Great Beginnings: A New Nation

After the American Revolution, American citizens were free to explore, invest and make their dreams come true. The American dream was very rich in this period of discovery, as many of America’s resources were unclaimed. These resources held the promise of land ownership and investment in land or industry. The country gave many an impoverished immigrant the opportunity to work themselves out of poverty to reach great heights.

Engines of Change: The American Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution proved to be one of the biggest influences on the development of the American dream. As big businesses took root and expanded, new innovations and improved modes of production combined to greatly improve the American standard of living. During this period, there were many rags to riches stories that led to the belief that if you have talent and work hard, you have a good chance of living a successful life.

Civil War and Reconstruction

In 1865, as slavery was outlawed, more Americans had a chance at achieving the American dream. This period also saw the nation unified after a bloody Civil War that lasted four years. Following the Civil War, many Americans experienced difficulties in the changing economic landscape as the country rapidly moved towards industrialization. Many believed that the only way to achieve their shared American dream was through hard work.

World War I: Progressive Era

As the war raged across the world, there were equally momentous occurrences in the country as well. The economical and industrial boom during this period reshaped both urban and suburban life. The industrial revolution that had begun towards the end of the 19th century was sped up thanks to the war. Essentially, the war made the American dream a tangible reality for increasing numbers of Americans. It was the beginning of America’s backbone of economy and technological growth.

The Great Depression: Tough Times

The Great Depression was the longest and most severe economic downturn in American history. During this period, unemployment skyrocketed and reached levels as high as one third of the population. Crop prices crashed by half and hunger became a reality as food production became unprofitable. Severe unemployment was the order of the day with thousands and thousands of migrant farmers were now forced to travel the nation looking for jobs. Homelessness, poverty and a sense of hopelessness spread through much of the nation, making the American dream distant. 

World War II: Renewed Hope

For three decades following World War II, most people in the U.S. were on a positive high. The American dream was easily achievable, with some Americans going from rags to riches. During this period, all Americans could look forward to a steadily increasing standard of living and a better future for themselves and their children. Wages rose substantially, ensuring that most families could afford more. Education and a better standard of living became achievable dreams for millions. Perhaps most importantly, workers could retire and enjoy their life after decades of hard work.

The Modern Era

Currently, America is facing a crisis of economic disparity. Americans are achieving the dream bigger than ever before, as evidenced by people like Bill Gates and Oprah Winfrey, but there is an equal and opposite effect for America’s poor. As the rich get richer, many of the poor get poorer and America’s middle class has begun to erode. During the past three decades, most Americans have seen their living standards grow worse. Wages have stagnated or fallen, people who believed that their livelihoods were secure have received a pink slip and those who haven’t lost a job often find themselves working longer and harder than ever before.

The middle class dream of a home is also being eroded as the prices of homes and interest rates keep rising. It is possible for Americans to reclaim their dream, but perhaps the only way to do it is to relearn the importance of hard work and self-reliance: ethics that once embodied the American Dream.

1. Mortgage-calc.com: This site provides mortgage and home equity rates for primary and second loan refinancing. The online rate calculators on this site will help you evaluate interest rate options on all loans. You can even compare mortgage rates or home equity loan rates on this site. In addition to a simple mortgage calculator, the site also provides a ‘Rent vs. Buy’ calculator so you can choose the right option for you. While here, you can check your debt levels and how much time it will take you to pay it off with their debt calculators.

2. Bankrate.com: Bankrate.com not only provides immensely readable and useful financial articles, but it also has a few calculators which can be immensely valuable to home owners. You can use the fixed vs. adjustable rate mortgage calculator to calculate which will benefit you in the short and long-term. Their refinancing tool helps you determine if it makes sense to refinance your mortgage.

3. Online Loan Calculator: There are almost twenty financial calculations available on this site. Their loan calculator is a free tool which, when used appropriately, can help you get a better idea of where you stand financially. For instance, if you are considering a second home mortgage loan, the calculators on this site will help you decide if it is a wise decision. Once you have run all the numbers on the calculator, and are ready for the next step, the site provides a list of reputable loan brokers to help you find the right company that meets your needs.

