croft & Associates, 20 S Martin Luther King Ave., retail sales, remodel, $109,000.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 18620 Abierto Drive, residence, erect, $104,000.

Home Creations, 1233 Greenfield Ave., residence, erect, $103,200.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 16412 Drywater Drive, residence, erect, $102,000.

Alan Stuck Custom Homes, 7609 Meadow Lake Drive, residence, erect, $100,000.

Alan Stuck Custom Homes, 7705 Meadow Lake Drive, residence, erect, $100,000.

AMF Development, 5612 Sanderling Road, residence, erect, $100,000.

AMF Development, 5616 Sanderling Road, residence, erect, $100,000.

AMF Development, 5708 Sanderling Road, residence, erect, $100,000.

A Karen Black Co., 19000 Terra Place, residence, remodel, $100,000.

Rausch Coleman Homes LLC, 3112 SE 96, residence, erect, $100,000.

AMF Development, 5704 Sanderling Road, residence, erect, $100,000.

Home Creations, 1009 Laurel Creek Drive, residence, erect, $93,100.

Scott’s Constructiion, 4521 S Brookline Ave., residence, fire restoration, $90,000.

Home Creations, 617 Inverleith Circle, residence, erect, $86,500.

Home Creations, 11100 NW 6 Terrace, residence, erect, $84,200.

O’Hagan Building Co., 11801 SE 134, residence, erect, $80,000.

Home Creations, 2413 NW 197, residence, erect, $78,400.

Ideal Homes of Norman LP, 1048 SW 156, residence, erect, $77,000.

JJ’s of Edmond, 5900 W Memorial Road, restaurant, remodel, $75,000.

Westpoint Homes, 6208 NW 158 Terrace, residence, erect, $70,000.

Onpoint Construction, 14901 SW 65, accessory,

erect, $55,000.

Covenant Renovations Inc., 3240 SW 51, residence, fire restoration, $50,000.

Nehemiah Shopteese, 12022 SW 16, manufactured home, move-onmobile home park, $44,000.

Tim Hughes Custom Homes LLC, 1400 NW 164, six permits, storage, erect, $44,000.

Tim Hughes Custom Homes LLC, 1400 NW 164, storage, erect, $43,560.

Tim Hughes Custom Homes LLC, 1400 NW 164, storage, erect, $43,560.

Tim Hughes Custom Homes LLC, 1400 NW 164, storage, erect, $40,601.

One Architecture-Josh Carel, 1901 Northwest Expressway, retail sales, remodel, $40,000.

Tim Hughes Custom Homes LLC, 1400 NW 164, storage, erect, $37,950.

Randy Betts, 14200 SW 59, accessory, erect, $35,750.

Trinity Group Architects, 200 NW 66, office, remodel, $35,000.

James Milburn, 4421 SE 147, accessory, erect, $33,500.

Mary Candace Cox, 10916 San Lorenzo Drive, accessory, erect, $30,000.

Tommy Haines, 11911 N Pennsylvania Ave., church, remodel, $30,000.

Tim Hughes Custom Homes LLC, 1400 NW 164, storage, erect, $25,300.

Remington Builders Inc., 5324 Starling Way, residence, erect, $20,000.

Trinity Group Architects, 1500 W Interstate 240 Service Road, restaurant, remodel, $20,000.

AAA Construction, 21101 SE 98, barn, erect, $15,000.

Dimensional Construction, 11701 S Portland Ave., manufacturing, remodel, $12,850.

Jose Alfredo Ochoa, 4333 NW 15, residence, add-on, $10,000.

CSE, 208 N Willowood Drive, accessory, erect, $10,000.

Unlimited Storm Restoration, 2504 NW 27, accessory, erect, $9,410.

Luis Meza, 1408 S Sulzberger, residence, erect, $8,000.

B.D. Eddie Enterprises, 2903 NW 36, business, remodel, $7,100.

Kerry Laws, 1912 Oaks Way, residence, add-on, $7,000.

Thomas Mulkey, 3234 SW 121 Terrace, accessory, erect, $6,000.

Cody Pepper, 2000 W Memorial Road, recreation center, remodel, $5,000.

Fuller Miller Construction, 1101 SE 34, temporary building, move-on, $5,000.

City of Oklahoma City, 649 SE 6, land mark, install, $4,500.

Michael and Christina Lindsay, 3812 Windscape Court, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,295.

Laura Chong and Mark Godish, 11700 Bravada Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,200.

Deborah S Maytle, 14524 S Broadway Ave., storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,995.

Gene and Jackie Mayo, 12412 Horsepen Road, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,995.

Ground Zero, 14508 Almond Valley Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,995.

Kitty Porter, 19824 Corral Place, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,995.

Leland Laubach, 7820 NW 102, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,995.

Louis A. Rainge, 9009 N May Ave., storm shelter, install storm shelter, $3,995.

Ronnie and Toni Hays, 7325 SW 112, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,995.

Shane Lovett, 3409 Wayfield Ave., storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,995.

