Saturday Reporter-Herald D ecember 25, 2010 E1

• •www.homeandrealtyguide.com Saturday, December 25, 2010 Reporter-Herald

2963 Purgatory Creek Dr.

PPPaaagggeee EEE333

Property of the Week

Director yPPPaaagggeee EEE555

Inside thisweek’s Home &Real Estate

Real EstateMatters

� See GLINK/Page E3

Founded on Integrity

PAID A D V E RT O R I A L

As a company withfundamentalsfounded around

honesty and integrity, anda customer-focused busi-ness model, it is no won-der why CornerstoneMortgage Company isflourishing in the midst ofa challenging economicclimate.

In March, 2010, Corner-stone returned to Col-orado after purchasingback the company in late2006 from a nationalbanking institution. Cor-nerstone now has 23 of-fices in Colorado, with ahome base in Fort Collins,and is well-equipped toserve the lending needs ofthe entire front range. Ad-ditional offices are locatedin Greeley, Fort Collins,Longmont, Denver metroand numerous other Col-orado cities.

The Colorado arm ofCornerstone is headed byDivision President, GeneHumphries and DivisionVice President, JimHunter. Both of whomhave significant years inthe industry as well as aclose professional and per-sonal relationship. Bothmen have a similar workethic, and their commit-ment to the mortgagebusiness and their cus-tomers is their numberone priority.

Marc Laird, CornerstoneChairman and CEO, saidthe company’s core valuesare what differentiatesCornerstone from othermortgage lenders.

“We ’ve earned the op-portunity to assist morethan 140,000 homeownerswith the purchase and refi-nance of their homes; 68percent of our total loanvolume is generated fromrepeat business and refer-rals from former home-buying customers, andwe’ve grown to becomethe seventh-largest inde-pendent mortgage compa-ny in the nation,” he said.

Cornerstone’s reputa-tion as a top home lenderhas been built on 22 yearsof operations. Cornerstonehas found success in giv-ing its loan officers thetools to exceed its cus-

tomers’ expectations. Cor-nerstone loan officers haveaccess to a variety of sys-tems and support staffthat help them to providetheir clients with mort-gage guidance and plan-ning.

“We value each and ev-ery one of our customers,and we want the very bestfor them and their individ-ual financial futures,”Laird said. “We use everyresource at our disposal tosupport our loan officersso that they can offer indi-vidualized customer ser-vice and the ideal mort-gage solutions to all oftheir clients.”

AUTOMATED PRICINGENGINE

Cornerstone’s loan offi-cers are able to use an Au-tomated Pricing Engine toinstantly search amongthe company’s dozens ofapproved investor sourcesfor the best price availableto each client. They arethen able to help each cus-tomer choose a loan pro-gram that best suits theirpersonal financial goals.

“The Automated PricingEngine is ideal for assist-ing our loan officers asthey help their clientschoose the mortgage pro-gram that will most bene-fit their long- and short-term needs,” said Sec-ondary Systems Adminis-trator Anne Connolly. “It’simportant to provide morethan just a loan to cus-tomers. With the pricingengine, we are able to pro-vide a solid plan on whichthey can design their fu-ture.”

SECONDARY MARKETING

Cornerstone employs aspecialized SecondaryMarketing Departmentthat provides support sole-ly to the company’s LoanOfficers. They keep theLoan Officers up to dateon regulation changeswithin the industry, newproducts available in themarketplace and changesin qualifications for exist-ing programs.

“Our Secondary Market-ing Department worksvery hard to ensure thatour Loan Officers stay cur-rent with the industry’smany changes,” said VicePresident of SecondaryMarketing Dionne Ward.

“We pay attention towhat our Loan Officersneed to know and keepthem informed so they canfocus on providing first-class service to theirclients, and they are ableto use the information we

provide to best use the Au-tomated Pricing Engine tofind the right home loanprogram for each individu-al customer.”

STAFFED FOR SUCCESS

In addition, Corner-stone’s loan officers arecarefully selected andtrained to give customersthe best possible homelending experience.

“Cornerstone hires onlythe best professional, ex-perienced loan originatorswho are passionate aboutserving their customersand referral partners,”Laird said.

“And we support ourloan originators with largenumbers of supporting

staff and proprietary, ad-vanced technologies tomake the loan approvalprocess easy and timely.Most importantly, we con-trol our own processing,loan approval and loanfunding functions to en-sure that our loans closeon time, all the time.”

A BRIEF HISTORY

Cornerstone wasfounded in 1988 by Lairdand President and ChiefOperating Officer JudithBelanger. In 1984 the twobegan working on a busi-ness model that would bebased on client satisfac-tion, and that the best wayfor a large company toachieve that would be to

offer as much support totheir loan officers as possi-ble so that they, in turn,could focus on the cus-t o m e r.

“Four years later, weopened the doors of ourdream company, and allsigns point to the factthat we were right,” L airdsaid.

“Despite the cyclicalnature of the mortgageindustry, our basic princi-ple of supporting our LoanOfficers so they canprovide superior customerservice to their clients hasserved us well for 22 years.I believe that principlewill continue to be suc-cessful as we re-enterC o l o r a d o. ”

Cor nerstoneMor tgageCompanyreturns toColorado

Photo courtesy Cornerstone Mortgage

Quitclaimdeeds vs.

living trustsILY C E GLINK AND SAMUEL J.TAMKINTRIBUNE MEDIA SE RV I C E S

Question: My dad boughta house in his name on-ly. Later, he marriedmy aunt. They had a liv-

ing trust done to leave every-thing to all of their children. Myaunt showed me a quitclaimdeed my dad had signed thatgave her the house.

She wasn’t sure if this wasright. I told her to ask the attor-ney who did the living trust. Shesaid she did and the attorneysaid it was OK, as that the trustwould supersede the quitclaimdeed. Is this true?

Answer: Generally, the answerto your question would be “N o. ”But, there are some exceptions.If your dad and your aunt trans-ferred title to the home into theliving trust, the living trustwould and should be the ownerof the property. Many peoplework hard and set up livingtrusts, only to forget to transferthe property they own into theliving trust.

In order for a living trust towork right, the living trust mustbe the owner of the property. Aquitclaim deed transfers any in-terest a person has in a propertyto a second person. If the per-son signing the quitclaim deeddoes not own an interest in aproperty, the quitclaim deeddoes not transfer anything. So,if the living trust owns yourdad’s property, a quitclaim deed

PAID A D V E RT O R I A L

A dedicated loan officer with 37years of experience, Residential HomeLoan Consultant Sara Hart loves tohelp people finance their dreamhomes. She gives face-to-face personalservice and works hard to meet allcontract approval and closing dates.During her time in the mortgage in-dustry, she has been a processor, anunderwriter, a loan officer and an op-erations manager, but her true love isoriginating loans. She works tirelesslyto get the best interest rates and feespossible for her clients and attends allof her closings. In fact, she has no as-sistants, so she personally stays on top

of all the processing and closings.Sara attended Kearney State Col-

lege, and has been married to her hus-band for 38 years. Their son Cody isher production partner, and together,they are known as the Hart Team. Sheenjoys spending time with family andfriends, as well as reading, golfing andtravelling. She is trustworthy, knowl-edgeable and committed to excel-lence.

For first-class service from anexperienced and friendly mortgageprofessional, please contact Sara Harttoday at 970-797-3313 or atshart@houseloan.com. You can alsovisit her website at www.SaraHart.netto pre-qualify and experience theCornerstone Difference.

Meet Sara Hart

SARA HARTHome Loan Consultant

NMLS 269158

Direct: 970.797.3313

Mortgage Rates Have Started to Rise!Rates can’t stay low forever.

If you have been considering a refi nance or purchase transaction please contact me today.