4. Mortgagemath.com: Mortgagemath.com offers a collection of online mortgage calculators. You can access their home mortgage calculators that compare mortgage loans. The online calculators also evaluate amortization and loan payments for all types of mortgages including interest only mortgages, ARMs or 30-year fixed. These calculators help you compare the mortgage interest you’d be paying over the life of the loan. The site tries to combine fun with the tedious task of computing and comparing mortgage rates. Whether it is a decision to buy a home or refinance your existing one, these calculators help you make wise financial decisions and get the most out of your home.

5. Calculators4Mortgages.com: This aesthetically pleasing site offers calculators for amortization, loan comparison, refinance and early payoff. The site’s calculators help you find out what kind of mortgage works best for you: fixed rate or an adjustable rate mortgage. You can determine the amount of mortgage you can afford with the pre-qualify calculator and then move on to determine your new monthly mortgage payments. The refinance mortgage calculator helps you calculate payments on debt consolidation mortgage loan and see your monthly savings. These calculators make it easy to work out how much you can afford to borrow and exactly what your repayments will be using time scales and interest rates. Their amortization schedule allows you to find a payment plan that enables you to reduce your debt gradually through monthly payments of principal. Their mortgage calculators help you find out how much house you can afford and how much extra you’ll need to pay in your monthly mortgage payment to pay off the loan in the number of years you select.

6. Financial Calculators: At Homefair, you’ll find calculators to determine the cost of a mortgage. Whether you are relocating or looking for a home loan, Homefair has the tools and resources to help you every step of the way. In addition to helping you calculate your rates, the site also provides information on how the APR on your loan is calculated and the things you need to consider when looking for a house.

7. Karl’s Mortgage Calculator: This site helps you calculate mortgage repayments through graphical sliders and charts. You’ll need to have Java installed to chart your payments on this calculator. The prepayment section helps you estimate how you can shorten the term of your mortgage by making either a single one-off payment or continuous extra monthly or annual payments. There is a section devoted to calculating Adjustable Rate Mortgage loan rates. All you need to do is enter a start month to activate and click on the interest rate graph to view how this section alters the interest rates over the term of the mortgage.

8. Mortgage Loan Calculators: The site offers calculators for amortization payments, interest rates and financial calculations. The Mortgage Loan Calculator helps you generate an amortization schedule for your current mortgage. It shows you how much interest you will pay as well as your principal balance. You can even determine the impact of any principal prepayments! Press the report button for a full amortization schedule, either by year or by month. The Mortgage Qualifier calculator takes you through the process of finding out how much you can borrow, while the Mortgage Refinance Break Even aids you in finding out how long it will take to break even on a mortgage refinance.

9. Free Mortgage Analyzer: This mortgage amortization schedule calculator displays an amortization schedule, loan chart, graphs, and a mortgage payment table. It also calculates both total as well as real interest paid. The calculators provide an instant graphical display on loan amounts from one thousand to five hundred million dollars. You can make use of amortization charts and graphs for both US and Canadian mortgages. Options for monthly or bi-weekly payments are available with their innovative, java-enhanced calculator.

10. Mortgage Resources: Financial Calculators: Mortgage Resources provides you with calculators for every issue concerning real estate finance. The qualification calculator helps you approximate your qualification for a new home while the mortgage calculator provides you with an amortization schedule for a proposed transaction. The calculator even allows you to figure in regular prepayments. If you just want to calculate the payment on a mortgage loan, simply enter the amount, interest rate and loan duration into the Simple Loan Payment Calculator. If you have or are considering a 3, 5, 7 or 10-year balloon mortgage; the Convertible Balloon Mortgage calculator helps you understand the advantages and risks inherent in these programs.

11. Erate: Erate offers a multitude of mortgage calculators for both home buyers and home owners. The site bases its calculations on the sound reasoning that there are many ways to approach an affordability analysis. Hence, their mortgage calculators allow you to assess the effects of the different variables when buying or refinancing a home. The monthly mortgage payment calculator is one of the most useful and straightforward mortgage calculators available. It allows you to explore the outcome of changes to your loan balance, mortgage term, and interest rate on your monthly mortgage principal and interest payments. The refinance mortgage calculator allows you to explore the pros and cons of refinancing your mortgage while the qualifier calculator shows you how much income you need to buy a home, based on your mortgage payment and other factors.