Thomas McCullough, 5808 Holly Brooke Lane, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,995.

Sandy Morrison, 6425 NW 28, residence, addon, $3,845.

Western Portable Buildings, 4829 NW 19, canopy-carport, erect, $3,500.

Tristand Stuart, 13 SW 171, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $3,350.

John B. Luton, trustee, 16617 La Paloma Lane, residence, install-storm shelter, $3,300.

Billy Mabray, 11751 Silver

Maple Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,200.

David Hoft, 19125 Green Springs Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,200.

Derrick Strickland, 1213 NW 101, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,200.

Blake Eaton, 3109 Canton Trail, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,195.

Cheryl Causey, 10801 S Cemetery Road, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,100.

No name provided, 1509 SW 134 Terrace, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,100.

Jessica Simmons, 3220 N Roff Ave., storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,095.

Chris Brock, 9001 NW 148 Place, storm shelter, remodel, $3,000.

Juan Cortez, 1448 NW 29, canopy-carport, erect, $3,000.

Keith Bradley, 8412 SW 26, accessory, erect, $3,000.

Randy Fisher, 10020 NW 134, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

Steve Pistole, 12212 Rivendell Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

Alloy Building Co., 11932 SE 32, canopy-carport, add-on, $3,000.

Susan Williams, 4928 NW 164 Terrace, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,900.

Elvus and Safia Sasseen, 4421 NW 32 Place, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,800.

Heather Susanne Preston, 4412 Rankin Road, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,800.

Jackie Crossley, 6406 College Ave., storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,800.

Jeff Gonzales, 6213 NW 162, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,800.

Kathleen Lennedy, 15909 Traditions Blvd., storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,800.

Larry Ortega, 12000 Kimberlyn Road, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,800.

Minh Nguyen, 513 Harvest Trail, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,800.

Phillip and Carrie Orth, 8704 NW 114, storm shel-

NEWSOK.COM

ter, install-storm shelter, $2,800.

Richard Hofsteter, 11613 NW 6, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,800.

Robert and Cathy Foote, 10633 Daryl Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,800.

Trand Steven Handy, 16901 Autumnwood Drive, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,800.

W. R. Lierman, 13125 St. Andrews Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,800.

William Fields, 10913 NW 37, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,800.

Debbie Anderson, 6000 NW 160, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,700.

James Hamm, 5805 NW 117 Terrace, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,700.

Joanie Eckert, 8017 NW 113, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,700.

Lois White, 6105 NW 151, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,700.

Nathan Johnson, 13321 Marsh Lane, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,700.

Stewart Joslin, 5401 Keith Drive, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,695.

Gary Dewing, 8812 NW 86, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,650.

Sandra Cook, 4902 S Post Road, manufactured home, move-on, $2,500.

Vinh Do and Tam Bui, 17608 Prairie Sky Way, storm shelter, installstorm shelter, $2,500.

Sooner Carports, 3512 N Tulsa Ave., canopy-carport, erect, $2,200.

Sooner Carports, 3516 N Tulsa Ave., canopy-carport, erect, $2,200.

City of Oklahoma City, 301 W Reno Ave., accessory, install, $2,000.

James Johnston, 8712 NW 87, residence, addon, $1,775.

Demolitions Crosby Construction, 1615 NE 12, residence.

Randel Short, 3517 S Magnolia Ave., residence.

Unlimited Storm Restoration, 2504 NW 27, garage.

M&M Concrete & Wrecking Inc., 3906 NW 10, storage.

THE OKLAHOMAN

NEWSOK.COM

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

7E

Buyers fear losing deposit on foreclosure DEAR BARRY: We are buying a home that was foreclosed by the bank.

Our home inspector advised us to hire a roofing contractor, an electrician and air-conditioner specialist. The real estate agent for the bank said we must pay for roof repairs.

We agreed to this, but the agent said nothing to the bank about electrical and air-conditioning defects.

Neither did he permit us to hire contractors of our own. To make things worse, a neighbor has informed us that there was an explosion in the air conditioner when the previous owners lived here.

We don’t know what to do, and we don’t want to lose our deposit. What do you advise?

Alba

Barry Stone INSPECTOR’S IN THE HOUSE

DEAR ALBA: If your home inspector recommended an electrician and an air-conditioning specialist, this should have been clearly discussed with your Realtor.

After a home inspection, it is customary for buyers to sit down with their agent and consider repair requests for the sellers. Even when banks sell a property as-is, there are times when they make exceptions and agree to pay for repairs.

In evaluating this situa-

tion, it is important to know the kinds of electrical and air-conditioning problems that were found by your home inspector.

Were these major defects, or was the inspector recommending routine maintenance and further evaluation?

If the issues are significant, then someone should follow the inspector’s advice before you close escrow, and the listing agent should not prevent you from hiring contractors to do this. Either you or the bank should hire experts to determine the extent of potential problems.

Don’t let anyone rush you into this deal. Houses are expensive, and you have a right to know as much as possible about the home you are buying.

Don’t let anyone rush you into this deal. Houses are expensive, and you have a right to know as much as possible about the home you are buying.

