the oklahoman real estate

FREAL ESTATESATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM

INDEX

Barry Stone 5FPermits 8F

HOUSE PLAN

The CastorThe shingle-clad exteriorallows the home to fitdiscreetly into a wooded orbeach-side setting, while itssimple, compact, massedshape makes it inexpensiveto build, and efficient to heat.PAGE 6F

LISTING OF THE WEEK

3 largeliving areasThe Listing of the Week is alarge Mediterranean-stylehome with three large livingareas, including oneoverlooking the pool.

PAGE 8F

BIDDINGHEATS UPHousing recoveryhas come farenough that in somepopular neighbor-hoods, buyers mustnow compete withrival bidders.

PAGE 3E

IN BRIEF

‘BUTLER’SGUIDE’Few of us have theluxury of a house-hold staff like theone on “DowntonAbbey” to attend toour every need. Butwe can take somepointers from some-one who ran ahousehold and usethem to run our owna little more effi-ciently. LongtimeEnglish butler Stan-ley Ager shares awealth of tips in“The Butler’s Guideto Running theHome and OtherGraces,” a classichandbook he wrotein 1980 with FionaSt. Aubyn. The bookhas just been re-released by ClarksonPotter. Some of theadvice is outdatednow. Still, we can allbenefit from Ager’stips for setting atable, caring forshoes and packingclothes so theywon’t wrinkle. “TheButler’s Guide” sellsfor $21.99 in hard-cover.

CHALKBOARDPAINTLovechalk-boardpaintbut notthecolorsit comes in? Benja-min Moore has in-troduced a chalk-board paint that canbe tinted in any hue.Consumers canchoose from any ofthe 3,300 colors inthe Benjamin Mooresystem, or they canuse the company’scolor-matching tech-nology to create anunlimited array ofchoices. BenjaminMoore ChalkboardPaint is a latex topcoat with an egg-shell finish. It can beused on walls orother surfaces, suchas furniture, closetor cupboard doors orceramic containers.The paint is sold inquarts for a sug-gested retail price of$21.99. Find a storein the store locatorsection of the web-site, www.benjaminmoore.com.

FROM WIRE REPORTS

WASHINGTON — You may haveseen headlines last week about theFederal Housing Administrationneeding a taxpayer “bailout” bythe Treasury and wondered: Uhoh. Is the FHA heading down thefiscal drain like Fannie Mae andFreddie Mac, which have requiredbillions in federal assistance just tostay in business?

The good-news answer forFHA’s traditional borrowers —primarily moderate-income,first-time purchasers, people withlimited cash for down paymentsand less-than-perfect credit his-tories — is no. There is a strongpossibility that FHA will not re-quire any money transfer from theTreasury, which in any eventwould not occur until next Sep-tember. Meanwhile FHA is mak-ing tweaks to its program rulesthat could affect some loan appli-cants in the months ahead, andwhich are designed to improverevenue flows to the agency andcut back on losses.

Among the most immediatechanges, new borrowers early nextyear are likely to be charged slight-

ly higher annual mortgage insur-ance premiums — 1.35 percent ofthe loan balance rather than 1.25percent at present. On loans above$625,500 in high-cost areas suchas California and metropolitanWashington, D.C., the annualpremium will go from 1.5 percentto 1.6 percent.

This will not be a major problemfor most people, but it could causesome buyers to check out FHA’scompetitors — private mortgageinsurers whose monthly premi-ums on loans for applicants withhigh credit scores may be more at-tractive than FHA’s.

To increase revenue streamslong term, FHA is also abandoningits practice of allowing borrowersto cancel their annual mortgage

insurance premium paymentswhen their loan balance drops to78 percent of the property value.In effect, this will mean that bor-rowers obtaining 30-year FHAloans could be paying premiumsfor decades.

Is this a big deal? Clem Ziroli Jr.,president of First Mortgage Corp.in Ontario, Calif., thinks it couldencourage some higher creditquality borrowers to “refi out” oftheir FHA loans and seek betterdeals in the conventional market-place.

But Paul E. Skeens, president ofColonial Mortgage Group in Wal-dorf, Md., sees it differently: Withfixed 30-year mortgage rates inthe mid- to upper-3 percent rangeand virtually certain to increase —maybe significantly if the econo-my improves in the coming years— “everybody is going to want tokeep these loans forever,” he pre-dicts. “They’re not going to wantto refi.”

Other changes on the FHA ho-rizon:

I More financial counseling forapplicants who have low FICO

credit scores, are purchasing theirfirst homes, and are seeking tomake minimum 3.5 percent downpayments.

I A new short-sale programthat reaches out to existing FHAhomeowners who are seriouslydelinquent and heading towardforeclosure. FHA Acting Com-missioner Carol J. Galante said theagency plans to streamline theshort-sale option — where ownersare permitted to sell their housefor less than the balance on themortgage — in order to avoid thehuge costs of foreclosures.

The bottom line on FHA’sforthcoming program tweaks?FHA isn’t making fundamentalchanges. Its basic mix of entice-ments — low down payments, lowcredit score requirements andgenerous underwriting rulescompared with competitors —aren’t going away. So don’t expecta great an impact on most FHAbuyers.

Ken Harney’s email address [email protected].