LMB100031305. To check the license status of your mortgage loan originator, visit http://www.dora.state.co.us/real-estate/index.htm

2809 E. Harmony Road, Suite 200Fort Collins, Colorado 80528

970.206.4663

www.HartLending.com

52-322609

Saturday Reporter-Herald D ecember 25, 2010 E2

Mortgage rate update

30-year fixed

15-year fixed

5/1 ARM

This week Last week Tre n d

5.07%

4.45%

3.80%

4.96%

4.29%

3.80%

Regional Snapshot for Loveland/Berthoud Residential

September October

Active Listings 1,027 969 903Previous Year Active Listings 1,031 963 882

Sold Listings 114 105 90

Median Sales Price $196,000 $211,000 $206,819Previous Year Median $187,500 $201,500 $194,900

Average Days on the Market 133 121 131Previous Year ADOM 126 127 127

Year to Date Listings Sold 1,055 1,160 1,250Previous Year YTD Listing Sold 984 1,110 1,205

Monthly Volume $29,834,886 $27,400,541 $24,289,790Previous Year Monthly Volume $22,669,842 $32,560,029 $22,476,776

Home & Real Estate isproduced every Saturday

by the Loveland DailyReporter-Herald.

EDITORIAL INFORMATION635-3656

DISPLAY ADVERTISING669-5050

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING635-3650

For home and real estateadvice, features and

information, visitwww.homeandrealtyguide .com

N ov e m b e r

H& Real Estate TransactionsRE

Real Estate Transac-tions are supplied byProspects UnlimitedInc., 1151 Eagle DriveNo. 467, Loveland, CO80537, 667-1537.

L oveland• Vern Schramm

from Bank New YorkMellon, 4608 Nor-wood Ave, Loveland,$284,000, home

• Jamie Siefkenfrom Bnk TimberlineConstruction In,2154 Nucla Ave,Loveland, $330,000,home

• John & PatriciaRodgers fromMichael Calvelage,4739 Valley Oak Dr,Loveland, $721,000,home

• Jared & ChelseaHeveran fromDeutsche Bank Na-tional Trust C, 517Sunnyslope Pl, Love-land, $132,000,home

• Brian & Dale Hillfrom Firstbank, 2493Selenium Ct, Love-land, $135,000,home

• Emil Abrahamfrom Loveland Mid-town Development,1738 E 9th St, Love-land, $176,400,home

• Carl & ConnieLeonard from Love-land Midtown Devel-opment, 1831 Gemi-ni Ct, Loveland,$175,200, home

• Thomas & VioneDelany from MooreLiving Trust, 3310Apple Ave, Loveland,$216,000, home

• Jone Reddingtonfrom MSDS Proper-ties, 319 Reagan Dr,Loveland, $216,500,home

• Carl & JoniConiglio from StarWest LLC , 162 BrassCt, Loveland,$193,900, home

• Brian & DanaStringer from Ed-ward Winters, 2882Ariel Dr, Loveland,$225,000, home

• T L Robinsonfrom Phyllis Bassett,558 W 10th St, Love-land, $1,135,000,home

• Tyler Allen fromTrevor Charlson, 175Carina Cir Unit 104,Loveland, $152,000,condo

• Kayleena Brown-son from LovelandHabitat For Humani-ty, 2118 E 11th St,Loveland, $167,000,home

• Timm Revocablefrom Gary Brack,1314 35th St Sw,Loveland, $151,000,home

• Letha & LethaRobinson fromGilmore Family, 544W 10th St, Loveland,$121,000, home

• Michael Colley

from Jeffrey Swartz,3113 Ivy Dr, Love-land, $240,000,home

• Cory & KimberlyWindels from Wind-mill Properties #2LLC , 4748 LucilleCt, Loveland,$279,900, home

Berthoud• Andressa Marlan

from Rocky Moun-tain District Evange,624 E County Road8, Berthoud,$218,000, home

• Chad & TiffanyHymel from JamesWilson, 3100 Cotton-wood Ln, Berthoud,$356,000, home

Estes Park• Michael & Paula

Jeffress from RichardSkinner, 1180 Fair-way Club Cir Unit 2,Estes Park,$365,000, condo

• Richard & Debo-

ra Born from 2760Fall River Road #215LLC , 2760 Fall RiverRd Unit 215, EstesPark, $184,000, con-do

• Mark & AmyEkerberg from JamesEkerberg, 2315Spruce Ave, EstesPark, $292,000,home

• William Meltonfrom Lynn Lucht,510 Devon Dr, EstesPark, $320,000,home

• Lynn Lucht fromFrancis Neumayer,575 Devon Dr Unit A,Estes Park,$375,000, condo

Johnstown• Stanley Walker

from Scott Pickering,311 Saxony Rd,Johnstown,$325,000, home

• Aaron & Britta-nia Rice from Oak-wood Homes LLC ,

3860 Balsawood Ln,Johnstown,$196,800, home

• Jorge Coblentzfrom OakwoodHomes LLC , 3946Kenwood Cir, John-stown, $206,800,home

• Jaime Duncanfrom Mark Torres,4220 Onyx Pl, John-stown, $183,000,home

M i l l i ke n• Brian Luna from

Windmills LLC ,2801 Prairie Dr, Mil-liken, $164,300,home

Windsor• Daniel Mcguire

from Bac HomeLoans Servicing Lp,725 Apple Ct, Wind-sor, $120,000, home

• Dwane & MaxineBurton from DonaldBurton, 1011 Cot-tonwood Dr, Windsor,

$185,700, home• Walter Morrison

from VA, 912 ConiferCt, Windsor,$148,000, home

• Victoria Wagnerfrom Jewell Warner,1769 Dolores RiverDr, Windsor,$285,000, home

• John & ShellyBurton from MorganStanley Abs Capital,1232 Teakwood Ct,Windsor, $207,000,home

• Russell & CarolKates from Strath-more Homes I Inc,6620 Crooked StickDr, Windsor,$445,000, home

• Dustin Hellerfrom Aspen HomesColo Inc, 1980 ESeadrift Dr, Windsor,$353,100, home

• Carol Crandallfrom Susan Lind-holm, 1380 SaginawPointe Dr, Windsor,$220,000, home

ART I C L E RESOURCE AS S O C I AT I O N

For those who’ve ever dreamed ofbuying a vacation home in themountains, on the beach, or in

the big city, it’s becoming easier andmore common for people to make thatdream a reality.

In fact, Americans bought more thanhalf a million vacation homes last year,according to the National Association ofRealtors (NAR). Low mortgage rates,median sale prices that were down morethan 15 percent, and the potential forgenerating substantial rental revenueare among the reasons many have madetheir dreams of a second home cometrue.

While baby boomers have historicallyled vacation home purchases, nearlyhalf of the buyers in 2009 were underthe age of 45, and the median house-hold income of vacation home buyerswas $87,500 — down from $99,100 justtwo years ago.

“An increasing number of youngerbuyers are getting into the market, see-ing a vacation home as a long-term in-vestment and a source for ongoing per-sonal enjoyment and memories,” saidTom Kelly, author of “How a SecondHome Can Be Your Best Investment.”

Kelly points to the NAR Investmentand Home Buyers Survey that found va-cation homeowners plan to own theirhomes for an average of 16 years, upfrom 12 years in 2008 and 10 years in2007.

OFFSETTING THE COST OF VACATIONHOME OWNERSHIP

More people are able to afford a vaca-tion home due in large part to the po-tential revenue stream that comes withrenting the home to travelers — some -thing that’s become especially easythanks to the rapid growth of the onlinevacation rental industry in the past fewyears.

HomeAway, Inc., which operates on-line vacation rental sites HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com, has grown dramaticallysince it was founded in 2005. The com-pany now boasts more than 540,000 va-cation home listings.