DEAR BARRY: Our home inspector told us the toilet was loose, so we had it reset by a plumber after we moved in. When the plumber lifted the toilet, he discovered that there are old floor tiles under the linoleum, and he said they contain asbestos. This worries us, and we don’t know what to do about it.

The sellers never said a word about asbestos in their disclosure statement.

What do you think we should do?

Audrey

DEAR AUDREY: The plumber has no way of knowing whether the floor tiles contain asbestos unless he had a sample of the material tested by a laboratory. If the tiles measure 9 inches square, they most likely do contain asbestos, but that type of asbestos is not regarded as a significant health hazard because it is non-friable material.

Friable asbestos is material that is easily crumbled and can readily release fibers into the air. Besides this, the floor tiles are entirely

encapsulated by the top layer of flooring and are not in contact with the air in your home.

In all likelihood, the previous owners were unaware of tiles under the flooring or that the tiles might contain asbestos, which would account for their lack of disclosure.

If you do any remodeling that involves removal of old flooring, you should send a sample of the tiles to an asbestos lab. If the material is determined to contain asbestos fibers, you can hire an asbestos contractor to have it removed. Otherwise, you can leave the tiles where they are without worry.

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

ACTION COAST PUBLISHING

8E

THE OKLAHOMAN

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

NEWSOK.COM

HOUSE PLAN

Parade of Homes Compact home has spacious feeling People’s Choice Awards released

Families looking for a compact home with a feeling of spaciousness will find much to appreciate in the Copperfield.

This small ranch-style home is as economical to build as it is to maintain, and could easily be adapted for wheelchair accessibility. As such, it’s equally well-suited to young families buying their first home, or empty nesters eager to reduce their maintenance work.

From the street, it’s pleasantly symmetrical.

Multipane windows, set under the low-profile right gable, echo the wider gable on the left and its gridded garage door. The recessed entry porch opens into a vaulted entry brightened by a sidelight.

Inside, bedrooms are to the right and shared living spaces are to the left. A convenient coat closet sits at the juncture of the entry and sleeping wing.

The entry’s vaulted ceiling rises higher as you proceed forward, reaching its apex at the far edge of the vaulted kitchen, then sloping down toward the living-dining room’s richly glassed rear wall. Sliding doors in the dining room open out onto a patio, which could be screened if bugs interfere with outdoor meals.

An eating bar fronts the peninsular counter that bounds the kitchen. While tending pots on the builtin range, the cook can serve up snacks at the eating bar, supervise homework and keep tabs on activities inside and out. The laundry appliances are also conveniently close, hidden behind folding doors, and

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Steve Maddox of AdsFactory reported the 2012 Central Oklahoma Home Builders Association Parade of Homes People’s Choice Award winners.

Results were tabulated from each home’s activity during the parade Sept.

29-Oct. 7, ratings and traffic originating from the Parade of Homes app, mobile web app and website.

I $250,000 and below: First, Eric Cheatham Construction Co, 13125 NW 1; runner-up, Allenstyle Homes, 7025 NW 161.

I $250,001-$350,000: First, Sun Custom Homes, 9032 NW 147 Terrace; runner-up, McCaleb Homes, 3116 Wind Call Lane.

I $350,001-$450,000: First, Jeff Click Homes LLC, 17325 Park Grove Drive; runner-up, Silver Stone Homes, 14209 Terrazza Crossing. $450,001-$550,000: First, Manchester Green Homes, 8209 NW 147; runner-up, Johnston Builders, 12508 Deep Wood Creek Drive.

a pantry adds to the already generous cupboard space.

In the owners’ suite, a pocket door links the sleeping area to the bathroom and walk-in closet.

Secondary bedrooms share the Copperfield’s main bathroom, and each has a wide rectangular window bay that could be outfitted with a window seat.

A review plan of the Copperfield 30-801, 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.associated designs.com. (800) 634-0123.

ENERGY

TEAM http://newsok.com/ business/energy and in Friday’s Business

I $550,001-$650,000: First, Tommy Huelskamp Homes, 716 Newport Drive.

I $650,001-$750,000: Tommy Huelskamp Homes, 2216 Lone Oak Way; runner-up, Crabtree Custom Homes LLC, 17800 Prairie Sky Way. I $750,001-$850,000: First, Silver Stone Homes, 2217 Lone Oak Way; runner-up, Allenton, 3201 NW 177.

I $850,001 and up: First, Allenton, 17501 Egrets Landing.

I Most visited: First, Allenton, 17501 Egrets Landing; runner-up, Silver Stone Homes, 2217 Lone Oak Way. I Most Social Media: First, Silver Stone Homes, 2217 Lone Oak Way; runner-up, Allenton, 17501 Egrets Landing.

THE OKLAHOMAN

NEWSOK.COM

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

9E

A compound designed with light in mind

BY LISA BOONE Los Angeles Times

LOS ANGELES — Craig Ehrlich didn’t particularly want a modern house. But everything he valued — light, air, indoor-outdoor living, sustainable building materials — has led to this: a recently completed 1,150-square-foot house in Santa Monica, Calif., that feels much larger thanks to its modern sculptural design.