WASHINGTON POST WRITERS GROUP

FHA is looking to tweak program rulesKennethHarney

THE NATION’S HOUSING

If the murals livening upMichael Khoury’s diningroom could talk, the sto-ries they might tell.

The murals, depictingoutdoor life on the plains,have stood unchanged,despite time and renova-tions, since the home at1005 NW 18 was built 102years ago.

“They used Europeancraftsmen on these,”Khoury explained, point-ing out the murals as wellas the woodwork outliningthe ceiling in the neigh-boring living room.

So much has survivedhere: the paned windows,the wood floors, the Greekrevival front elevation witha round window peekingout from on high. But themurals are truly extraor-dinary, said his motherMary Khoury.

“Those have gottenpainted over in so manyhomes,” she said.

Michael Khoury’s homeis among six stops on Mes-ta Park’s 2012 HolidayHomes Tour, which kicksoff with a candlelight tourfrom 4 to 8 p.m. Dec. 1 andcontinues from 1 to 5 p.m.Dec. 2.

Advance tickets are $12for those age 18 and olderand $5 for those age 5 to 17.Tickets are $15 at the doorfor those 18 and older and$7 for those age 5 to 17.Children 5 and under areadmitted free. Shuttle ser-vice and refreshments willbe available.

Money raised in the touris poured back into neigh-borhood projects such asparks and streetlights, saidtour chairwoman TrinaMorrison.

Michael Khoury and hissisters grew up in a homeon NW 19 that his father,Paul Khoury, bought in the1940s long before he mar-ried. As one of nine chil-dren, Paul Khoury waslooking for more space sohe could help his familyback in Drumright.

“He’d been renting anapartment over here on

12th Street,” said MaryKhoury, whom he marriedin 1957. “But he wanted tofind a place where his sis-ters in Drumright couldcome live with him.”

Mesta Park grew upalong Oklahoma Territo-ry’s first streetcar linesspidering out from down-town, many of the homesbuilt between 1906 and1915.

By the time his fathersettled in the neighbor-hood in the 1940s, though,Mesta Park was a shadowof itself, hollowed out bypostwar suburban flightand neglect. But PaulKhoury could see beyondthat.

“My husband, he had aneye to the future,” MaryKhoury said.

Paul Khoury was alreadywell into a real estate ca-reer when he came uponthe house on NW 18 in1954, but he was still reluc-tant to buy it without anexpert opinion.

“He brought his dadfrom Drumright — he wasa carpenter — to get hisopinion about it,” MaryKhoury said. The elderKhoury gave the propertyhis nod.

“He said, ’It’s a good-size house for you if youwant to invest in it,’ which

Mesta Park homes showcasedHOUSING | INTRICATE MURALS FROM 102-YEAR-OLD HOUSE WILL BE FEATURED ON SIX-HOME TOUR DEC. 1-2

Michael Khoury’s home at 1005 NW 18 still has murals of plains scenes that were painted when the house wasbuilt in 1910. The home is one of several on the annual Mesta Park Holiday Homes Tour Dec. 1-2.

PHOTOS BY JIM BECKEL, THE OKLAHOMAN

BY DYRINDA TYSONFor The [email protected]

Michael Khoury’s home at 1005 NW 18 will be fea-tured in the Mesta Park Holiday Homes Tour Dec. 1-2.

Michael Khoury Mary Khoury

SEE TOUR, PAGE 2F

EllenJamesMartin

SMARTMOVES

2F SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012 THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COMREAL ESTATE

he did,” she said.Paul Khoury died in

2001 after a long career inreal estate and investment,often putting his moneywhere his mouth was andinvesting in the neighbor-hood he called home. Heand Mary Khoury raisedMichael and four daugh-ters on NW 19 while aneclectic series of tenantslived in the NW 18 house.Renters included a profes-sional organist, an attor-ney, a variety of entrepre-neurs and a landscape art-ist, Mary Khoury recalled.

Commercial develop-ment nipped at Mesta Parkthrough the years.Alarmed at the prospect oflosing historic homes tomake room for an officebuilding, a group of resi-dents banded together in1973. Dubbed the Come-back Neighborhood Asso-ciation, the group suc-cessfully fought off thatproject and laid thegroundwork for the mod-ern neighborhood associ-ation.

Michael Khoury return-ed to Mesta Park andbought the house for him-self in 2000 after living inFlorida and California foryears. An architectural de-signer by training, he re-habilitated the house bit bybit, even restoring thepainted woodwork in theliving room by hand with atiny paintbrush.

“I managed to do abouta panel a night,” he said.

His more modern tastemerges seamlessly with hishome’s classic bones. Foursmaller rooms in the backwere opened up to createone large kitchen withstainless-steel countertops where a refurbishedgas stove looks perfectly athome.

“It’s a little less thangranite,” he said of thecounter tops. “But it’s in-destructible.”

Mesta Park has comeback from the edge, butMary Khoury noted ithasn’t been without casu-alties. “All these parkinglots around here used to bebeautiful homes,” she said.

Still, she credits herhusband and others whowere able to look beyondMesta Park’s downtroddenface decades ago.