12. (Re)Finance Center: This site provides a variety of mortgage and financial calculators as well as financial advice. The Calculators & Advice section helps you work out the financial implications of the important decisions in your life like buying a home or a car, refinancing your existing mortgage, and paying off your debt. In addition to calculators, the site has many useful articles and service providers all in one place. This makes it easy for you to learn everything you need to know about loans.

13. Distinctive Home Lending: Distinctive Home Lending provides several online mortgage calculators. The monthly payment calculator calculates your payment for different loan amounts, interest rates, and amortization terms while the payment schedule calculator computes the breakdown of principal and interest payments in a yearly or monthly format. In addition to these basic calculators, you can also check the Extra Payment calculator that, as the name suggests, helps you find out how much you can save over the term of your loan by increasing your monthly payment. You can also calculate your maximum mortgage amount based upon the monthly payment, interest rate, and term that you enter.

14. Coastal Financial Company: The site provides a variety of mortgage and financial calculators. The financial calculator on this site requires a browser with Java(TM) applet Support. The mortgage qualifier calculator takes you through the process of finding out how much you can borrow. All you need to do is fill in the entry fields and click on the ‘View Report’ button to see a complete amortization schedule of your mortgage payments. The simple mortgage calculator on this site is a no-frills application and helps you calculate your rates without any fuss. Other calculators include the Refinance Break-Even Point Calculator, and Early Payoff Calculator among others.

15. MyCalculators.com: Tired of online calculators that don’t seem to give you the right answers? Here’s one site that was created to correct this problem. The calculators were created with two basic intentions: to make them as accurate as possible and ensure that they are fast and easy to use. In addition to mortgage loan calculators, you’ll find calculators that compute your debt quotient, auto loans and many other loans. Examples that accompany each calculator guide you and show you some of the things you can do with them. If you have a Canadian mortgage, you can check the "Canadian" box under the Interest Rate field. The calculators take into account the fact that Canadian mortgages compound interest twice annually instead of monthly. Due to rounding, the calculations may differ by a few cents from those of your lending institution.

16. LoanLinks.com: This site helps you find the best loan in seconds in addition to providing you with online financial calculators to help compute your loan amounts. These easy to use calculators help you solve some common financial problems. For instance, the mortgage calculators help you decide if you should refinance your home mortgage as well as calculate payments for a fixed rate and adjustable rate loans. Other calculators help you find how much house you can qualify for and how much you can actually afford.

17. Vipps.com: The mortgage payment calculator at Vipps.com allows you to do mortgage payment and closing costs calculations. The calculator includes an analysis of mortgage refinancing. It includes an analysis of paying points to receive a lower interest rate. The calculator is formatted and runs in Microsoft Excel and provides you with information on your mortgage payment, closing costs, amortization, affordability, a what-if analysis, a refinance analysis, and paying points to receive a lower interest rate analysis. The site also includes a worksheet containing links to 25 real estate websites. However, this calculator doesn’t come free: you’ll have to shell out $15 if you want this detailed calculator.

18. Sksi.com: This site acts as a one-stop shop for everyone – it provides mortgage and loan calculators for realtors, lenders, brokers and consumers. In addition to free calculators that help you make an informed decision, the site also claims to provide information on the rules that mortgage companies use. In addition to the simple loan calculator, you can also check out the prepayment calculator, amortization table maker, qualifying calculator and payment calculator.

19. Dave.imarc.net: The PHP Mortgage Calculator can be used to calculate monthly payments of a home mortgage loan. The calculator takes into consideration Private Mortgage Insurance (PMI), taxes, and shows amortization of principal and interest. Property taxes and automatic calculation of PMI for loans where down payment is less than 20% are also factored into the monthly mortgage payment.

20. TimeValue Software: This one is not exactly for home owners but rather for real estate professionals. The easy-to-use Tcalc Financial Calculators from TimeValue Software (TVS) provides a list of mortgage, investment, lease, personal finance, and retirement planning calculators. The easy to use question and answer format, helpful charts and online graphing calculators assist you in your analysis.