“Our goal is to make it as easy as pos-sible for vacation home owners to adver-tise their properties and manage theirbookings online,” said Brian Sharples,founder and chief executive officer ofHomeAway. “We literally deliver millionsof rental inquiries each year to our own-ers who list their homes for rent on oursites.”

Those inquiries can lead to substan-tial revenue. Sharples said the averagesecond homeowner rents out their prop-erty to travelers about 20 weeks a year,generating more than $35,000 in rentalincome annually.

“The rental income that our home-owners generate can help cover atypical second home mortgage aswell as basic home maintenance and

repairs,” he said.

TIPS FOR GENERATING RENTAL IN-COME FROM A VACATION HOME

For those in the market to buy a vaca-tion home, Kelly offers the followingtips for where to buy, what toconsider and how to maximize rentalincome.

1. Carefully review the destinationswhere you enjoy vacationing, and beforeyou buy, consider the areas where con-sumer demand for vacation rentals ishigh.

2. Talk to an accountant about thetax advantages of owning and rentingout a second home.

3. When you’re ready to rent out theproperty, be sure to market the avail-ability of the vacation rental to travelersby advertising it.

4. Check out other similar vacationrentals in the area to determine whatrates they’re charging, and price yourhome competitively.

From dream to income stream

COLORADO AS S O C I AT I O N OF RE A LT O R S

The National Association of Realtors is be-ing extremely diligent in looking out forthe second home markets nationwide. Last

week during a conference call with NAR’s ResortLeadership and two of their lobbyists, RussellRiggs and Linda Goold, they gave participants anupdate on President Obama’s Deficit ReductionCommission recommendations including a mea-sure that would be very detrimental to the Re-sort and second home markets. The Resort andSecond Home Committee gave NAR’s PolicyCommittee five recommendations on current is-sues they believe will improve the Resort andSecond Home markets.

• GSE Lending and Liquidity: Encourage theGSE’s (Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac) to reviewand reform their restrictive lending practicesand guidelines in condominium markets nation-wide, especially in active resort and second homereal estate markets.

• Flood, Disaster and Property Insurance: Re-authorize and strengthen the long-term fiscal vi-ability of the National Flood Insurance Program(including accurate flood maps) and establish acomprehensive national policy to coordinatestate efforts and address a broader range of natu-ral disasters through property insurance.

• H-2B Visa Program: Improve the H-2B pro-gram by increasing the current number of visasavailable for temporary workers by reducing theprogram costs and regulatory burdens on em-ployers to take advantage of the program.

• Reforms to the Clean Water Act: Oppose leg-islation that seeks to expand Federal permittingauthority to non-navigable waters such as road-side ditches and ephemeral streams.

• Short Sales: Educate members and lendersabout the adverse economic impacts from theongoing concern in short sales.

You can contact George Harvey, NAR Vice-Chairman of the Resort and Second Home Com-mittee with any questions and comments at 970-729-0111 or at george@theharveyteam.net.

ThinkStock photos

NAR spursimprovements insecond home/rental market

—

Saturday Reporter-Herald D ecember 25, 2010 E3

signed after the transfer of the prop-erty to the trust should not transferany interest in the property to youraunt.

But, if the property was never trans-ferred into the living trust and yourfather signed a quitclaim deed trans-ferring title of the property to youraunt, your aunt would be the soleowner of the property today. If youraunt has that quitclaim deed and itwas recorded, she should be the own-er of the property. If your aunt hasthe quitclaim deed but it has notbeen recorded, then there is a ques-tion as to who owns the property atthis time.

You would need to know whetherthe property was ever transferred intothe name of the trust or not. If theproperty is still in your father’s name,the living trust won’t have anythingto transfer to the children upon yourfather’s and aunt’s deaths. And, ifthat quitclaim deed is recorded, theproperty would be in your aunt’sname and the property would trans-fer in accordance to her wishes in herwill or as set forth by the laws in thestate in which the property is locatedor where she dies.

It’s worth asking some more ques-tions to find out what is going on,particularly if the attorney told herthat the living trust should take careof the property. If the living trust is totake care of the property, the nextquestion to ask is what the purposeof the quitclaim deed was.

If you get your questions answeredand feel comfortable, you should endup fine. If you still have questions,you might want to get a second opin-ion from a different estate planninga t t o r n e y.

(Samuel J. Tamkin is a Chicago-based real estate attorney. Ilyce R.Glink’s latest book is “Buy, Close,Move In!” If you have questions forthem, write: Real Estate Matters Syn-dicate, PO Box 366, Glencoe, IL60022 or contact them through Ilyce’sWeb site, www.thinkglink.com.)

GLINKFrom Page E1 Pr i c e : $358,700

Built in: 2007Square feet: 1,939Bedrooms: 2Office: Ye sBathrooms: 2

This is a formerSeven LakesPatio Show

Home by Glen Prop-erties. The home hasa spacious, openfloor plan with an ex-tra large living room,hardwood floors, ahuge slab granitekitchen island, cus-tom tile work, a gasfire place and more.The home is in amaintenance freecommunity withlawn care and snowremoval provided bythe HOA. Enjoy numerous walking paths and lake rights.

Contact: Don Mackey at dmackey@prurmr.com or 970-667-2510

2963 Purgatory Creek Dr., Loveland

H& Property of the WeekRE

Find a pro to help you get organized in the New YearMETRO CR E AT I V E SE RV I C E S

It's not uncommon for individuals to hire apersonal trainer to help improve theirhealth. Nor is it out of the ordinary to hire

a nutritionist to help a person improve theireating habits.

Along those same lines, individuals mighthire a professional organizer to help them es-tablish and maintain a sense of order they finddifficult to do on their own.

The new year has arrived and once againthousands of people are adding "get organized"to their list of New Year's resolutions. Formany, come February or March such resolu-tions are long since forgotten, and the messesthat sparked the resolution in the first placeremain largely untouched. Relying on the ser-vices of a professional organizer can help indi-viduals to finally conquer clutter and other or-ganizational tasks.

When choosing a professional organizer,there are some things to keep in mind.

• Not all professional organizers provide thesame type of assistance. Some organizers onlyhelp corporate clients, while others may havecertain niches, like organizing closets or filingsystems. It's important to ask prospective pro-fessionals what their areas of specialty mightbe.

• Meeting with professional organizers canhelp narrow down the one that will work best.

This can be done over the phone or by e-mail.Some professional organizers offer free, in-per-son consultations. Others may charge for aconsultation but credit the fee to the first billif they're hired.

• Professional organizers may have a pricingplan in place, and others may be flexible.Some charge by the hour, while others use aper-project rate. Upon learning about the or-ganization project needed, the organizer willbe better equipped to give a rate. Pricing mayalso vary depending on geographic locationand how much competition is in the area.

• Some professional organizers are trainedto work with individuals with clinical disor-ders, such as ADD or compulsive hoarding. Iforganization is being done as part of a psycho-logical or medical treatment plan, a doctormay be able to refer an organizer who workswith patients. Other organizers hold certifica-tions in certain areas, such as interior designor feng shui. Questioning the organizer canhelp a prospective client learn about the orga-nizer's certification and style.

• To begin searching for a professional orga-nizer, one may want to use the resources ofthe National Association of Professional Orga-nizers. Membership does not guarantee a qual-ity job or that the organizer will be the rightfit, but it is an indication that the organizerhas a commitment to continuing educationand an industry code of ethics. MCS Photo

52-322021

Jim ChanceThe Group, Inc. Real Estate970-388-4261jchance@thegroupinc.com www.thegroupinc.com/3402

Updated Ranch, attached 3-car garage! 3bd, 2ba, new tile, carpet, paint & fresh new feel. Mstr bdrm has 3/4 bath. Covered east side patio. RV/boat parking. No HOA dues! MLS #640718. $190,000

3402 Red Maple Court

LARGE CORNER LOT ON CUL-DE-SAC!