“He kind of blazed the

way,” she said.Other homes on the tour

are:I Larry and Beverly

Walker: 900 NW 18.I Tim and Bridgid

Cook: 521 NW 17.I Floyd and Corrine Si-

mon: 900 NW 16.I Darden White: 513 ½

NW 18.I Jim Pickens: 801 NW

17, where refreshments willbe served on the porch.

Tickets can be pur-chased online atwww.mestapark.org or atthese businesses:

I 23rd Street AntiqueMall, 3023 NW 23.

I Bethany AntiqueMall, 3909 N College Ave.in Bethany

I Courtyard AntiqueMarket, 3314 S Broadwayin Edmond

I Forward Foods, 5123 NWestern Ave.

I French Cowgirl, 4515N Western Ave.

I Full Circle Bookstorein 50 Penn Place, 1900Northwest Expressway.

I Homeland, 1108 NW18.

I Langhorn AntiquesPlace, 9114 N Western Ave.

I Mister Robert, 109 EMain St. in Norman

I Nonna’s Painted Door,124 N Sheridan Ave.

I Elemental CoffeeRoasters, 815 N HudsonAve.

I Phoenix Collectibles& Antiques Mall, 3122 NMay Ave.

I Prairie Thunder Bak-ery, 1114 Classen Drive.

I Verdigris, 1001 NW 10.

Michael Khoury and his mother, Mary Khoury, show aliving area of his home at 1005 NW 18, which will beon the Mesta Park Holiday Homes Tour Dec. 1-2.


Mary Khoury and her son, Michael, stand in the remodeled and modern kitchen of his 102-year-old home at1005 NW 18.

A column adds a touch ofthe classical to MichaelKhoury’s home at 1005NW 18 in the Mesta Parkneighborhood.

Michael Khoury has updated some part of his homeat 1005 NW 18, including the kitchen, but this lightfixture exudes a turn-of-the-20th-century ambience.

Christmas decorations meet a Southwest motif atMichael Khoury’s home at 1005 NW 18 in Mesta Park.


Tour: Michael Khoury restores homeFROM PAGE 1F

THE OKLAHOMAN | NEWSOK.COM SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2012 3FREAL ESTATE

Few would have believedit just a few short yearsago, but the housing re-covery has come farenough that in an increas-ing number of popularneighborhoods, buyersmust now compete withrival bidders.

Are you a buyer seekinga home in a high-demandmarket? If so, real estatespecialists say that youcould be at risk of over-paying.

“Overpaying can be areal danger — especially ifyou’re one of these idiotswho gets revved up whenfacing competition andwants to win no matterwhat,” said Sid Davis, a realestate broker and author of“A Survival Guide for Buy-ing a Home.”

Of course, the risk ofoverpaying is that youwon’t recoup your invest-ment when you move.That’s especially likely ifyou have a career that re-quires you to move often.

“I’m not so concernedabout people overpaying if

they really expect to stay inthe house for 10 or 15 years.But if you’re not sure howlong you’ll stay, you’ve gotto be cautious,” said LeoBerard, charter presidentof the National Associ-ation of Exclusive BuyerAgents (www.naeba.org).

Do you plan to bid on aparticular property that’sfor sale in a highly desir-able neighborhood? Yet doyou fear overpaying? If so,then even some basic re-search on local propertyvalues could help put yourmind at ease.

Berard said astutebuyers narrow their searchfor information to the ex-act area where they intendto buy. Data gathered onstate or national real estate

trends will have little rele-vance for you as you seekto learn more about valuesin your target area.

In fact, homes could beworth more in one sectionof a neighborhood thananother, due simply to dif-ferences in housing styles.

A strong knowledge oflocal property values helpsyou craft an offer at theright price point, therebyreducing your chances ofoverpaying.

Here are a few tips forbuyers intent on getting afair deal:

I Seek Internet infor-mation as a startingpoint.

Many websites now of-fer fast and free estimateson property values and canprove a valuable resource,Berard said. One examplehe cites is Zillow.com,which lets you search dataat either the property orneighborhood level.

“To get started withyour research on homevalues, these sites are agood starting point,” he

said.However, statistics from

websites are no substitutefor guidance from a capa-ble real estate agent withextensive knowledge of thearea where you’re looking.The right agent may evenbe able to recite recentsales figures from memo-ry. But Internet informa-tion can be a good comple-ment.

“Spend an hour or twoone morning on the rightwebsites and you can moveup the learning curve whilestill in your pajamas,” Be-rard said.

I Ask your real estateagent for help evaluatingany home you’re consid-ering.

The classic techniqueused by real estate profes-sionals to estimate a

home’s value is called a“Comparative MarketAnalysis.” This method isgrounded in data on recentsales of similar homes tothe one being judged.

“If you’re looking in acommunity with lots ofhouses that have uniformfloor plans, the process ispretty straightforward.But that’s not the casewhere lots of houses arecustom-built,” Berardsaid.

In any case, your agentshould find at least threecompleted sales that areroughly comparable. Thenshe or he should add andsubtract value based ondifferences between thehome you like and the oth-ers.

Real estate agents arethe first to admit that their

judgments on propertyvalues are based on morethan data.

“Unfortunately, comingup with an opinion of valueis never totally scientific.Your agent also has to drawon experience,” Berardsaid.

I Take neighborhoodeconomic trends into ac-count.

During a period whenreal estate markets are rel-atively volatile, as they arenow, Berard said you needto look beyond closed dealsto see where values areheading.