With its exterior wood screens and expanses of glass, the house is immediately intriguing, but the interior elements — the geometric cutouts in the architecture and the dynamic double-height spaces — are what make the small house feel substantial.

The design is essentially a square, but each corner of the second floor has what architect John Friedman described as unexpected “bites,” like a block of cheese with wedges sliced off. The move delivers more than sunlight to the first floor. It provides an artful surprise.

“You get joy and pleasure from the way the light enters the house,” said

A view of Craig Ehrlich’s accessory house, yard and swimming pool in Santa Monica, Calif.

MCT PHOTOS

Friedman, who designed the house with partner Alice Kimm.

The large triangular cutout above the two-story-tall living room adds to the sense of spaciousness.

An adjoining Zen garden just outside glass doors is full of peace and privacy, extending the footprint of the modest floor plan. An upstairs bedroom, two bathrooms, loft-like kitchen, two-car garage and outdoor dining table set under a pergola complete the new design.

Motorized skylights allow hot air to escape in summer; radiant-heat flooring will keep rooms

comfortable in winter.

Rooftop solar panels that provide hot water and other environmentally friendly features put the house on track to earn gold certification in LEED for Homes, the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design program.

For the architects, some of the biggest challenges came from the unusual nature of the property.

Ehrlich already owned a house on the street. When the lot next door became available, he bought it and called on Friedman and Kimm to design the new

Owner carry 4810 Casper, Lg 3/1/1 Nice home. call 417-2176 www.homesofokcinc.com

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Patrick w/Allies 405-740-6616 Brick, Charming, 2bd, 1ba, CH&A, hardwoods, fenced bkyrd, 2112 N. Billen $31,900 Cash. 301-6495 3 bed, 1.5 bath, corner lot, central heat, hardwoods, 1501 N. Billen $24,900 Cash. 301-6495 Brick, Duplex, Paseo, 2300 sqft hardwoods, 1 side rented, 726 NW 225, $31,900 cash. 301-6495 Handyman Special, 600sqft, 1bed, good roof, 1316 NW 98, Steal for $14,900 cash. 301-6495 RENT TO OWN Very Nice 3bd 2ba Single wide Mobile Home on 2.5 acres m/l Guthrie 9481 Lakeridge Drive Easy Approval 405-273-5777 www.property4sale.com PRICE REDUCED $89,950 house & lg shop w/animal shed TERMS 4bd 2ba 1N Acre, additional A. available NE of Harrah Milburn o/a 275-1695 www.paulmilburnacreages.com 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 2.5 ac, 1400 sq ft Modern Home w/ a view, in Wellston w/ Harrah Schls $37,900 cash only 301-6495 Call for Maps! See why we sell more acreages than anyone in Okla. E of OKC. o/a 275-1695

Remodeled 3 bed, 2 car 2501 N Redmond 405-201-5712

years. Route 1 - Box 268, Comanche, Ok. Directions: In Comanche, Ok, from the Intersection of New Highway 81 South and Highway 53, go 3 miles East on Highway 53 and 2.2 miles. South on Tucker Road (CO. RD. NS 285).

Gary Criswell Auction Service & Real Estate Inc. 580-467-2248/580-255-8162 (Preview 10/12/2012 from 1-6) Real-estate Auction 2 prime real estate properties, Great location. Exceptional opportunities in ElK City, Ok Saturday OCt 13, 2012 10am for brochure call Gene Cobb Auction and Realty call 580-225-6473 or by visiting genecobbaution.com

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

5 WOODED AC near Noble possible new well/sept.405-426-5566

Immaculate log home on 160 ac, creek, wildlife, barn, corrals 1115 acre Ranch w/3bd, 31 ponds, barn, corrals, grazing/hunting 320 acres in Wichita Mntn very scenic & remote $1000/acre 40 acres on black top 1 hr from OKC, excellent home site/hunting 160 acres near Gracemont good hunting, soil, home site 2 Beautiful Girl Scout Camps west of I-35, in Binger & Granite 320 Acres near Hennessey & river TumbleweedTerrRE 580-569-4213 470 ACRES WITH HUGE SPRING. 7 miles from Lowe's in Grove, OK. $1,685,000.00. 918-786-7071. See www.forrestrealty.net

2bd 1ba w/dining room, 2car wgar apt above-1bd 1ba, needs work, $35K 5 SE 33rd 830-3682 for appt Embers-3bd brk, frpl, lg. living 2ba, car, bldg, access to back Malone's Prop 670-1411, 640-8550

Beautiful 4bd 2ba executive home on corner lot, Westmoore Schls, 2 living, 2car, new carpet, fresh paint, master bath has Jacuzzi & shower $179.9k Fidelity 410-4200 OWNER FINANCING $2000 down 1212 SW 56th, 3/1, $54,000, No Credit Check ‘ 596-4599 ‘

I BUY & SELL HOUSES 27 YRS EXP 650-7667 HOMESOFOKCINC.COM We Buy Houses Fast Cash or Payments. 405-708-4833.