FEATURED PROPERTIES -FEATURED PROPERTIES - VIEW PROPERTIES AT HOMEANDREALTYGUIDE.COMVIEW PROPERTIES AT HOMEANDREALTYGUIDE.COM

UP TO $199,999UP TO $199,999

Your online and print resource for residential,commercial and land for sale

Happy Holidays from

homeandrealtyguide.com

Happy Holidays from

Saturday Reporter-Herald D ecember 25, 2010 E4

ILY C E GLINKTRIBUNE MEDIA SE RV I C E S

Every year since I started writingthis column in 1993, I’ve offeredNew Year’s Resolutions for home

buyers and sellers, plus New Year’s finan-cial resolutions that everyone can use tostart their year off right.

I start by recapping what’s happened inthe world of real estate and then move onto some specific resolutions I think willhelp buyers and sellers move the ball for-w a rd .

This year, I’m sorry to say, has beenlousy for the real estate industry in gen-eral:

• Roughly 28 percent of homeownersare underwater or are nearly underwaterwith their mortgages, according to third-quarter 2010 data from CoreLogic.

• New home sales are at record low lev-els.

• Home prices haven’t moved much atall, and in some states are still declining.

• The overall number of households hasshrunk by millions.

• Millions of homes have received fore-closure notices this year, and it’s likelythat 2 million homes will have been fore-closed on by the end of 2010.

• Despite the lowest interest rates inhistory, millions of homeowners remainin financial jeopardy, unable to affordtheir payments and unable to refinancebecause of declining or negative equity intheir homes.

• The government’s Making Home Af-fordable programs have been a disaster,with just 10 percent of applicants beinggranted a permanent loan modification.In some cases, the loan modificationshave increased payments for homeown-ers, further jeopardizing their homeown-ership.

• The shadow inventory of homes isgrowing and may eventually reach anoth-er 4 to 12 million foreclosures, depend-ing on how quickly unemployment comesdown.

• Federal Reserve Chairman BenBernanke went on “60 Minutes” and an-nounced that America’s unemploymentlevels, which are officially at 9.8 percent(but are really more like 18 percent, ifyou include all those who are underem-ployed and have just given up on finding ajob), might take five years or more tonormalize.

• There’s still no consensus on what todo about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.The companies continue under Federalconservatorship (which is similar tobankruptcy). A new plan is due in Jan-uary, but I’m doubtful anyone will havefigured it out by then.

This isn’t a particularly happy state ofaffairs. And yet, hope blooms eternal. Sohere are a few New Year’s resolutions youshould make if you hope to buy a home in2011:

1. PULL A COPY OF YOUR CREDITHISTORY AND CREDIT SCORE

Mortgage lenders have become ex-tremely conservative and restrictive indeciding which mortgages will getfunded. Lenders will pull credit scoresfrom each of the three credit reportingbureaus, Equifax, Experian and Trans-Union, and then use the middle scoreto determine your loan’s interest rateand terms. You need to know that in-formation ahead of time. Go to annual-creditreport.com and receive a freecopy of your credit history and thenpay for your credit score (about $9).You can also go to each credit report-ing bureau and purchase a copy of yourcredit history and score, if you’ve al-ready used up your freebies. Even if youdon’t plan on buying a home or refi-nancing a home loan, you might wantto keep tabs on any issues that affectyour credit history.

2. PRACTICE GOOD CREDIT BEHAVIOR

Lenders regard those borrowers witha credit score above 780 as their bestborrowers. Unless your credit score isabove that level, you should work oneliminating any errors and practicinggood credit behavior so that your cred-it score rises. The best thing you cando? Pay your bills on time and in fulleach month. The next best thing youcan do is maintain four openand active lines of credit.Each credit reporting bureauoffers good credit behaviortips for free on its website, oryou can go to myfico.com,which is the consumer-facingcredit site owned by FairIsaac, the Minneapolis-basedcompany that invented theFICO score. (Full disclosure:

I contribute real estate posts to theEquifax Personal Finance Blog, whereEquifax’s credit experts blog aboutcredit trends and information.)

3. SHOP AROUND FOR THE BEST LOAN

Even though the federal governmentis backing more than 90 percent of allthe loans through Fannie Mae, FreddieMac, FHA, VA and USDA, it pays toshop around. Make sure you talk to atleast four or five lenders before yousign your application, including a “bigbox” lender, a small local lender, acredit union, a mortgage broker and anonline lender. Use the information youglean from each lender to negotiateone against the other and get a greatdeal for yourself. Yes, you’re allowed tonegotiate with lenders and ask them togive you a better deal.

4. CREATE A GREAT HOME BUYINGTEAM

Whether you’re buying investmentproperty or a home to live in, you’llwant to create a team of real estateprofessionals who can help you find theright property, at the right price, onthe best terms, without any headaches.Home buyers will want their team toinclude a great real estate agent, mort-gage lender, real estate attorney, taxpreparer (with experience in invest-ment real estate if you plan on buyingreal estate as an investment), and realestate inspector to start. Residentialreal estate investors will want to add a1031 exchange professional and com-mercial (if appropriate) inspector tothe mix.

Having the right team in place willgo a long way toward making yourdream of homeownership come true.

New Year’s resolutions for homebuyersH& Real Estate MattersRE

For more information, callGlink’s radio show at800-972-8255 on Sundaysfrom 9 to 10 a.m., write to RealEstate Matters Syndicate, P.O.Box 366, Glencoe, IL 60022 orvisit www.thinkglink.com.

Real Estate Matters

ART I C L E RESOURCE AS S O C I AT I O N

Major home renovations can be overwhelm-ing, but there are a few fundamental re-pairs that can update your home’s ap-

pearance and increase its value. If you’re planningto sell your home in 2011, take advantage of thecolder winter months to prepare your home for aspring sale by focusing on a few key projects:

MAKE A FIRST IMPRESSION

The entryway is the first up-close encounter apotential homebuyer will have with your home.Manicure your front yard and update or even re-place your front door to complement your home’sexterior. Select a rich, dark stained wood or boldwhite door to draw attention to the main entryand add personality to your home. If your door isalready in great shape, consider a simple replace-ment of weak or older-looking hardware that willimpress buyers at first sight.

GET COOKIN’ IN THE KITCHEN

Experts agree that a kitchen can significantlyimpact a home’s perceived value. An outdatedkitchen can be a deal breaker for many homebuy-ers. Naturally, then, it’s the place you mightspend the mostamount of timeupdating. To in-crease the ap-peal of yourkitchen, consid-er investing inupdated, match-ing appliancesthat match thestyle of yourkitchen. Somemanufacturerseven offer re-placement pan-els to updatethe exteriors ofolder appli-ances.

Next, if youcan’t afford toadd new cabinetry, change out the hardware sothe knobs, drawer pulls and handles match yourdecor and add a modern flair. Adding technology-driven fixtures, including built-in water filtrationsystems, garbage disposals and high-tech faucetsis another great way to increase the room’s ap-peal. Delta Faucet’s Touch2O Technology will im-press homebuyers and add a sense of luxury tothe room. The technology enables users to turnthe faucet on and off with just a touch anywhereon the spout or handle, and is available on a vari-ety of models.

UPDATE AND UPGRADE LIGHT FIXTURES

Lighting is key. It can drastically change thelook and feel of a room, and lighting fixtures are

affordable and rel-atively simple toinstall on yourown. Shop dis-count stores andhome improve-ment depots tofind a statementpiece to add spiceto your livingroom. A beautifulceiling fan withlighting can servedouble-duty to up-date your familyroom. Remember,well-lit and brightrooms appearlarger and moreopen.

STEP ON IT

Flooring is one of the first things that potentialhomebuyers notice. Make sure you dust, vacuumand clean so that you show off the flooring to itsbest advantage. If you have carpet, consider re-placing it with wood floors or wood alternatives. Ifyou already have hardwood floors, polish and pro-tect your flooring so that it gleams when poten-tial buyers step into the home.