“Housing prices don’trise or fall as quickly asstocks on Wall Street. Butover time, economic fac-tors can have a big impact,”he said.

In a suburb that’s heavi-ly reliant on one employer,such as a defense contrac-tor, a wave of layoffs by thecompany could reduceproperty values nearby.

To contact Ellen James Martin, emailher at [email protected].

UNIVERSAL UCLICK

Don’t overpay for a house; bid smartlyEllenJamesMartin

SMARTMOVES

Homes could be worth more in onesection of a neighborhood thananother, due simply to differences inhousing styles.

LOS ANGELES — U.S. homes are enteringthe foreclosure process at a slower pacethan a year ago, and fewer properties arebeing repossessed by lenders, accordingto new data.

Between January and October, 971,533homes were placed on the path to fore-closure, down 8 percent from the sameperiod last year, foreclosure listing firmRealtyTrac Inc. said.

At the other end of the foreclosureprocess, banks repossessed 559,063homes through the end of last month, adecline of nearly 19 percent from a yearearlier.

That puts lenders on pace to complete650,000 foreclosures this year, downfrom 800,000 in 2011, the firm said.

While many states continued to seeheightened foreclosure activity lastmonth, the decline at a national level re-flects several factors working to stem, orin some cases, merely delay foreclosures.

Home sales are running ahead of lastyear, lifting home prices in many parts ofthe country, which can make it easier forhomeowners to lower their monthly pay-ments by refinancing.

“Those improving housing conditionsare lifting all boats and lifting some people

out of foreclosure,” said Daren Blomquist,a vice president at RealtyTrac.

Stronger job growth, even as the na-tional unemployment rate remains justbelow 8 percent, likely has helped somehomeowners avoid foreclosure.

The percentage of mortgage-holdinghomeowners who were at least twomonths behind on their payments sank inthe third quarter to the lowest level inmore than three years, according to creditreporting firm TransUnion.

Efforts by federal and state lawmakersto slow down the foreclosure process ormake loan modification a more likely op-tion for homeowners also are having animpact.

Foreclosures are movingat slower pace than last year

RealtyTrac Inc. reports lenders are onpace to complete 650,000 foreclosuresthis year, down from 800,000 in 2011.

AP FILE PHOTO

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


In the world of home im-provement products, it used tobe that one of the things youcould count on for consistencyyear after year was the light bulb.Little-changed since its inven-tion, it was a product you didn’treally have to give much thoughtto.

No longer. Today, there’s a lotof confusion surrounding thissimple staple of the Americanhousehold. Are 100-watt bulbsbanned? Are those twisty bulbsdangerous? Can you use thesenew bulbs with a dimmer?Aren’t the new bulbs really ex-pensive? There are lots of ques-tions and lots of confusing an-swers, so let’s try to clear upwhat we can.

Incandescent bulbsIncandescent bulbs are the

traditional household lightbulbs.They consume electricity, whichis measured in watts, and give offlight, which is measured in lu-mens. However, most of theelectricity they consume is ac-tually given off as heat, so thesebulbs have never been particu-larly energy efficient.

Incandescent bulbs haven’t

technically been “banned.”What’s happened is that newenergy efficiency standards havebeen put into place, which sim-ply means that the bulbs nowneed to consume less electricityfor same amount of lumens pro-duced.

So the traditional 100-wattlight bulb is, in essence, a thingof the past. It’s being replaced bya bulb that produces the sameamount of light, but uses about72 watts. Since that translates tomoney in your pocket in theform of energy savings, it’s not abad thing. Similar wattage-to-lumen reductions are set tophase in for other bulbs overtime, but given the ongoing messin Washington, those dates are acongressional moving target.

Halogen bulbsHalogen bulbs, also called en-

ergy-saving bulbs, are incandes-cent lightbulbs that have a cap-sule inside that holds halogengas around the filament, whichincreases the efficiency of thebulb. Halogen bulbs are a littlemore expensive to buy initially,but their energy efficiency in-creases by about 25 percent over

a standard incandescent bulb,and they can last up to threetimes as long.

Another advantage to halogenbulbs is their color rendition,which is the ability of a lightsource to render the colors of anobject similar to the way sunlightdoes. This makes them a greatchoice for many desk and tasklight applications. Halogen bulbsalso can be used with dimmers.

Compact fluorescent bulbsCompact fluorescent bulbs, or

CFLs, are the increasingly famil-iar “curly tube” light bulb. Onceagain, they’re more expensive topurchase initially than a stan-dard incandescent bulb, buttheir increasing popularity andavailability is bringing pricesdown.

CFL bulbs use about a quarter

of the energy that a standardbulb uses to produce the samenumber of lumens, so that’s apretty good savings. They’re es-timated to last about 10 times aslong, so that offsets the some-what higher initial cost; in fact,the Department of Energy esti-mates that a typical CFL will payfor itself in less than ninemonths.

As CFLs have become morepopular, they’ve become avail-able in a range of colors that we-ren’t available when they werefirst introduced. You can now getCFLs with warm, yellow tones,as well as bulbs that are encasedin an outer cover that helps dif-fuse the light better — andwhich, coincidentally, alsomakes them look much more likea traditional light bulb. SomeCFLs also can be used with adimmer switch, but be sure thatyou verify that on the packagewhen you buy it.

