Did you ever think you'd hear a real estate agent tell you that there are lots of reasons to not buy a home?

Not every person in the universe is an ideal candidate for home ownership, nor should everybody who can buy a home. If you don't believe me, just look at some of the foreclosure statistics. Some buyers stretched themselves too far. Others got into situations they would never have had considered a decade ago. Some people get caught up in buying frenzies and think that if all their friends are buying a home, by golly, they should, too.

Stability in your job, your relationships and your life can act as safeguards against an unforeseeable future . . . read more about Reasons to Not Buy a Home.

More Articles by Elizabeth Weintraub:

• Coping With Home Buying Stress
  
• Home Buying Questions
  
• Top 3 Home Buying Mistakes

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Many environmentally conscious home builders are crafting green homes by using green building materials. Even if you're not in the market to buy a green home, though, you can help to stop global warming and protect the environment when you replace old appliances or remodel.

My husband never quite forgave me when I gave the buyers of our last home the new front-loading washer. But it was a stickling point for them, and I wasn't going to blow the sale over a $1,000 appliance.

So when the washer / dryer combo unit that came with our present home broke down and parts were unavailable to repair it, our home protection plan offered to replace it for free. Except the appliance they were going to give us was a replica of our existing model, which wasn't energy efficient. A little known aspect of many home protection plans is the company will generally credit you the replacement cost and let you pay the difference for an upgrade at wholesale pricing.

This was an opportune time, I figured, to make amends with my husband and give him the front-loading washer and dryer of his dreams. After all, he does the laundry in my house. Read more about Green Homes.

More Articles by Elizabeth Weintraub, click below:

• Home Improvement Mistakes
  
• Stocking the Home
  
• Buying New Construction

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Few of us like to think about disaster striking or preparing for power outages.

Yet, power can go out at any time, especially if you live in a populated area such as any major city in California. While a storm is a likely culprit to cause a power outage, sometimes power outages happen because too many people are using energy at the same time. California has more than 35 million people and not enough energy sources to adequately service its population.

Don't wait for the power to go out before you stock up on supplies because you could find the store shelves raided and empty during a power outage. Moreover, put all your emergency supplies in one place where they will be easy to locate. Otherwise, you could be stumbling around in the dark searching for stuff. You also have no control over how long power will be out, so make sure you double up on back-up supplies.

Of course, to make the wait easier, you can always call your public utility company and be assured that a bazillion other people are without power. My utility company records messages that say things like, "We estimate power will be restored by o-dark-thirty, and by the way, there are 18,000 other households without power." Then o-dark-thirty comes and goes, and we still have no power. But the message is then changed to say, "There are 500 other households without power." Misery loves company, I guess . . . read more about Preparing for Power Outages.

More Articles by Elizabeth Weintraub, click below:

• Winterizing Your Home
  
• Buying Flood Insurance
  
• Home Start-Up Budgets

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I was a little late this year in putting together my 2010 Real Estate Predictions.

Usually, I try to write my annual real estate predictions at the end of November, but this November I was in Viet Nam. Trying to cover my blogs and postdate articles before I left was a major accomplishment in itself, and time just ran away. But it really doesn't make any difference because I'm predicting the same things I thought of last November now.

You see, I had already put together my list of real estate predictions; just didn't actually write it until I returned from vacation . . . read more about 2010 Real Estate Predictions.

More Articles by Elizabeth Weintraub:

• Real Estate Predictions for 2009
  
• Real Estate Predictions for 2008
  
• Real Estate Predictions for 2007

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