Whether you’re trying to sell your home thiswinter or simply want to update its look, youdon’t have to wait until the spring thaws. Whenthe cold weather drives you inside, take advantageof the time to make attractive upgrades that canincrease the appeal and value to your home.

Selling your homein 2011? Tips toadd value duringwinter months

ThinkStock photos

AS S O C I AT E D DESIGNS

High and vaulted ceil-ings throughout givea sense of airy open-

ness to the Trinity, a midsizecountry-style home withfour roomy bedrooms. Fami-ly living spaces, along with agenerously sized owners’suite, are downstairs. Theother three bedrooms areon the upper level.

From the second floorbridge, you can overlookboth the dining room andthe family room. The apex ofthe vaulted ceiling thatspans dining room, entryand family room, is over-head, parallel to the bridge.

Multipaned windowsbrighten the dining room,and a wide bay expands theliving room. Both roomslook out across a nostalgicshaded porch that wrapsaround to the right. Butmost of the main floor is de-voted to the kind of spacesfamilies use day to day — alarge family room, L-shapedkitchen and bayed nook.

This comfortable area hasa centrally located woodstove and is wide open.Nothing more than an an-gled island with a raised eat-

ing bar breaks up the space.The built-in range and ovenmake it easy to serve soupsand other hot edibles direct-ly to waiting eaters. Thestep-in pantry provides addi-tional storage space. Utili-ties and a small powderroom are close by, equallyconvenient to the garage.

Amenities in the owners’suite include a large walk-incloset, corner shower, spatub and twin vanities. All ofthe Trinity’s upstairs bed-rooms are spacious, but theroom overlooking the streetis the one the kids will fightover. The half-round windowcrowning its lower windowsis similar to the one in thefront door, and adds a touchof elegance to the bedroom.

For a review plan, includ-ing scaled floor plans, eleva-tions, section and artist’sconception, send $25 to As-sociated Designs, 1100 Ja-cobs Dr., Eugene, OR97402. Specify the Trinity10-211 and include a returnaddress when ordering. Acatalog featuring more than550 home plans is availablefor $15. For more informa-tion, call (800) 634-0123,or visit www.associateddesigns.com.

Trinity is a large-sized country homeH& Featured Home PlanRE

Open Houses This Weekend - www.thegroupinc.com

SUNDAY 12:00 - 5:007409 Pimlico Drive, Windsor - Grand Opening in Belmont ����������� ������������������ ������������ ���������������������� ������������������������������!"����������� ���������#���������$�����!"�����"�%���������������������&�"�'�(�)�����������)� ����������*����+�����������,���("

Call Carole Newberry443-4047

$308,500/0%123�342

5�'67�8+96:65

SUNDAY 12:00 - 5:007407 Pimlico Drive, Windsor�����������$��*���������!�������"�3���������$����;��)��$����� ��������"�8*����<��� ���)�(����������������"�0���������=����Windsor. A must see! Ask about our great builder ������*��

Call Kristen Specketer290-8097

$344,000/0%123����

Northern Colorado

Real Estate Sourcew w w . t h e g r o u p i n c . c o m

AN EXCLUSIVE SERVICE OF THE GROUP, INC. REAL ESTATE

Northern Colorado Real Estate SourceThe Real Estate Source is a magazine produced by The Group featuring homes for sale and new home neighborhoods throughout Northern Colorado.

Online version of publication at www.thegroupinc.comcontaining links to detail pages for most listings.

52-319851

Saturday Reporter-Herald D ecember 25, 2010 E5

10things to keep in mindwhen renting a homeor apartment

ART I C L E RESOURCE AS S O C I AT I O N

Rent vs. own? More Americans are wrestling withthat question as the economy continues itsslow recovery. Even though homes are selling at

record lows, many Americans are choosing to rent in-stead, maintaining their mobility and financial flexibil-ity until the economy, as well as their job prospects,i m p ro v e .

More than 38 million people currently rent theirprimary residence, which represents about one-thirdof total U.S. residences, according to the U.S. CensusBureau. With the recent downturn in the economyand the spike in foreclosures, the demand for apart-ments and homes to rent has grown steadily in manyparts of the country. For those new to renting or thosewho haven't rented a place to live since college ortheir early 20s, it's important to understand your legalrights, according to the legal experts at FindLaw.com,a leading online source of legal information. Knowingyour rights can help you avoid being taken advantageof or, avoid problems that could arise between you andyour landlord.

Every renter should become familiar with these 10tips from FindLaw.com:

KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

It is illegal for a landlord to refuse your rental appli-cation for discriminatory reasons such as race, sex,color, religion, class, etc. If your application to rent anapartment is rejected, you have a right to know why.Landlords cannot say an apartment is unavailable if itisn't or use a different set of rules for assessing differ-ent applicants.

BACKGROUND CHECKS

Landlords want responsible, trouble-free tenants. Toaid them in selecting a renter, they can use back-ground checks and credit reports to learn about aprospective tenant's credit worthiness and potentialcriminal record. If you're dealing with these issues, it'soften a good policy to be upfront with the landlordabout any problems that may be revealed during abackground check to gain the trust of the landlord.

What should be included in the lease or rental

agreement? A lease can be wordy, but make sure thatit has these important aspects: length of tenancy(month-to-month, one year or another period oftime), amount of rent and deposits the tenant mustpay, the number of people who can live on the rentalproperty, who pays for utilities, whether the tenantmay have pets, whether the tenant may sublet theproperty, and the landlord's access to the rental prop-e r t y.

KEEP A WRITTEN COPY

While most states honor a verbal agreement, theyare more likely to cause a dispute. Findlaw.com rec-ommends getting your lease agreement in writing andusing it as a reference for any complications that hap-pen during your time as a tenant. If a landlord offersany additional benefits for renting, make sure thoseare spelled out in the rental agreement.

Call the landlord with a maintenance problem. Usu-ally the landlord is responsible for all maintenance is-sues. Document the problem by writing down the dateit started and taking pictures if necessary. In someagreements, landlords need to respond to the mainte-nance issue, so refer to your lease for specifics. If theydon't respond, typical options include withholding aportion of rent until the problem is fixed, paying forthe repair yourself and deducting the amount fromyour rent, or abandoning the property altogetherwithout liability. Check the laws in your state.

NOISY NEIGHBOR

One of the biggest hassles of renting is dealing witha noisy neighbor. If your neighbor is disturbing you,notify your landlord. In most leases, tenants agree tobe respectful of those around them. It's also a goodidea to use your landlord as a third-party enforcer topreserve the relationship between you and your noisyn e i g h b o r.

SAFETY FIRST

In many states, landlords must provide minimumsafety equipment such as peepholes, deadbolts, win-dow locks and safety glass. If your landlord promisescertain safety features, make sure he or she followsthrough on those promises. Ask other neighborsabout the security and safety of the area before rent-ing an apartment.

GET RENTER'S INSURANCE

Renter's insurance is relatively cheap and will pro-tect you where your landlord's insurance won't. If yousuffer losses due to theft or damage or are sued bysomeone who alleges they were injured in your rentalbecause of your negligence, renter's insurance cancover you and save you from a large financial loss.

PRESERVE YOUR SECURITY DEPOSIT

Security deposits are one of the most disputeditems between landlord and tenants, so make surethat your lease clearly spells out the exact manner inwhich your deposit will be used or withheld. When youfirst move in, do an extensive walk-through to recordexisting damage and keep a copy of whatever reportyou give to the landlord.

HANDLING AN EVICTION

It's hard to decide how to handle an eviction. If youcan prove that the landlord was wrong, then it may beworth it to fight against the eviction notice and pro-tect your rights as a tenant. Sometimes, it's not worththe fight even if you win. Remember that in some cas-es you will still have to continue to deal with the samelandlord. Also remember if you lose a lawsuit, you'll beevicted and have to pay a hefty fine.