1. Google Sketchup: Use this versatile 3D tool to design new models, help with the modeling of your kitchens, bathrooms and other areas of your home and plan your garden landscape. User friendly and simple to use, Version 6 of Sketchup allows you to upload your designs to Google Earth using real world coordinates and share them with others through Google’s 3D Warehouse. The site also provides video tutorials and user guides for those who need extra help.

2. Small Blue Printer: This online tool helps you with the blueprints for your home. You can either start from scratch or load an existing design and modify it according to your taste. You can view the isometric projection of your plan or take a 3-D walk around inside the walls you create. If you’re not able to stay connected to the Internet, there’s a smaller version of Small Blue Printer available to download and use on your PC.

3. Garden Planner: This online tool, as the name suggests, helps you plan your garden and makes designing your landscape a piece of cake. You can view an animated demonstration of how the software works before you start building your own design. A smaller file is available as a download if you prefer to work offline.

4. Envisioneer Express 3.0: Winner of a Users’ Choice award, this freeware allows you to create floor plans, 3D models and interior designs for your home. You can also display and review professional designs created with other software such as Cadsoft Envisioneer, 3D Home Architect Series, the Carey Bros 3D Deck and Landscape, IMAGINiT Builder 3D, the Home Depot 3D Home Designer, the Home Depot 3D Landscape Designer and CFM 3D Comfort Zone.

5. RSMeans QuickCost Estimator: The process of designing your house doesn’t just involve drawing plans and placing objects; there is no possibility of your design becoming a reality if you overshoot your budget. So before you start building based on your blueprint, make sure you’re well within your means with this calculator tool. It provides you with approximate costs for more than 50 building types across 930 locations in the United States and Canada.

6. 3D Kitchen Designer: Start at square one or use precooked prototypes to design your dream kitchen using this easy to use free online tool. Use it to create your floor plan before you put in the cabinets of your choice. Then add your appliances, doors, windows, sinks and countertops in the style and color of your choice. You can also use this resource to remodel an existing kitchen.

7. Design a Room: Use this online resource to design each room in your home. Select various types of room styles, then match your ceiling, floor colors and textures accordingly. Outfit kitchens with the cabinetry and appliances of your choice. You can enlarge your design or save them to your personalized product folder.

8. Patio Designer: Are you planning on adding a patio to your home? This is the perfect tool to help you with the design and layout. You can choose to add to three ready-made designs or create your own.

9. Resene EzyPaint: Before you splurge on paints for your house, you should explore the appearances that different colors provide. This virtual paint software helps you do just that. Compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems, this tool includes a video to help you get started.

10. Arrange-a-Room: Not sure how you’re going to place all of your furniture in your new home? You don’t have to lug heavy chairs and couches back and forth to see how they’ll fit. Use Arrange-a-Room instead. Download the Shockwave plug-in and you’ll be set to go. Play around with your furniture layout in each room until it’s perfect for you.

11. See My Design: This interactive online tool helps you plan your design, select your interiors and choose the right paint colors. Plus, there are options to help you decide on the best floors and comfortable positioning of your lights.

12. Stock house plans: Unable to come up with a plan for your house? This website provides a list of plans for various styles of houses. The styles include a varying number of floors, different rooms and their dimensions all around. You can also alter the plans according to your specific needs.

13. Kohler Plumbing CAD Symbols: If you’re stumped by the plans for your bathrooms and kitchen, turn to Kohler Plumbing CAD Symbols. Download the 2D and 3D symbols for AutoCAD from their site.

14. SunAngle: If you want to do your part to help the environment, build an eco-friendly home. Use SunAngle to strategically use the power of the sun for heating in the winter and staying cool in the summer. Use their solar calculator to determine the angle of the sun’s rays according to location, time and date.

15. Dream Green Homes: Unable to figure out where to start when planning your environmentally friendly home? Your search stops here. Dream Green Homes provides users with sustainable plans and layouts for different styles of homes. You’ll consider the building materials used and the functions that the house will serve.