CFLs do contain a smallamount of mercury, as do all flu-orescent bulbs. When they burnout, they shouldn’t be disposedof with the regular trash. In-stead, they need to be properlyrecycled, which is something

that a growing number of retail-ers are doing at no charge.

LED bulbsThe final type of bulb is the

light-emitting diode, or LED.These bulbs are semiconductorsthat convert electricity intolight. They’re actually in theearly stages of development, sothey’re still pretty expensive.However, many people thinkthat these bulbs have a tremen-dous amount of potential andrepresent the wave of the futurein residential and commerciallighting. As such, their pricesshould begin coming down.

LED bulbs use only about 25percent of the energy that a con-ventional bulb does, but their re-al advantage is in their life span.An LED bulb is estimated to lastabout 25 times longer than aconventional bulb, so even withthe high initial cost, their usemay still make good economicsense for applications wherebulbs are difficult to access forreplacement.

Remodeling and repair questions? Email Paul [email protected]. All product reviewsare based on the author’s actual testing of freereview samples provided by the manufacturers.

Choose right light bulb for right jobPaulBianchina

HANDY @ HOME

LOS ANGELES — As a cel-luloid heartthrob, RobertTaylor donned westernboots and jeans to portraya gunslinger in “Billy theKid” and a lawman in “TheHangman.” He dressed thesame off-screen to ridehorses on his 112-acreranch in Mandeville Ca-nyon.

Taylor died in 1969, butthe Brentwood ranch, withits 12-bedroom house,guest quarters, rollinglawns and wooded hill-sides, still bears his name.The estate, extensively re-modeled in the 1980s by arock-radio mogul whoturned the stables into of-fices and apartments whileleaving the horseshoe-studded stall doors intact,is set to be sold at auctionNov. 30.

A number of partieshave toured the RobertTaylor Ranch, recentlylisted by Hilton & Hylandat nearly $19 million.Among those expressinginterest have been “royalsfrom the Middle East,” saidAaron Kirman, a Hilton &Hyland agent workingwith Concierge Auctionsof New York.

Each potential bidderwho has seen the propertyhas had a different vision,it seems.

“A few love it the way itis,” said Marcie Hartley, al-so with Hilton & Hyland.“Others want to tear itdown and start over.” Afew, she said, view theeight parcels as ripe forsubdivision and develop-ment.

That prospect rattlesneighbors in the hillsidezone, which is prone tofloods and mudslides.During big storms, mud,debris and torrents of wa-ter gush off the hillsides.Residents argue that de-veloping the ranch furthercould heighten risks tothose downstream.

In 1969, heavy rainturned Mandeville CanyonRoad into an impassableriver; a massive mudslidetrapped film director Rob-ert Altman in his home andkilled Michael Riordan,brother of former MayorRichard J. Riordan. In Jan-uary 2005, runoff during asevere storm “was like arushing river pushingthrough the ranch’s brickand fence frontage ontoMandeville Canyon Road,”said Wendy-Sue Rosen,former president of theUpper Mandeville CanyonAssociation.

Fires are also a threat. InNovember 1961, Taylor andhis family fled when thedevastating Bel-Air/Brentwood wildfirethreatened the property.Two cowboys evacuatedthe family’s 11 horses. “Igrabbed my passport andshaving kit,” Taylor said atthe time. “We drove toRonnie Reagan’s house.”

The ranch survived un-scathed.

Listed over the years foras much as $65 million, the

property will sell Nov. 30to the highest bidder —“without reserve,” in auc-tion parlance. The auction

will take place on thegrounds; pounding the ga-vel will be auctioneerFrank Trunzo of Tampa,

Fla.The existing structures,

white with green trim,were built in 1950 for WaitePhillips, an American pet-roleum executive. The ar-chitect was Robert Byrd,who designed tract andcustom houses and “wasdefinitely known for ranchstyle,” said Alan Hess, au-thor of “Rancho Deluxe:Rustic Dreams and RealWestern Living.”

In the 1970s, Ken Ro-berts, founder of Los An-geles radio station KROQ,bought and later remod-

eled the property into whathe termed the “ultimateestate.” The property be-came known for partiesand the occasional fund-raiser for Bill Clinton.

Roberts put it on themarket in 1990 for $45million, then $35 million,but no serious buyersemerged.

“We really need to get itto the next owner who willlive there and enjoy it andbring the property back,”said Laura Brady, presidentof Concierge Auctions.

MCT INFORMATION SERVICES

Actor Robert Taylor’s ranch listed at $19M

The stone fireplace is a centerpiece of the living room in the main house of theRobert Taylor Ranch in Los Angeles. Though the actor died in 1969, the ranch stillbears his name and is set for auction Nov. 30. MCT PHOTOS

Renovations have been done on the buildings of the Robert Taylor Ranch in LosAngeles.

The kitchen in the main house of the Robert Taylor Ranch has brick and tile work.

BY MARTHA GROVESLos Angeles Times


DEAR BARRY: We arepurchasing a home andhave agreed to buy it as is.This includes a patio en-closure that was builtwithout a permit. Theseller has agreed to pay thefines levied by the buildingdepartment, but we haveto correct the defects inconstruction.