To learn more about tenants' rights, go to Find-L aw.com.

ART I C L E RESOURCE AS S O C I AT I O N

For many, the new yearmeans a fresh start andthere is no better place

to begin than inside the home.Your home is meant to last,but over time, simple wear andtear can result in inefficientsystems and less-than-perfectconditions.

To keep your home lookingand operating like the day youpurchased it, Ace Hardware’shome expert, Lou Manfredini,suggests a few easy mainte-nance projects that will make abig impact in the end.

GIVE YOUR BASEBOARDS THEPROTECTION THEY NEED

While adding a new coat ofpaint to your walls is always agood idea when maintainingyour home, Manfredini alsorecommends you freshen upyour baseboards, which oftensee the most wear and tear.Wash them down using a pine-based cleaner, a little bit ofwarm water and a sponge toremove dirt and grime. Thentouch up your baseboards withpaint to protect them andkeep them looking brand new.Paint like Ace’s Cabinet, Doorand Trim Enamel is washableand scratch resistant so it canwithstand any busy home.

SAVE THOUSANDS WITH ALITTLE BIT OF CAULK

Over time the excessive use

of a bathtub or shower canlead to cracks in your groutand caulking. These cracks arenot only unsightly, but cancause greater leakage prob-lems costing you thousands ofdollars if not fixed immediate-l y.

The good news is this prob-lem can be resolved easily andinexpensively. Manfredini rec-ommends using silicone-basedcaulk, which ensures a fast-drying, smooth surface andcreates a strong seal to pre-vent leakage.

Start by peeling away the oldcaulk and making sure the sur-face is completely dry beforere-applying. One of his fa-vorites is G.E’s Silicone IIKitchen & Bath Caulk.

BECOME YOUR OWN PRO-FESSIONAL CARPET CLEANER

With heavy traffic, house-hold carpeting takes a beatingalmost daily, collecting dirt,grime, outdoor particles andplenty of dust. Not only arethese items harmful to yourhealth, they will wear downyour carpeting ... and do soquickly. While its good prac-tice to vacuum on a weekly ba-sis, cleaning your carpeting ev-er y90 to 120 days will give you acleaner home and prolong thelife of your carpeting. Hiring aprofessional can be expensive,so Manfredini suggests youstop by your local hardwarestore to rent a carpet cleaning

system for a fraction of thecost of having the work donep ro f e s s i o n a l l y.

MAKE SURE THE AIR YOUBREATHE IS THE BEST

Anyone with allergiesknows that air quality is veryimportant. This applies insidethe home as much as it doeson the outside.

A great way to prevent badair circulating in your home —and make sure your equipmentis running efficiently — is byreplacing the air filters in yourforced-air furnace. Manfredinirecommends using pleatedfilters because they do a betterjob of filtering internal air.These filters are inexpensiveand take about five minutes toreplace.

KEEP YOUR GUTTERS FREE OFC LU T T E R

Clearing your gutters is thelink to a dry home and it’s im-portant to clean them out atleast twice a year. There are anumber of options on the mar-ket that make the job easier.The Smart Screen 5 inch Alu-minum Gutter Screen is agood option because it attach-es to the front of the gutter,providing a permanent barrierto keep leaves, pine needles,debris, ice and snow fromclogging. Another leaf block-ing option is a flexible foaminsert that blocks leaves anddebris.

Get your home ready for the new year

GENE AUSTINMCCL AT C H Y-TRIBUNE

Question: One of my toiletshas a small leak around thebase. Is there an easy way to

fix this?— T. Gooldich

Answer: You can try tighteningthe bolts on the base of the toiletslightly. Be careful not to over-tight-en these bolts because too muchpressure might crack the base. Ifthat doesn’t stop the leak, the bestbet is to replace the wax ring underthe toilet. The wax ring seals thetoilet to the drain-waste pipe. Un-

fortunately, replacing the ringmeans removing the toilet from thefloor to gain access. The ring itselfis inexpensive and can be bought ata home center or hardware store.Also buy a new pair of bolts to se-cure the base.

When the toilet is removed, care-fully examined the top of the drain-waste pipe for any damage. Theflange on top of the pipe securesthe hold-down bolts, and any dam-age to this flange should also be re-paired. It is important to stop theleak as soon as possible. Delayingrepair can lead to a rotting floor un-der the toilet and mean more com-

plicated and expensive repairs.

Question: I plan to convertmy basement to livingspace, refinishing the walls,

floor and ceiling. I get conflictingopinions on whether I can use dry-wall in the basement. The basementhas an interior drain and sumppump and gets humid in summer,but is generally dry. Can you help?— B. Hardy

Answer: You can use drywall inthe basement if there is no seriouswater problem, but you should useso-called paperless drywall. This is arelatively new product that is resis-tant to mold, mildew and other

problems associated with moisture.Ordinary drywall, of course, has apaper covering on both sides that isvery prone to moisture problems.Paperless drywall, however, is cov-ered on both sides with fiberglassmats.

An example is Georgia Pacific’sDensArmor Plus, which is sold atmany building-supply outlets andsome home centers. You will have topay more for paperless drywall, butyou will get extra protection. Theuse of drywall indicates that youplan to insulate the basement walls;if that is true, I recommend usingrigid foam insulation panels instead

of fiberglass blankets because foamis more resistant to moisture prob-lems. You might also consider aproduct such as the Owens CorningBasement Finishing System. This isa contractor-installed system thatuses prefinished, insulated panelsto dress up the walls.

The Owens Corning system is alot more expensive than doing thework yourself with drywall and simi-lar products, but you’ll get a fast,attractive basement remodelingjob. If you want more information,visit www.owenscorning.com andclick on Building Materials, thenon Basement Finishing System.

Fix a leak around toilet base; get basement drywall tips52

-320

333

sunday

To add a listing or speak to an advertising representative, call the Reporter-Herald at 669-5050

For details about these open houses, see the ads in this section. For additional open house listings, please check the “Real Estate Classifi eds” section of this publication. This guide is brought to you by

the Daily Reporter-Herald, local real estate agents and area builders.

WWW.HOMEANDREALTYGUIDE.COMCLICK ON OPEN HOUSE MAPS

PRICE LOCATION ADDRESS HRS OFFICE PHONE

$308,500 WINDSOR 7409 PIMLICO DRIVE 12-5 THE GROUP, INC 970-443-4047

$323,400 SW LOVELAND¼ MILE WEST OF WILSON ON 14TH ST. SW/HWY 402 TO THE DAKOTA GLEN SUBDIVISION

12-4 GLEN MARKETING TEAM, ERA 970-663-4522

$344,000 WINDSOR 7407 PIMLICO DRIVE 12-5 THE GROUP, INC 970-290-8097

$389,750 SW LOVELAND 975 PRISM CACTUS CIRCLE 12-4 GLEN MARKETING TEAM, ERA 970-663-4522

Saturday Reporter-Herald D ecember 25, 2010 E6

H& Front Range GardeningRE

Water plantsduring winter

CA RO L O'MEARACSU EXTENSION

With all of the festivities at this time of year,the most important drink you hoist shouldbe served with a hose, not a glass. Though

our mountains are snowcapped, lower elevationsare dry, and landscapes are getting parched.

Winter watering is one of the best ways to keeptrees, shrubs, lawns and perennials healthythroughout the year. Without it, soils dry and ten-der feeder roots, which are responsible for takingup water and nutrients, shrivel and die.

In spring, plants use stored reserves to grow,pouring their strength into healthy leaves, stems,trunks or flowers. But damaged root systems leavethem vulnerable when heat sets in, and these plantsstruggle with scorch, twig dieback, poor leaf size, ordisease and insect attacks.