16. The Natural Home: This is a great resource to check out if you’re looking for information on sustainable home designing. Their information includes passive solar, zero-energy, high thermal mass and do it yourself solar house plans.

17. Building Cost: This site features a calculator that allows you to estimate the cost of building your home. The estimates are based on labor and materials used as well as the size, location and design of the house.

18. Paint Online: Choose your home’s model and experiment with colors of your choice for the exterior and interior.

19. Chief Architect: Use this tool to not only create your floor plans, elevations, cross sections and landscapes, but also to calculate the approximate cost of building your home. The trial version of this software is free.

20. The Complete Home Journal: More of a planner and organizer than design software, the trial version of this tool is free to use. It allows you to get your inventory under control, organize your project details and print out relevant reports. The trial versions are fully functional, but you won’t be able to save your plans.

1. For Sale By Owner (FSBO): Stick a For Sale By Owner sign out on your yard to let prospective buyers know that your house is up for sale and that you’re in charge of the entire transaction. Get the word out by using these methods:

• Advertising in local newspapers or other media;
• Posting fliers in apartment complexes and various public locations around town;
• Informing friends, relatives and acquaintances that you’re selling your home;
• Hosting an open house in which buyers can walk in and look around your house on a predetermined day;
• Sending out details of your house to local real estate agents.

2. Sell to the highest bidder: Auction your home on the traditional chopping block or online with eBay. Put up attractive details, set your base price and let buyers battle it out to snap up your home. Use eBay or other auction websites like uBid and Bidz or register with traditional auction houses in your area.

3. Advertise inventively: Are tried and true methods not working? Go for wild and wacky, then! Throw a high-profile party in your home and be sure to mention to all attendees that the home they are having a great time in is for sale. Or, grab the attention of everyone that passes by: rent a billboard to advertise your house.

4. Sell using a lease option: Allow buyers plenty of time to decide if they are really ready to buy your home for keeps: let them lease your house with the option to buy when the lease has run out. This not only allows prospective buyers more time to decide on the house, but it also provides you with some income in the interim.

5. Sell on the Internet: Take advantage of the popularity of the Internet to offload your home. Advertise on various web pages with attractive pictures. This is a low cost option that allows you to reach buyers in locations outside of your metro area.

6. Get on TV: Staging is becoming the trendiest way to sell your house. Reality shows span all genres and the real estate world is no exception. This is evident in programs like Sell this House, Get it Sold, Designed to Sell, Take this House and Sell it, and Buy Me. They allow sellers to see buyers’ reactions to houses up for sale and provide them with small monetary amounts. They also offer sellers helpful suggestions from real estate, design and home improvement experts to enhance their home’s appeal.

7. Upload movies on the Internet: Sell your house by letting prospective buyers take a video tour. Shoot videos of the various rooms in your house and upload them on video sites on the Internet. Besides the ever-popular YouTube, you have options like JumpCut, Motionbox, Video Egg and Grouper.

8. Use social networking sites: Do you have a profile on Orkut or MySpace? Use your network to get the word out about the sale of your home. Post pictures and video, then get everyone you know to spread the news.

9. Sell with an MLS Listing: You may not be interested in using the services of an agent, but many buyers use on. Instead of a full listing service, use flat-fee MLS so that buyers and their agents are allowed access to details of your house.

10. Sell to a franchise company: If you’re in a hurry to sell and not horribly concerned about the price, franchise buyers are your best bet. They buy your home at below market price after conducting appraisals to determine a price for your house. If you need to get a house off of your hands in a hurry, contact a franchise buyer to see what they can offer you.

No matter how you plan to sell your home, take these tips into consideration:

• Prepare your home: clean up the exterior and make sure the interior is free of clutter. A well-maintained home is the best advertisement there is.
• Set your asking price after doing a small amount of research. Try and estimate the real value of your home by taking into account the prices of similar houses in the neighborhood. 
• Only consider offers from buyers who are pre-qualified for a mortgage.
• Make sure you have a good real estate attorney at hand to care of legal issues.
• Be prepared to handle the stress and tension of negotiations.

