Lifestyle Columns
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Home inspector are more often unskilled than unscrupulousFeb 21, 2009 10:00 pm - Q. Before we bought our home, we hired a home inspector, but he didn't report any of the major problems in the house. Now we have to repair the plumbing, the electrical ...
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Plan to stem foreclosures must address negative equityFeb 21, 2009 10:00 pm - The government's efforts to combat the worst financial crisis since the 1930s can be divided into three phases. Phase one, executed in good part in catch-as-catch-can f...
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How to spend a summer in ScotlandFeb 21, 2009 10:00 pm - Q: Scotland has always been a place where I want to spend some time, and this coming summer I am going to do just that. I'm going to spend four weeks touring the Hig...
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Tax credit for first-time homebuyers is new and improved for 2009Feb 21, 2009 10:00 pm - Q. I was a first-time homebuyer in May 2008 and I was wondering if I qualified for the $7,500 tax credit that I read about in your column. This individual said he pu...
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Peanut regulations won't save passengers with allergiesFeb 21, 2009 10:00 pm - If you're planning to travel on a Northwest Airlines flight in the near future, you could be flying for peanuts. I'm not talking about a huge drop in ticket prices - you...
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Buyers may lose earnest money if they back out of dealFeb 21, 2009 10:00 pm - Q. We sold our home about a month ago. The contract had a paragraph that stated that if the buyer could not get financing, they could get out of the contract. The co...
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Kitchen floor needs more support for tilesFeb 21, 2009 10:00 pm - Q. I found your article on floor grout interesting and was hoping you would address another grout problem. The grout between my kitchen tile floor has come loose in cert...
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How to insulate yourself from teen noiseFeb 20, 2009 10:00 pm - Noise in the home can be a maddening problem, but it's seldom adequately addressed in plans for renovations of older houses. And that's an unfortunate oversight. While n...
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Not pretty: rugs from child laborFeb 20, 2009 10:00 pm - While we often worry about the working conditions of the people who make products we buy, the South Asian rug industry is notorious. Several groups are working to help t...
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Help for old quilts, getting the wrinkle out of that dressFeb 20, 2009 10:00 pm - Q. I have inherited some precious quilts and need advice on how to keep them. One has some stains and other problems. Can I bleach old fabrics? What is the best way ...