Water once or twice per month through March ifwe don’t have much snow or rain; in general land-scapes need an inch of water per month in winter.Measure snowfall at your house with a ruler, thenwrite each storm’s accumulation on your calendar.Add it up every four weeks. Anything less than 12inches of snow, total, means it’s time to water.

Drag out hoses on warm days when temperaturesare above 40 and there’s no snow cover. Apply waterslowly so it sinks into the frozen ground. I use atimer on the sprinkler to shut off the water, and seta timer in the house to remind me to move thehose or disconnect it from the house beforeevening.

If you divide winter watering over several days, payattention to plants closest to south or west facingwalls or fences first; the reflected heat intensifiestheir plight. Windy places with water wicking fromthe ground should be second on your list, which inColorado, means everything east of the divide.

Water around the dripline of trees and shrubs —the area that falls under the outer tips of thebranches, soaking the ground two to three feet oneither side of the dripline. Give your trees 10 gal-lons of water per diameter inch of trunk everymonth.

Shrubs are trickier: new shrubs — those plantedless than one year ago — need five gallons twicemonthly. Once they’ve been in the ground for over ayear, reduce water to five gallons once per monthfor small, three-foot tall shrubs and 18 gallons onceper month for those over six feet tall.

Lawns, too, need a drink. “Established lawns willbenefit from watering, but the critical ones thatneed moisture are the ones that are new,” said Dr.Tony Koski, Extension Turf Specialist with ColoradoState University Extension. “If it was sodded in afterearly September, it’d be good to water it.”

If you’ve had lawn mite problems in the past, it’stime to water, Koski said. “This is when mite popu-lations start to rise, especially on warm days whenthey get a little active and frisky. Though miteshaven’t started to damage the lawn, their potentialto do so increases with their numbers, which can beheld at bay by moisture.”

To water a lawn in winter, warm days with temper-atures above 45 degrees is a must. Then drag outyour hose with a sprinkler, or set the water to a slowtrickle. “The problem is that everything is frozen;you don’t want water puddling on the lawn. And theworst thing is forming a layer of ice on it; that reallyharms the turf. So it probably won’t take more thana quarter to half-inch of water.”

Water fall-planted perennials and perennials locat-ed in windy or southwest exposures. But the key toperennials is ensuring they have a thick, four-to-six-inch covering of mulch to prevent feezing and thaw-ing of the ground. For more information, see theFall and Winter Watering fact sheet ate x t . c o l o s t a t e . e d u / p u b s / g a rd e n / 0 7 2 1 1 . h t m l .

Carol O’Meara is withCSU Extension inBoulder County.Contact her at303-678-6238 orcomeara@co. b o u l d e r. c o . u s .

Front Range Gardening

DEAN FOSDICKAS S O C I AT E D PRESS

Next spring when you’re readyto establish a productivevegetable garden, how about

growing some pancakes, pasta andhome-baked breads on the side?

Plant whole grains — cheap, low-maintenance grasses that produceedible seeds you can cook up raw(as you would rice), grind intoflour, make into brews, or add freshto salads and casseroles. Grainsdemonstrate that you don’t needblooms to beautify small spaces.Think amber waves of grain, orpatches of waist-high ornamentalgrass swaying gracefully in thewind.

Add thrift to the equation, too,because a little goes a long way.

“A 1,000-square-foot plot plantedwith 23/4 pounds of barley seed willyield one bushel of barley,” saidSara Pitzer, author of the updated“Homegrown Whole Grains: Grow,Harvest & Cook Wheat Barley,Oats, Rice, Corn & More” (StoreyPublishing, 2009).

“If one bushel doesn’t sound likemuch, consider that one cup of rawbarley cooks up to generously servesix people, and that most souprecipes — even ones making bigpots of soup — call for only one-third cup of raw barley.”

Grains also serve as nutritiousrecipe fillers, replacing pricier in-gredients in a meat loaf or stew.“Put aside what you can’t eat for

planting the next year,” Pitzer said.Whole grains usually recom-

mended for home gardens includebarley, buckwheat, corn, millet,oats, rice, rye, wheat and ama-ranth. Decide which grains or cere-als you want to grow based on fla-vor, ease of harvest, hardiness andappearance.

Here’s a Pitzer-provided primer tohelp get you started:

Barley: Matures faster and toler-ates drought better than wheat. Afiber-rich plant known to reducecholesterol and blood glucose lev-els. Frequently used for brewing.

Buckwheat: Broadleaf plant witha strong flavor that often is milledinto flour for pancakes.

Corn: One of the easiest crops togrow. It can be eaten fresh, groundinto cornmeal or popped into ten-der, bite-size puffs.

Millet: Tasty when served likerice or added to foods for itscrunch. Loaded with protein, B vi-tamins and minerals.

Oats: Germinates quickly but dif-ficult to harvest unless you go withhull-less varieties. Recommendedfor everything from biscuits to oat-meal.

Rice: Challenging to grow, buthas limitless applications inrecipes.

Ry e : An assertive taste in flourand food. Extremely hardy. Has nohull, making it easy to harvest.Crafters find many uses for its longstems, or straw.

Wheat: Easily managed in gar-dens, and a recipe essential for ev-erything from pastas to cakes.

Amaranth: A tall, broadleaf plantthat forms feathery plumes. Theleaves can be cooked and eaten likespinach, while the grains have apeppery taste and are rich in pro-tein and other nutrients.

Grains, like most other grasses,

are simple to grow.“They’re more adapted to dry

land conditions. You don’t have toirrigate as much,” said Bob VanVeldhuizen, a research technicianwith the University of Alaska Fair-banks School of Natural Resourcesand Agricultural Sciences. “Theyalso don’t require as many nutri-ents as things like tomatoes.”

Van Veldhuizen has worked pri-marily on hull-less varieties.“They’re of more interest to hobbyg a rd e n e r s , ” he said. “You don’tneed a home threshing machine.”

Most grains are very hardy, thriv-ing in USDA Zones 3 to 8 and be-yond, said Dan Jason, a seedsmanfrom Salt Spring Island, BritishColumbia.

“They’re fast growing — 90 to100 days to maturity,” Jason said.“They’re not killed by frosts. Youcan sew some grains in Septemberand harvest them in June, freeingthe garden for another crop.”

For more about whole grains andnutrition, see this Kansas State Uni-versity Research and Extensionguide: www.ksre.ksu.edu/humannutrition/wholegrains.htm.

ThinkStockPhotos

Barley seedlings.

Water shrubs and plants at one inch per monthduring the winter.

2 BDRM in LOVELAND$715 + deposit. Heat,water, trash paid.

970-214-2057 or 970-266-0206

2 BDRM, 1 BA, spaciousliving & dining, A/C closeto shops! 1707 CheyenneAve #7. R/D $550, H20,

Sewer & gas pd,Faith Property 970-377-1626

2 BDRM, 1 BA, gardenlevel, lg LR/DR, close todowntown, lndry on site.

1145 E 5th St.$550, wtr/swr/gas pd. N/P$250 move-in special!

Faith Property 970-377-1626

2 BDRM, 1 BA, bsmt apt,hkups, 1705 1/2 E 8th St,$725/mo Faith Property

970-377-1626

2 BDRM, 1 BA, $600/mo.WTR. PD! 2346 S Colorado,

Quiet. No smk/pets.970-218-0510

2 bdrm 1 ba, 311 N. 1st St,Johnstown H20, sewer,trash pd, spacious livingareas, great location!$510/mo Must see!

Faith Property 970-377-1626

2 BDRM, 1.5 ba, remod-eled! Hkups, $800/mo, wtr/sewer pd. 1842 E 17th St,Faith Property 970-377-1626

2 BDRM, 1.5 BA 4-plex, w/dhkups, $595, avail now. 3518Butternut #D (720)936-1854.

✭ 1 BDRM apt, $500,Mobile Home $550,

rent includes utilities.430 E Eisenhower.