Established, privately owned beauty college for sale or lease.

681-8073 or 503-8694.

4/1.5 brk ch&a new roof/windows 1305 McDonald Dr, $55K 205-6500 Carl Albert Schls 9409 Emily Ln. Blt 2008 2100sf 3 or 4bd 2ba 3car lrg lot $220,000 640-7279

Lg 1 & 2Bd close to SNU. Covered parking. $345-$445mo 470-3535

VERY, VERY QUIET Near mall, schls, hosp Try Plaza East 341-4813

living room also serves as his home office.

The two houses are integrated by a powerful open landscape that in-

» 7119 NW 115th, $975 » » 12111 Windmill Road, $900 » 3 bd, 2 ba, 2 car, » 7127 NW 115th, 2 bd, $785 » No sec 8. 721-1831.

Gas station in SW OKC for sale by owner, $975K obo, owner finance, 405-481-9424.

5 Acres with 3 bed, 2 bath Manufactured Home $94,900 Country Living at its Finest. Easy access to schls and freeways.

Financing Available.

Call Bob at Titan Factory Direct www.titanfactorydirect.com 405-634-4812 Huge Year End Savings! New & Repo Homes. Own land/family land ZERO down. Don't prejudge, financing available. $2000 furn package w/purchase. Free phone app 405-631-7600, 602-4526 WAC Abandoned D/W Repos set up on 1-5 Acres. Many to choose from.

Ready to move in. E-Z qualify by phone 405-631-7600, 590-2379

Investment land mortgage. 12yrs left @ 7% $66,000 in Payne Cty. Electric, rural water, some improvements. Call 918-223-5081

$3400mo all utilities paid 2500sf MOL OKC. 405-951-7029

GREAT Office Space. Various NW locations, 300-6000sf 946-2516 7600 N Western Ave. Shopping Center space for rent 370-1077

Rent to Own: Nice 2 & 3bed MWC $350 & up 390-9777 REPO REPO REPO 4bd/3bth $648MO. wac 405-324-8000

4017 N Linn, 2 bed, 1 bath, ch&a, $575 month, no sec 8, 755-1316.

2529 Lee Lane, 2bd 2ba 2car, $800 dep $700, agent 936-9058

5826 Hefner Village Ct 3bed 2.5ba 2 car 1548sf all appls, $1175/mo $1000/dep, no sec 8 409-7989

2/1/1, CH&A, $500/mo, $200 OFF 1ST MONTH RENT. 831-0207 3410 Cameron Court, 2/2/1 Appl $695 no pets JW Rlty 755-2510

Free Rent 'til Nov. 1 & 2 bed.

Spring Tree Apts. 405-737-8172

$200 off

1st Mo Rent Selected Units Large Townhomes & Apartments • Washer, Dryers, pools • PC Schools, fireplaces

WILLIAMSBURG

7301 NW 23rd 787-1620

Edgewood Manor Btw SW 15 & Mustang Rd nice 3bds 2ba 2car. starting $1000 no sec 8 618-0563 New duplexes, 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car, call Rick, 405-830-3789.

1st Mo Rent Selected units 2 & 3 bed Townhouses Washer/Dryers, Fireplaces, P.C. Schools

PARKLANE

721-5455

8100 N. MacArthur Blvd

$99 Special

1 & 2 BD & Townhouses •City bus route/Shopping •Washer/Dryer hookups

Valencia Apts

FSBO, 4 bed, 3 bath, extras, large storage building, $225,000 obo, 405-481-9424.

Immaculate 3/1.5/2c new hdwd flrs & granite kitchen 1yr lse $990 mo $1200d 2528 El Toro 627-3791

Bills Paid

Furnished/Unfurnished Weekly/Monthly 370-1077 4108K S Robinson nice 1bd home with 1car gar, fenced yard, fresh paint, clean, $375 mo, water & garbage paid Fidelity 410-4200 3 bed, 4204 SE 46th, $600/mo, $300/dep, 826-7545 or 381-4841.

4237 Sunnyview Dr 3/1.5/1 $695 681-7272 Cute 3bd, 1.5ba 2liv, FP $875 4737 SE 41st ¡ No pets 990-6797 2 bed, ch&a, $550 mo + $500 dep, no pets, no section 8 » 677-7492

2221 N. Meridian 946-6548 612 Reynolds Rd 3/1.5/1 681-7272

$795

Nice Large 2bed

$575 Quiet Casady 751-8088

3/1.5/2, fireplace, on cul-de-sac, 5 min to Tinker, 5704 Shalimar, $800+dep, No Sec 8, call 417-9998