We searched the publicrecords and found that abedroom addition waspermitted in 1962, but thepermit was never signedoff. The county inspectorsaid that a new permitwould have to be issued,and the constructionwould have to comply withcurrent building codes,rather than 1962 codes.Shouldn’t a 1962 additionbe subject to codes in ef-fect when the constructionoccurred?

Cheryl

DEAR CHERYL: Build-ing inspections are basedon codes in effect at thetime of the permit, notwhen construction oc-curred. The opportunity toapply 1962 codes endedwhen the original permitexpired. The person whopurchased that permit wasobligated to call for an in-spection when the con-struction was completed.Unfortunately, failure tocomply with that require-ment has become a prob-lem for you, who may noteven have been born at thetime.

The building official hasthe prerogative to waivesome of the code changesthat have occurred overthe years, but health andsafety requirements arenot likely to be given thatkind of leniency. Considerthe following examples:

A significant code im-provement since 1962 isthe requirement for three-prong electrical outlets,instead of the old un-grounded two-prong type.Under a new permit, itwould be unacceptable fora building inspector to dis-miss this type of safety up-grade. Furthermore, if theaddition has two-prongoutlets, the wiring in thewalls might need to be re-placed to provide groundwires for three-prong out-lets.

Another example in-volves the dimensions of

bedroom windows. Thesize and height require-ments for bedroom win-dows have been changed toenable easier escape incase of a fire or otheremergency.

Some building depart-ments are more strict thanothers in addressing thistype of situation. Youshould discuss this withthe building inspector todetermine the extent ofstrictness that will apply.For example, ask the in-spector if wall coveringssuch as drywall or panel-ing will have to be removed

to enable inspection of theframing, wiring, piping,and other conditionswithin the walls. Youshould also discuss thiswith a licensed generalcontractor to determinethe costs you are likely toincur. This will enable youto make an informed deci-sion about proceedingwith the purchase of thehome.

DEAR BARRY: Therented room where I live isa converted attic. The floorarea is large, but the ceilingis only 63 inches high, andthere is no fire exit. Is this

room illegal, and if so,should I take actionagainst the landlord?

MartinDEAR MARTIN: The

room definitely does notcomply as legal livingspace. A more pertinentquestion, however, iswhether you were aware ofthese substandard condi-tions before you rented thespace. If so, perhaps youshould find another placeto live, rather than takinglegal action against thelandlord.

However, to protect fu-ture renters from beingtrapped during a fire, thelocal building authoritiesshould be notified of thisillegal dwelling.

To write to Barry Stone, visit him on theweb at www.housedetective.com.

ACTION COAST PUBLISHING

Additions to home were never finalizedBarryStone

INSPECTOR’S IN THEHOUSE

The building official has theprerogative to waive some of thecode changes that have occurredover the years.


Traditional Cape Codhouses inspired the cre-ation of the Castor. Itsshingle-clad exterior al-lows the home to fit dis-creetly into a wooded orbeach-side setting, whileits simple, compact,massed shape makes it in-expensive to build and ef-ficient to heat.

The plan is equally ap-propriate for constructionas a year-round dwellingor a vacation retreat.

Entering, you step di-rectly into a large openspace that stretches fromthe front all the way to therear. A wide coat closet fitsneatly into the back of thevestibule on the left, whichis next to the stairs.

Natural light beams intothe living room throughmultipane windows ontwo sides, and this area isentirely open to the diningroom, which in turn flowson to the kitchen.

In the kitchen, a largework island adds to the al-ready generous counterand cupboard space, and aroomy pantry adds evenmore storage capacity.

Laundry appliances arenearby in a pass-throughutility room that leads outonto a side stoop. A broomcloset with shelves and aconvenient powder roomare also tucked into thishallway.

The home office, off thekitchen at the rear, is in anideal location for handlinghousehold accounts, oreven running a small, of-fice-based business.

It could also be a study,housing books, files and afamily shared computer.

Three bedrooms, a fullbathroom and a loft areupstairs in the Castor. Theloft could be outfitted as a

study area or library. Theowners’ suite has a sur-prisingly large walk-incloset and charming railedbalcony that faces thefront.

The bathroom has adouble vanity, combina-tion tub and shower, andample towel storage.

Secondary bedroomsalso have large closets.

A review plan of the Castor 30-450,including floor plans, elevations, sectionand artist’s conception, can bepurchased for $25 by phone, mail oronline. Add $5 for shipping and handling.Associated Designs, 1100 Jacobs Drive,Eugene, OR, 97402. www.associateddesigns.com. (800) 634-0123.

HOUSE PLAN

Castor inspired by Cape Cod houses

WASHINGTON — FederalReserve Chairman BenBernanke said banks’overly tight lending stan-dards may be holding backthe U.S. economy by pre-venting creditworthy bor-rowers from buyinghomes.

Some tightening ofcredit standards wasneeded after the 2008 fi-nancial crisis, but “thependulum has swung toofar the other way,” Ber-nanke said. Qualified bor-rowers are being preventedfrom getting home loans,he said during a speech tothe Operation HOPEGlobal Financial DignitySummit in Atlanta.

Operation HOPE is anonprofit organizationthat provides free eco-nomic education andfinancial counseling tolower- and middle-income Americans.