Jason Elder presents Bankruptcy - The Best Ways to Deal With It posted at A Bankruptcy Lawyer’s Blog. If you are thinking about filing for bankruptcy, you have come to the right place. You might be feeling overwhelmed, stressed and confused. Lets get you started on the track towards financial freedom and see what the best ways of dealing with bankruptcy are.

The Skilled Investor presents Lifetime investment assets of renters — with investment cost improvements posted at THE SKILLED INVESTOR Blog. Fran and Fred expect to pay investment costs that are typical of an average investor. This graphic is one of the reasons why The Skilled Investor keeps harping about reducing investment expenses. Even average investment costs are simply outrageous, and they can be the difference between success and failure of a family’s lifetime financial plan.

KCLau presents Why Invest in Land? posted at KCLau’s Money Tips. Most people think that land investment is only for real estate developers, who buy big parcels of land for commercial, or residential development. But actually, investing in land is one of the sound investment strategies available for common investor, both large and small.

Bela presents Ghosts in the Radiators: My Crash Course in Home Heating | House Chronicles posted at House Chronicles. Bela shares her experience.

Steve Faber presents - More Money Saving Tips posted at Debt Free. ……chances are you can still save substantial money and feel way more comfortable doing it by doing some basic weather proofing and maintenance to your home. Here are some quick money saving tips for decreasing energy usage around the house.

Mike presents Pools are expensive: Our yearly costs posted at Clever Dude Personal Finance & Money. Discuss the problems and costs with owning a pool.

Mark Cutler presents Using Mirrors in Decoration posted at Mark Cutler Design. Enjoy this article on using mirrors in decoration.

That concludes the 8th edition of the Carnival of Home Improvement. Next edition of this carnival will be hosted here on 30 July 2007. You can submit your posts here.

SpiKe presents Clutter 101: The Landing Strip posted at Organize IT. The landing strip is that immediate space you come to as you enter your house where you can feasibly drop your baggage. Though typically this is a hallway, it can be whatever room you pass through as you enter/leave your home. The nearer to the door the better though.

Michelle Mitchell presents scribbit: Tips for Your Next Remodel | A Blog About Motherhood in Alaska posted at scribbit. For those of you who can stand to hear more of my whining about the state of my home right now I’ve put together a list of tips for guiding you through the nightmare that is The Remodel. May it guide you through life’s tough times.

Matthew Paulson presents It’s Time to Dump Your Cable Bill: Get Free TV Online posted at Getting Green. Joost is a new option currently in beta that will allow you to watch many cable channels online just as if you were watching them on television, and do so all for free. You’ll be able to see networks such as MTV, Comedy Central, The Soccer Channel, National Geographic, and Sci-Fi. Currently the software is available on an invite only basis, but if you do some looking online, chances are you’ll be able to get an invite without very much effort.

Eric Hudin presents Protect, Provide & Profit - A Family Limited Partnership posted at My Estate Planning Career Blog. A Family Limited Partnership is becoming one of the most popular methods to pass the equity in a larger estate to the heirs at a discounted tax rate, while retaining control, and at the same time, protecting the assets from lawsuits.

Thomas Humes presents Millionaire Mind - Think Like A Millionaire posted at Wealth Building World. Millionaires, multi millionaires and billionaires have a unique way of looking at money. Learn about it and apply it to your own thinking.

Kristen presents Does Your ARM Have an Interest Cap? posted at LoanShak. When you apply for a mortgage loan, there are a few mortgage loan questions that you need answered before you sign the papers. One of these questions has to do with the cap on your mortgage interest rate.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Lessons, Pay Taxes On Your Winnings! posted at The Digerati Life. Wouldn’t you like to be a chosen homeowner for the ABC show “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”, when a team of top builders will alight upon you, change your life in a few short days and turn your environment into a grand statement of luxury? Oh yeah, if only to be blessed by such fortune.

Edithyeung presents How to Analyze Real Estate: Single Family Homes (SFH) posted at Stewart Hsu. The real estate world is full of different types of investments. Similar to the fields of medicine or law, where you can specialize in pediatrics, dermatology, oncology, etc. or criminal, civil, corporate, etc.