4 bed, 2bath, ch&a, rent to own, low down payment, $850 month, 405-481-9424. » $100 Off 2nd Month Rent! » 1404 S Youngs Newly built 2/1 total electric $550 ¡ 681-7272 1417 SW 35TH 2Bed 1Bath Storage $450mo call about special » 408-9769 2820 SW 39, Nice LARGE 3bd/1bt fncd bkyd, No pets/No Sec 8 $500+ $500dep 703-4713 Near SW Integris Medical 2bd 1ba 1car, rock, very nice. $595 + $500 dep 691-5479

RENT TO OWN 1501 Marydale Very Nice Brick House 3bd - 1.5 ba - 2 car garage Easy approval 405-273-5777 www.property4sale.com

3220 SW 49th sharp 2bd house 1car gar, fresh paint, new carpet $575 mo .

Fidelity 410-4200

7412 SE 15, 3/1/1 Wood floors CH/A Nice $650 mo. 732-3411 www.homesofokcinc.com

2601 SW 30th 2bd duplex 1bath $435mo 408-9769

3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1 car, CH/A., Sec. 8 Ok, 405-417-3333

3116 SW 20th 2bd 2ba $395mo »» 408-9769

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

4bd, 2ba plus bonus room. Newly remodeled appx. 1645 sq. ft., lg fenced yard. Great location near schls. $950 PMO. 1 year lease.

Call Michael Methvin M-Sat Broker/Owner 823-0843

11431 NW 9 Trail 3/2/2 $875 Express Realty 844-6101 www.expressrealtyok.com

1 Bedroom, No App Fee, CH&A Upstairs, Near 23rd & MacArthur, $475/$300 dep, 370-0278

3bd 2ba 2car 1650sf $1200+dep 4/2/2, 1750sf fireplace $1300+dep WAC Home&Ranch Rlty 794-7777

•ABC• Affordable, Bug free, Clean » 787-7212»

4909 SE 86th Terr 3/2/2, hardwood & tile floors, sunroom $1200 + dep. 285-0305, 823-6550

MAYFAIR Great loc! 1&2 bd W/D hdwd flr quiet secure ¡ 947-5665

2bd $550 + $500 dp w/app NP/NS Detached Garage 794-8056

Oakwood Apts-5824 NW 34th 1 bed 1 bath 800sf $350/mo $175/dep u pay electric 405-409-7989 no sec 8 1419K NW 17th-Jumbo 1bd plus small office -off of master 1150sf wood floors $700/mo $400/dep free laundry 409-7989 no sec 8 813 N Brauer 1bed 1 bath 800sf $550/mo $250/dep All bills 405-409-7989 no sec 8 Putnam Heights Plaza 1 & 2bed, newly remodeled, ch/a, 1830 NW 39th 524-5907

2136 SW 66th 3/1/2 $850 Free List ¡ 681-7272

4/2/2 fenced yard, no smoking/ no pets $975/mo 354-6418

Nicoma Park area, 3bd, 2ba, fenced, small quiet park, water, garbage, sewer paid $550mo. + $300dep ¡ 769-2328 Rent to Own: Nice 2 & 3bed MWC $350 & up 390-9777

CLEAN 3 BED BILLS PD, SM FAMILY $700 MO +DEP 721-0296 ROOM: share kit, bath, laundry, cable incl. $375/mo + food.

405-979-9399

Large 1 & 2 beds. Stove, refrig,

3 SW OKC Locations

Repos/Used Homes starting at $15K + delivery 405-631-7600

$345 to 420 mo 632-9849

Furnished/Unfurnished. Bills Paid » Wkly/Mnthly. Wes Chase Apts Elk Horn Apts, Hillcrest 370-1077 Mini-Ranch Southeastern Oklahoma. 2 bedroom 2 bath 1700 sq. ft. brick house with gas fireplace on 10 acres. Central AC/Heat and 1.5 car garage, 2-bay tin barn and storage/workshop in Talihina, Okla. Acreage part pasture part woods. Property fenced with pond and creek in back. Two sides are national forest. Asking $140,000. Call 918-413-0691.

KEYSTONE LAKEFRONT 2/2/2+ loft, water access, 800-380-9140.

3bd 1K ba 1car hrdwd flrs $875 3916 NW 59 St No pets 990-6797

2322 NW 20 -2bed 1ba remodeled 1000sf, near OCU, no sec 8 $750/mo $400/dep 405-409-7989

800 N Meridian - 1bd All bills paid Brand New 2bd 2ba 946-9506

Double Wide REPO Like New $395mo. wac 405-577-2884

MCT INFORMATION SERVICES

2/2/1, W/D, 8406 Wakefield Ave, Moore Schl, $600/mo, 834-6328.

Lucrative Convenience Store SW Oklahoma. Call Bob Alexander and Son Realty, 412-4343.

NEW 3bd/2bth $1500 down, 7.5% $281mo. 405-324-8010

3000 W Simpson » 10 Acres m/l Beautiful 5bedroom 2bath house, 2 car garage attached, cathedral ceilings in living area, balcony attached to master bedroom.

It will be sold as is. Priced at $195,000 Call 405-273-5777

house as guest quarters for visiting family and friends, some of whom stay for months at a time. The entrepreneur said the new

$200 Off

FSBO 9 acre horse farm with barns, N of Edmond, 229-0728.