Bernanke’s commentscame Nov. 15, a day whenmortgage buyer FreddieMac said the average rateon the 30-year fixed mort-gage fell to a record low of3.34 percent. Rates havebeen low all year but havefallen further since theFederal Reserve startedbuying mortgage bonds inSeptember to encouragemore borrowing andspending.

The rates have helpedboost home sales and haveled more people to refi-nance existing loans. Yetmany have been unable totake advantage of the lowrates because banks now

require higher creditscores, stricter incomedocumentation and largerdown payments beforeapproving loans.

The Fed has tried tomake homebuying moreaffordable through itsbond purchases. Minutesfrom the central bank’sOctober meeting indicatedthe Fed may pursue morebond purchases in themonth ahead. A new pro-gram could be announcedwhen the Fed next meetson Dec. 11-12.

In his speech, Bernankegave no hint of what futuremoves the Fed might take.But he said officials at thecentral bank understoodthe problems still facingthe U.S. economy.

Bernanke said housinghas shown signs of recov-ery this year. But he saidconstruction activity, salesand prices remain muchlower than they were be-fore the crisis. About 20percent of mortgage bor-rowers remain under wa-ter, meaning that they owemore on their mortgagethan their home is worth,he noted.

Bernanke warnstight standardshurting economy

Federal ReserveChairman Ben Bernanke

BY THE ASSOCIATED PRESS


Above every stove orcooktop hangs an oppor-tunity to express yourself.

No more are we stuckwith a boring, bulgy boxthat howls from a spacebeneath the spice cabinet.

Now that the kitchen isone of the most popularplaces to gather, rangehoods are evolving andcompeting to be a focalpoint.

They are floating ele-gantly above a voluptuouskitchen island and com-manding attention from awall.

Make the right choices,and you can have a sleeknew kitchen ventilationsystem that has power anda purr — for an investmentstarting at about $400,plus installation.

It would be easy tospend a lot more. Pricesfor custom and high-enddecorative hoods canquickly climb to thousandsof dollars.

Homeowners are turn-ing on to the trend. Fromthe artsy to designs withattitude, decorative rangehoods are turning up insettings from contempo-

rary to traditional.“If you’re doing a tradi-

tional home, there’s noreason you couldn’t use amore decorative hood,”said Lora Donoghue, pastpresident of the NationalKitchen and Bath Associ-ation’s Carolinas Chapter.

Form over function?Not necessarily. Rangehoods are more powerfulthan ever, with blowersmoving air at rates fromabout 400 to 1,300 cubicfeet per minute or more.Check online consumerreviews to avoid noise-

makers.The might and muscle is

important these days.Ranges in many homes arebig, sometimes six to eightburners.

That’s a lot of territoryfor a range hood to cover toremove the grease andsteam bubbling up fromthe pots and pans.

“If it isn’t leaving the

house, (the greasy steam)is on — guess what: beau-tiful new cabinets, carpet-ing, upholstery, walls, pic-tures and you,” said JanByers, manager of theSub-Zero/Wolf show-room in Charlotte, N.C.

Many homeowners stillprefer traditional decor.About 70 percent of cus-tomers want a traditional

look when they come toFerguson Bath, Kitchen &Lighting Gallery, on SouthBoulevard in Charlotte. Acustom hood built by acabinet maker is oftentheir choice.

A hood can be built tomatch the cabinets — andthe size of the range.

“Basically if you candraw it on a CAD (comput-er-aided design) program,they can make it,” said LizGant, Ferguson’s ap-pliance manager.

A custom hood will needa liner and an insert, whichincludes all of the innardsthat do the dirty work.

A decorative range hoodis a second option. Thesingle unit combines ahood and insert. These of-ten have a more contem-porary look.

Lighting is usually builtinto a ventilation system.Halogen, florescent andLED fixtures are common.

While design is impor-tant, customers want amodel that works wellabove all. That meanspower without the howl.

“The No. 1 concern isconsumers want some-thing quiet,” Gant said.

MCT INFORMATION SERVICES

Under the hood: style, power and a purr

The price for Futuro Futuro’s Concorde range hood,shown in this rendering, starts at $1,495 for a 36-inchwall-mounted model. MCT PHOTOS

Futuro Futuro’s Autumn range hood. Prices start at$2,095 for the 27-inch wall-mounted model.

BY KAREN SULLIVANThe Charlotte Observer

I BUY & SELL HOUSES27 YRS EXP 650-7667

HOMESOFOKCINC.COM

Commercial Bldg. GoodInvestment or owner occupied.Mechanic shop, car lot and ectS. Western St. frontage, SW

27th & Western, currently rentedfor $1400/mo. Asking $105,000.

Call 405-641-0841.

Welding and manufacturingbusiness with 57,000 sq. ft

building and fenced lot,sell together or separately.Kremlin, OK 580-554-5890

7602 N Western Ave. ShoppingCenter space for rent. 370-1077

405-838-2558 email:[email protected]

Office or Retail Space in YukonArvest Plaza - 915 Cornwell Dr.

Call Jim at 405-942-9905

GREAT Office Space. Various NWlocations, 300-6000sf 946-2516

Lg 1 & 2Bd close to SNU. Coveredparking. $345-$445mo 470-3535

VERY, VERY QUIETNear mall, schls, hosp

Try Plaza East 341-4813

Free Rent 'til January. 1 & 2 bed.Spring Tree Apts. 405-737-8172.