Mark J. Donovan presents Trepidations on Starting Home Remodeling Project posted at HomeAdditionPlus. Mark shares his experience on home building.

Stefanie presents To Pergo or not to Pergo? posted at Random Encounters of We. Stefanie and her husband need suggestions about the Pergo. They are in the middle of a floor situation.

that concludes the 7th edition of the Carnival of Home Improvement. Next edition of this carnival will be hosted on 14 July, 2007. You can submit your posts here.

Alanna presents Guide to Home Improvement posted at BBB Consumer Education. Slide show about Home Repair Scams and protecting yourself and your money.

Kristen presents Distressing wood posted at Shakhammer. Get the look of distressed wood in 5 easy DIY steps.

Silicon Valley Blogger presents Proof That Buying A House Is Impossible In Some Local Real Estate Markets posted at The Digerati Life. The median priced house in America today only costs 22% of the median income compared to 20 years ago when it supposedly cost over 30% of that income? Today you are expected to only spend 22% of your pretax pay on mortgage payments to buy the typical house.

Livingalmostlarge presents Condo Hell Update #2 posted at Living Almost Large. Dealing with neighbors in a condo association.

Mark Cutler presents Designing with One Color posted at Mark Cutler Design. Here is an article about using a simple color scheme in your home.

Eric Stanley presents Getting Money to Finance Your Purpose in Life posted at Personal Finance Blog Articles. Everyone has a purpose in life. Did you know that you can have as much money as you want, if you use it to finance your purpose in life?

WBL presents Understanding Your Mortgage posted at Wealth Building Lessons. Your mortgage is the biggest financial commitment you’ll ever make. Most people spend more time trying to save a few hundred dollars on their kitchen appliances than on trying to save tens of thousands on their mortgage.

Edithyeung presents How to Analyze Real Estate: Single Family Homes (SFH) posted at Stewart Hsu. For a SFH, your primary source of income is going to be the rent received from your tenant/renter. If it’s a furnished home, you would likely charge more rent than an unfurnished home.

That concludes the 6th edition of the Carnival of Home Improvement. Next edition of this carnival will be hosted here on 28 June, 2007. Feel free to submit your posts here.

ISPF presents Why Do Some People Prefer to Pre-Pay Mortgage, while Others Prefer to Invest the Money Instead? posted at Grad Money Matters. Rationally, it makes more financial sense to stash the additional money we have in a well-chosen index fund. But month after month, we apply the money to the principal of our mortgage loan. It’s not like we are this irrational all the time. So, why are we so irrational when it comes to mortgage?

Manos Peglis presents Home Decorating Mistakes posted at Home Improvements. Most people have great decorating ideas which they have picked up from books, magazines, looking at model homes, or as they see places in their daily routine.

Almomento presents 10 Steps to Better Efficiency in Your Day to Day Life posted at BurstCreativity. Ability to be creative in all of the aspects of our life can enhance it beyond belief. Since creativity enhances with practice, we have to put ourselves through an intense emergence into the world of creativity, to make a profound change in how we approach life. We will condition our mind to think creatively where before it wasn’t natural for us to do so.

Mark Cutler presents Top 5 Things for a Powder Room posted at Mark Cutler Design. Get tips on how to improve your Powder Room.

Ben presents The Costs of Being a Homeowner posted at Money Smart Life. An air conditioner out, a leaky roof, and a threatening flood make it an interesting week as a homeowner.

Kristen presents Decorating small spaces posted at Shakhammer. 3 good and practical tips on how to decorate a small space.

KRG presents Why Buying a House is Better Than Renting posted at FIL-AM WORDS. Reasons why home ownerships is better than renting.

Steve Faber presents - American Homes - How Large Can They Get? posted at Debt Free. If you are already into a home, be aware what new home buyers are now looking for when you evaluate remodel projects with an eye toward future value enhancement.

That concludes the 5th edition of the Carnival of Home Improvement. Keep submitting your posts to the future editions of this carnival. Thank you for your support and contribution.

Hi Everyone! We are here with the Carnival of Home Improvement. I am sure that you will find the featured posts useful and interesting. Although only 7 posts are featured on this edition, they are the real gems. Without further ado, here are the posts in the order they were received.