5.11 A. $28,950, $950dn. $264mo.

18miSWofOkc nr Tuttle 640-8811

An interior view of Craig Ehrlich’s accessory house in Santa Monica, Calif., is shown. The original house was awarded an American Institute of Architects/LA Decade award as one of the best buildings of the last 10 years.

cludes a saltwater pool, a wood deck that serves as an arresting bridge between the two structures and the new outdoor dining terrace, which is topped with photovoltaic panels. The pool sits off to the side, leaving more room for a lawn where Ehrlich’s daughter, Leah, 7, can run and play.

“He was really thinking about his daughter,” architect Friedman said. “He wanted to give that traditional American backyard experience to his kid.”

A retaining wall on one side of the pool creates a higher plateau that looks out over the main yard and also provides some separation from the Zen garden off the living room.

Having lived in Asia part time since 1987, Ehrlich said his exposure to multigenerational living influenced his own desire for a family compound.

“It’s more than just physically living together,” Ehrlich said of the environment he was hoping to create. “It’s an attitude that families living together is a good thing. It’s considered an honor to take care of your family.”

2646 NW 34 2/1/1 $650 6717 NW 131 3/2/2 $1250 5911 N Ross 3/2/2 $1095 14415 N Penn Ave 1/1 $550 12817 Burlingame 4/3/2 $1950 12305 Cedar Springs 2/2.5/2 $975 Express Realty 844-6101 www.expressrealtyok.com KAT Properties-Apt & Homes for rent. Scan this w/your phone app

Luxury Duplex 3 bed, 2 bath, 2 car garage. Lots of extras. Pets OK. $875/month ‘ 642-5996

11211 Stewart Nicoma Park 3/1 detached garage on 2.5 acres $750 681-7272

719 & 717 NE 14th, 2bd 1ba, updated, all bills paid 405-409-0462

3 bd, 2 ba, 2 car, FP, no sec 8, no smoking, no pets, 7911 NW 14th, $950 mo, $950 dep, 831-1197.

North Highland, 4 Bed, 1.5 Bath, Fenced, Section 8 only, $775.00, 0 deposit. 678-588-1063

10E

THE OKLAHOMAN

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2012

NEWSOK.COM

San Francisco experiments with 300-square-foot micro-apartments

BY LEE ROMNEY Los Angeles Times

Scott Elyanow lives in a 275-square-foot apartment in New York City. He spends a lot of his time on the front stoop people watching.

MCT PHOTOS

Residents extol virtues of living in tiny homes

BY TINA SUSMAN Los Angeles Times

NEW YORK — Scott Elyanow had clung to the red, longsleeved sweatshirt with the words “Marblehead High School” for 20 years. It had softened with age, like the memory of the long-ago love who had given it to him.

But Elyanow was nearing 40, and what he had gained in years and wisdom he hadn’t gained in living space — his apartment measures 275 square feet, including the bathroom, kitchen and an entryway with overhead clearance of 5 feet, 7 inches. So he took a picture of the sweatshirt for a keepsake, then tossed the worn piece of clothing into a “purge” pile, a system Elyanow has adopted during his seven years living in a so-called micro-studio apartment in New York City.

“I really, truly don’t accumulate stuff,” said Elyanow, a real estate agent with Citi Habitats. He lives and works in Manhattan’s West Village, where the crooked, cobblestoned streets are lined with 19th-century buildings famous for charming but cramped apartments.

If Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has his way, the city soon will have far more tiny apartments to accommodate a burgeoning need for smaller, cheaper living spaces.

“Today there are about 1.8 million one- and two-person households in the city, but there are only about 1 million studio and one-bedroom apartments. You notice the mismatch,” Bloomberg said in July as he announced a competition for designing a building dominated by micro-studios.

The building will be part of a pilot program called adAPT NYC, which could create a new housing model for America’s biggest city — showing that small doesn’t necessarily mean dark, dismal and musty. The winning design must include apartments no larger than 300 square feet, including a kitchen, a bathroom with a tub and windows that look out on air, not air shafts. The city won’t pay for the construction, but will provide the space: a city-owned lot on Manhattan’s East 27th Street currently used for parking. The winner will be announced later in the year.

Trend toward solo living Nationwide census figures bear out what New York officials say is a trend toward solo living. In 2010, 28 percent of U.S. households were single-person; in 1950, it was 9.5 percent. In New York City, the percentage of single-person households is 32 percent.

New York isn’t the only city to experiment with microunits. San Francisco is considering shrinking the minimum for rental units from 290 to 220 square feet. At the urging of Boston’s mayor, some new buildings containing that city’s version of a micro-studio — smaller than 450 square feet — are being built.

New York’s plan has grabbed special attention because of the city’s reputation as a place where people already live in minuscule homes, and because of Bloomberg’s reputation as a social engineer bent on transforming Gotham from a chaotic metropolis into a more European-style model of civility. He has turned Times Square into a pedestrian mall, replaced precious parking spaces with bike lanes, banned smoking in most public places, and cracked down on trans fats in restaurant foods.

