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Stay warm this winter by utilizing home heating tips for tricky spaces

When cold winds blow, it can be tricky to keep different rooms throughout your home at the right temperature - especially if you have old and drafty windows, tight spaces or room additions to work around. It can also be challenging to ensure economical comfort without having to do a major heating system overhaul. Yet there are easy and flexible ways to heat your home in areas where it needs it most ...

November 09, 2012 | | HOME SCENE

Some home remodeling tips for baby boomers entering their golden years

As America's 77 million-strong baby boomers reach retirement age, one thing is absolutely clear -- they are not going to quietly retreat into their golden years. The most active generation in America's history wants homes that will support their active lifestyles, and homes that will accommodate the challenges boomers will face, from bad knees, to working from home, to taking on grandchildren.

November 09, 2012 | | HOME SCENE

Get high-end looks for your kitchen without paying a high-end price

Each year, House Beautiful magazine builds its highly anticipated Kitchen of the Year, a showplace for what's hot in the kitchen. Designed around the latest trends, the annual Kitchen of the Year is the epitome of high-end style. But let's face it. The majority of us don't have the luxury of a 1,000-square-foot kitchen designed by a celebrated designer. Nor do we have the budget.

November 09, 2012 | | HOME SCENE

What happens to a HELOC after foreclosure?

DEAR BENNY: I lost my home to foreclosure in August 2011. I had a second mortgage on the home that was secured by a deed of trust for $99,000. This was a home equity line of credit (HELOC) that I used to pay off a pool loan, used for home improvements and later tapped each month to make the mortgage payment.

November 08, 2012 | By BENNY L. KASS Inman News | HOME SCENE

Fannie Mae earns $1.8 billion in 3rd quarter as market improves

WASHINGTON (AP) - Mortgage giant Fannie Mae earned $1.8 billion from July through September, helped by an improving housing market that has lifted home prices.

November 08, 2012 | | HOME SCENE

Average rate on 30-year loan rises to 3.40 percent

WASHINGTON (AP) - The average U.S. rate on the 30-year fixed mortgage was little changed this week, staying slightly above its record low. Cheaper mortgages are helping drive a modest housing recovery.

November 08, 2012 | | HOME SCENE

5 percent jump in home prices biggest in 6 years

WASHINGTON (AP) - A measure of U.S. home prices jumped 5 percent in September compared with a year ago, the largest year-over-year increase since July 2006. The gain reported by CoreLogic offered more evidence of a sustainable housing recovery.

November 08, 2012 | | HOME SCENE

Learn important lesson from Sandy’s destruction

In the past year, we've seen tornadoes sweeping across middle America, rivers flooding their banks along the Mississippi and out-of-control wildfires destroying homes in California, Colorado and Texas. But watching the ocean sweep across Wall Street, flooding the New York subway system and destroying a whole section of Queens and New Jersey must finally bring home our total vulnerability to nature.

November 08, 2012 | By TERRY SAVAGE Financial Advisor | HOME SCENE

Good news: Assessor says the bottom has bottomed out

My property tax bill hasn't changed for the second straight year.

November 02, 2012 | Dennis Wyatt | HOME SCENE

Create your holiday home with lights that accent looks

When it comes to decorating with lights for the holidays, there are unlimited ways to add twinkle to the inside as well as the outside of your home. Some people favor an elegant, restrained sprinkling of lights around a door, while others go for a more exuberant display of illumination on virtually every surface.