Barry Mahfood presents Should You Add Storm Protection? posted at Central Florida Real Estate News. The Orlando Sentinel today has a good article about the affordability of upgrading your home’s storm protection.

ISPF presents Should You Get a 40 (or 50) Year Mortgage? posted at Grad Money Matters. Very long-term mortgages (40 or 50 years) are offered in some of the west coast cities and are touted as options for bringing home ownership within the reach of the common man. What is the true cost of taking out such a long term mortgage? What are the alternatives?

Kristen presents Environmental Shift posted at Shakhammer. When it comes to environmentally friendly commercial buildings, St. Louis is one of the 10 greenest in the country.

ISPF presents Steps to Avoid Foreclosure: What to Do When You Can’t Keep Up With Mortgage Payments posted at Grad Money Matters. If you are one of the unfortunate people snagged into a sub-prime loan or know of someone who is, and finding it hard to keep up with the mortgage payments, it is important to remember that a foreclosure can be avoided.

Darius presents How much worse can housing get? posted at Related to Mortgage. The slow drift downward in long-term rates stopped this week, the 10-year T-note at 4.69 percent, mortgages settling just above 6.25 percent.

Tracy Coenen presents Home buyers suing to get out of contracts posted at FRAUDfiles. Cancellation rates on these home buying contracts may be as high as 30%. The story highlights a few situations in Florida, where attorneys are even advertising their services to people who want to get out of their contracts.

Kristen presents Build your own solar panels posted at Shakhammer. Solar panels are great, if you have the space then you can have as many as wish and place them anywhere as long as they get the sun most of the time, the draw back to using solar panels is the cost, they are very expensive, so much so that the savings may not pay for the installation for years to come, that is the downside of using solar power.

That concludes the 4th edition of the Carnival of Home Improvement. Keep submitting your posts to your favorite carnival. We expect a sharp increase in the number of submissions over the next few weeks.

Welcome to the third edition of the Carnival of Home Improvement. Here are the posts that have been featured this week. We don’t have any particular piece that we can term the best among all. All the posts have been given equal importance. Without further ado, here are the posts in the order they were received.

Joshua Dorkin presents Establishing a Partnership for a Real Estate Deal posted at Real Estate Investing For Real. If you don’t take the time to work up a formalized agreement and purchase a property with partners, you can get yourself into some real trouble.

Tracy Coenen presents Have you been taken by mortgage fraud? posted at FRAUDfiles. Read about a mortgage fraud.

Praveen presents 4 Red Flags For Home Repair Fraud posted at My Simple Trading System. The Illinois attorney general’s Consumer Protection Division listed construction and home repair improvement fraud as the third most common consumer complaint, after identity theft and credit-related issues.

Matthew Paulson presents How to Reduce Your Home Electrical Usage posted at Getting Green. A lot of people rarely ever think about all of the energy that they are using in their home, and as a result they pay a much higher energy bill than they need to. By taking a few simple steps, you can easily reduce your electric bill by anywhere from twenty to forty percent. Consider these ways to cut your home electrical usage.

Madeleine Begun Kane presents Dog Days Of Roofing posted at Mad Kane’s Humor Blog. "Our roofers must enter your yard, But their access is blocked by your guard".

Steve Faber presents Housing Values Throughout the Country - What $300,000 Will Get You posted at Debt Free. Obviously, the affordability of a home in your area has a huge impact on your standard of living. It varies widely throughout different areas of the united states.

Sara Goldstein presents Home and lifestyle advice: the best of The Bargain Queen. � The Bargain Queen blog posted at The Bargain Queen blog. In a year of writing about home improvement on a budget (among other things), these are the absolute best posts I’ve come up with. Enjoy!

Clint presents 5 Home Improvement Projects That Will Raise Your Home’s Value posted at DIY Disaster Avoidance. In talking about recouping home improvement costs there is one room that should be held above all others: Kitchen. The kitchen is the single best place to remodel in order to raise the value of your home.

That concludes the third edition of the Carnival of Home Improvement. Keep submitting your posts to the future editions of this carnival. Thank you for your support and contribution.