Now comes this, a plan that by virtue of New York’s size and influence could prompt other high-density urban areas to address the need for “right-sized housing,” as the city’s Department of Housing and Urban Development puts it.

“It makes sense to try this out,” Bloomberg said before walking over to a mock-up floor plan for one of the New York units and demonstrating the ease with which one might step from bed to bath in a 10-by-30-foot space.

That’s only six times larger than the average jail cell, or about the size of some ATM vestibules in Times Square, local media pointed out as they noted the irony of the billionaire mayor, who lives in a spacious town house, singing the praises of diminutive dwellings.

What’s tiny to some, though, is grand to people like Ryan Mitchell, who advocates drastic downsizing on his website, www.thetinylife.com, and offers tips on how to squeeze yourself happily into 100 to 200 square feet.

“I realize that is an extreme,” said Mitchell, 28, of Charlotte, N.C. He currently occupies what he calls a “normal-sized” home while he saves to build himself a tiny house there that will have 130 square feet of living space on two levels.

“I don’t expect and I don’t think the majority of us will get to a point where we’re living in that type of dwelling,” Mitchell said. “But I think it’s important to show there’s an alternative to McMansions.”

MCT INFORMATION SERVICES

A small mirror reflects Scott Elyanow as he works in his 275-square-foot apartment in New York CIty’s West Village.

SAN FRANCISCO — The tiny apartments are touted as “affordable by design.”

New York City has launched a pilot project to test them out. Boston is doing it too. But in San Francisco, where a growing number of residents are being priced out of the housing market by a revived tech economy, city leaders are considering the smallest micro-units of all.

At a minimum 150 square feet of living space — 220 when you add the bathroom, kitchen and closet — the proposed residences are being hailed as a pivotal option for singles. Opponents fear that a wave of “shoe box homes” would further marginalize families of modest means who are desperate for larger accommodations.

Recently, the city Board of Supervisors tabled until at least November tweaking the city’s building code, which requires newly constructed units to be at least 290 square feet.

The number of micro-units that could be built under the proposal would not be capped, although critics are pushing for controls on the experiment. New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, for instance, has signed off on just 60 apartments that would be 275 to 300 square feet small.

Patrick Kennedy, a Berkeley, Calif., developer in November will unveil a building with 300-square-foot units in San Francisco’s South of Market neighborhood. He has said he hopes to build several thousand even smaller models.

The mini-apartments’ schematics include window seats that convert to spare beds and beds that transform into tables. Bay windows offer sweeping views.

“You could obviously build more of them if you don’t have to do them as large,” said Kennedy, adding that pricing would be determined after he sees “what the market does with our 300-footers.”

Supervisor Scott Wiener, who drafted the legislation, said smaller units will mean cheaper and more plentiful housing options. With a tech boom underway, thousands of new hires have been snapping up San

This artist’s rendering depicts a 300-square-foot apartment in San Francisco by developer SMARTSPACE. MCT PHOTO

Francisco’s rental stock.

The micro-units will probably go for $1,200 to $1,500 a month, Wiener said. According to the real estate service RealFacts, an average studio apartment in San Francisco now goes for $2,075.

So in a metropolis where 41 percent of residents live solo, Wiener said, the units would fill a niche by allowing people to stay who might otherwise have to take on roommates or leave town.

“Although in our fantasy world everyone would live in a single-family home or a huge spacious flat, the reality of life is that not everyone can afford that,” he said, noting the micro-units with shared common space would be ideal for students, artists and seniors.

Grimmer versions?

But some critics worry that the swank model units getting kudos from officials might not be the norm.

What’s to stop other developers, tenants’ rights advocates ask, from building grimmer versions, with low ceilings and poor light?

“I say no shoe box legislation,” Carmelita Perez, 67, told demonstrators at a recent news conference, where a small child sat inside a mock unit taped to the sidewalk in front of City Hall. “We are humans, not spiders.”

Supervisor Jane Kim, whose district includes South of Market, said she feared the push for ever-smaller

apartments would do nothing to benefit families that already are being driven out of town.

The price per square foot of Kennedy’s proposal, she and other skeptics said, was less affordable than current rentals. And buildings full of micro-units could cause a spike in population density that might strain public transit and already limited parks and public spaces.

In Singapore, where thousands of shoe box homes for families — some as small as 500 square feet — are either completed or in the pipeline, redevelopment authorities recently raised the minimum size to 755 square feet because of congestion.

The revised approach is fodder for doubters here.

“This has to be a pilot project and allow for further study before we end up like Singapore,” said Sara Shortt, executive director of the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco, a tenants’ rights group that is part of a coalition negotiating with Wiener.

Not all affordable-housing advocates, however, are against the proposal.

Sherilyn Adams, executive director of Larkin Street Youth Services, said she viewed the proposed microunits as an opportunity “for people who would have been otherwise pushed out of the market” — although she would like to see housing with support services for those with low incomes.

MCT INFORMATION SERVICES