Estate Builder 970-667-3400

”0“ UTILS! 1 or 2 roomstudios, vintage apts. On-site mgmt. W/D, WiFi,DirTV $335-$630 970-219-6353

Apartments/Unfurnished 4030

Kitchenettes. Weekly,monthly rates. Util. pd.Satellite TV, laundry rm.

970-663-0400

Apartments/Furnished 4010

To place an ad, call 970-635-3650 or go to www.ReporterHerald.com/classifieds and place yourad any time of the day or night. Fax: 970-635-3677…email: classifieds@reporter-herald.com

2 Bdrm- 141 Glenda, $775NICE! Big Kitchen

Call rmpm.com 669-0842

2 BDRM- 1079 Winona, $675Pets nego, fncd yard, shed.Call rmpm.com 669-0842

Duplexes 4060

3 BDRM- 2212 SW 3rd$925- Fin bsmt, 1 car garCall rmpm.com 669-0842

Condos/Townhouses 4050

6000 SF Retail/Warehouseon Hwy 287. Overhead door.970-593-2401 or 970-227-7447.

1900 sq ft Warehouse/retailin Loveland. 2105 E 11th St,Unit 140. 970-396-1165.

CommercialIndustrial 4040

$950/Mo, 1⁄2 Mo Rent Free2 Bdrm /2 Full Ba, W/Dinc, new carpet, built 2000,balcony. 970-667-7000x106

1043 Eagle Dr Lvld

LUXURIOUS UPSCALEAPARTMENTSSTUDIO, 1, 2, & 3

BEDROOMS- Pool, hot tub,24 hr. fitness center,business center, coffeeshop, salon, pizza & deli.OPEN HOUSE, Mon-Fri9am-6pm, Sat. 10am-5pm.325 E. 5th St., Loveland.

1-888-822-9346

3 BDRM 1 BA apt, spaciousand bright, 910 N Douglas$695 www.FTCRENT.com

970-226-5600

3 BD or 2 BD- Free rent!Pets nego. Quiet & spac.$625-$795. 970-223-1349

2 BDRM, $695/mo +elec, free heat & basiccable. New carpet &vinyl, fresh paint,newly remodeled ba.No pets. 970-663-6787 or

970-430-0859

2 BDRM, 1 BA,top level,corner unit, new carpet.lndry on site. 1155 E 5th St.$575, wtr/swr/gas pd. N/P$250 move-in special!

Faith Property 970-377-1626

Apartments/Unfurnished 4030

EQUAL HOUSINGOPPORTUNITYAll real estate

advertised in thispaper is subject to thefederal and state FairHousing Act whichmakes it illegal toadvertise “any

preference, limitationor discrimination

based on race, color,religion, sex, handicap,familial status or

national origin, or anintention to make anysuch preference,limitation, ordiscrimination.”

The newspaper willnot knowingly acceptany advertising for

real estate which is inviolation of the law.All persons are herebyinformed that all

dwellings advertisedare available on anequal opportunity

basis.

Houses 4080

STORAGE 20 x 40with 14´ overhead door.

$325/mo. Call (970)481-5899

1 CAR GARAGE- $75/mo.Great for storage.

rmpm.com. 970-669-0842

Garages/StorageSpaces 4070

Spacious 2 bdrm, 1 ba, gar,exc loc in culdesac. 3 bdrmapt also avail. 970-308-7387

Country duplex, 2 bdrm,1 ba, animals OK, on CR 13.$850 inc utils. 970-219-3107

3 BDRM- 3407 Ash, $8251 car gar, fncd yard.

Call rmpm.com 669-0842

3 BDRM- 1100 N. Taft,$1095/mo. 55+ communityCall rmpm.com 669-0842

2 BDRM- 1624 E. 17th, $625.Patio, shared garage.Call rmpm.com 669-0842

Duplexes 4060

LIKE NEW HOMESDBLWIDES & SINGLESEasy Credit. Low Down!Buy or Rent. Call now.

970-420-8488

✭ 2 BEDROOM HOMES ✭$575 to $650 + dep.

W. Hwy 34. Pets on apprSe Habla Espanol

970-685-8573

2 Bdrm- 2704 Mallow, $595Pets nego, 1 car garageCall rmpm.com 669-0842

Mobile Homes/Spaces 4090

✔✔✔✔To ensure you receive

the best response to youradvertisement, pleasecheck your ad the first

day of publication.We regret we cannot be

responsible for morethan one day´s incorrect

insertion. Billinginquiries can be

initiated within 30 daysof ad expiration.

OWN your own home forwhat you pay in Rent!

Lowest rates,$0 - $1000 Down

Free Prequalification.Western Plains Realty

Ken or Tammy970-663-5008

$99 MOVE IN SPECIAL3 bdrm, 1.5 ba, located inMilliken. $995, 970-310-3855

3 BDRM- 517 E. 50th, $1125Pets nego, firelplace

Call rmpm.com 669-0842

3 BDRM, 2 ba, Tri-level,frpl, gar, 766 21st St SW,

$1250/moFaith Property 970-377-1626

3 BDRM- 222 SW 42nd, $850Newer carpet, BIG!

Call rmpm.com 669-0842

3 BDRM, 1.75 BA ranch,new carpet & paint, 2 cargar. 2514 N Empire, avail1/1, $1100/mo. 970-690-1211

3 Bdrm- 1216 Hilltop, $1125MUST SEE! So Nice!Call rmpm.com 669-0842

2 BDRM- 925 Lincoln,$995. Old Town, GREAT!Call rmpm.com 669-0842

Houses 4080

FIND YOURNEW

VEHICLEat

FrontRangeAutoLink.com

Retail & Office Spaces.Starting at $225. UtilitiesIncluded. 970-613-1477

Retail Space 4135

Fully furnished largerooms in Lvld.Laundry,A/C, cable,all util. incl.

RENTED INONE DAY!!

RoomsFor Rent 4130

1 ROOM AVAIL in Jan.Quiet 5 bdrm home. Shareba, lndry. No smoke. Clean& responsible. Need creditreport. $225. 970-481-2222

RoommatesWanted 4120

West Eisenhower Office4 room office suite.Eisenhower Frontage.Plently of off-street

parking. Elegant historicbuilding. $1250/per monthplus utilities for all or

will subdivide. 970-481-7580

Downtown corner loc, bldgw/ 3 ofcs/recept area. 4 carprkg. $1000/mo 970-667-5145

Office Space 4100

Move Your Home FREE!LOT RENT STARTING @$199. 250+ Communities tochoose from. Offer expires1/10/2011. 970-377-0990

Mobile Homes/Spaces 4090

Ready to take the next step in your

JOB SEARCH?Begin with

PerfectJobMatch.net

✭ MOBILE HOMES ✭BUYING/SELLING

Beautiful Home in LvldSunset Retirement Park,only $14,900. We´re buyingtoo! Big Sale! Many single& dbl wides. Fin avl, autoapproval on owner fi-nanced homes. 970-222-1473✭ 690-2725 or 690-3283 ✭

Mobile/ManufacturedHomes/Spaces 5130

A picture is wortha thousand wordsTry a classified picture

ad! Call for details970-635-3650

$1,150/Month, 3 Bdrm, 2 BaRanch, built 2009. Fullbsmt, lg gar. 970-402-6432

1899 E 11th St Lvld

Loveland 5110

WOW WHAT VIEWS!2.8 acres, water tap in &paid. Electric close, septicneeded & Ish res irrig wtr.$100K, just SE of Berthoud.Call Mark Sullivan at ERATradewind (303)684-6335

Farms, Ranches,Acreages 5050

With the GrainAdd easy-to-grow grains tothe garden