$200 off1st Mo Rent Selected UnitsLarge Townhomes & Apartments

• Washer, Dryers, pools• PC Schools, fireplaces

WILLIAMSBURG7301 NW 23rd 787-1620

$200 Off1st Mo Rent Selected units

2 & 3 bed TownhousesWasher/Dryers,

Fireplaces, P.C. SchoolsPARKLANE 721-5455

8100 N. MacArthur Blvd

$99 Special1 & 2 BD & Townhouses•City bus route/Shopping•Washer/Dryer hookups

Valencia Apts2221 N. Meridian 946-6548

RiverChase Apartments11239 N. Penn Avenue

Oklahoma City1 and 2 bedrooms available

$490-$610great move-in specials

Call 405-751-1221

1 Month FreeLarge 2bd $595 Casady 751-8088

Free Rent Till January. 1/2/3 bed,Putnam Green, 405-721-2210.

PIEDMONT OPEN SUN 2-5Model home. New hms on 1/2

ac lots. From NW Expwy &Sara Rd go 4.5 mi N Cleaton &

Assoc 373-2494

7 Acres & updated 5bd 4ba 7000sf2 liv, 2 dining, 3 fp, built 2005.3800sf attached garage, hugeworkshop. Minutes from Norman$495,000 Realty Experts 414-8753

CASHION 6-12 ac w/trees& creek owner fin may be availLisa 919-5717 Cleaton & Assoc

373-2494

1N to 10A E of OKC, pay out dn.100's choices, many M/H readyTERMS Milburn o/a 275-1695

www.paulmilburnacreages.com

4bd house w/lg shop 1N -3O ASE Harah - unfinished house 5ATERMS Milburn o/a 275-1695

www.paulmilburnacreages.com

Call for Maps! See why we sellmore acreages than anyone inOkla. E of OKC. o/a 275-1695

5 Acres, Norman Schools, Pecantrees, well, bldgs, partially fenced

¡‘¡ 405-360-5862 ¡‘¡

5 WOODED AC near Noblenew well/sept. 405-426-5566

420ac 35% grass, small Cabin E ofHoldenville$373,900 405.386.6629

3000 W Simpson » 10 Acres m/lBeautiful 5bedroom 2bath house,2 car garage attached, cathedral

ceilings in living area, balconyattached to master bedroom.It will be sold as is. Priced at$195,000 Call 405-273-5777

PUBLIC NOTICE!Foreclosures: MUST GO!

FixerUppers HUD REO& BnkOwndHomebuyers/Investors welcomeCall for FREE list of 2-4bd homesPATRICK W/Allied 405-740-6616

1000sq ft to be moved. $2,0003/1 405-340-9957 Newer Roof

Owner carry 533 SweetboughRenovated 1842 ft 3/2 2 living

417-2176www.homesofokcinc.com

Bank Owned 3/1, new cabinets,carpet, hvac, roof & more! Brick.21ac $74,900 Rlty Exp 414-8753

PUBLIC NOTICE!Foreclosures: MUST GO!

FixerUppers HUD REO& BnkOwndHomebuyers/Investors welcomeCall for FREE list of 2-4bd homesPATRICK W/Allied 405-740-6616

$130K-Large 4/2.5/2cp-2266sfFully Remodeled-Everything!

Fin. avail. All credit OK. 551-8191

8715 Roxbury Blvd. Townhouse,FSBO Remodeled 4/2.5/2 $94KPayment $422 WAC. 414-8854

FSBO $120K $2000 Dwn $750mo15yrs ONR FIN NO CRED CHECK!Corner: Grand & Santa Fe 2100sf3b 2b lrg gar on 1/2Acre 885-2572

3337 Murray Dr. $80K 3bd 1ba2 living, Western Heights HS

Michele, Express South 323.5251

HORSE lovers dream 3bd 3.5baon 10 ac MOL 40 x 50 wkshp,loafing shed $429,900. Lisa919-5717 Cleaton & Assoc

373-2494

IMMACULATE 3bd 2baw/study 8 x 12 outbld $164,900Lisa 919-5717 Cleaton & Assoc

373-2494

BEAUTIFUL 3bd 2ba on .35 acMOL seller is owner/broker of

Cleaton & Assoc 373-2494Lisa 919-5717

NEW HOME 3bd 2.5ba w/studyon .50 ac MOL $227,800 Lisa

919-5717 seller is owner/brokerof Cleaton & Assoc 373-2494

Darling 3bd 1ba in The Village,10809 Sunnymeade Pl 751-4860

1810 Edinburg Dr/Westbury So.crnr lot 3/2/2 + pool & ofc. Now$144,500 w/$3K carpet allow.

Bill, Bateman Co. 324-2022

PIEDMONT OPEN SUN 2-5Model home. New hms on 1/2

ac lots. From NW Expwy &Sara Rd go 4.5 mi N Cleaton &

Assoc 373-2494

40ac Prestigious hunting land inHughes County $17,000 886-1643

Special Govt Program! Own Land/Family Land ZERO down. Don'tprejudge credit! E-Z qualify byphone! $2,000 furniture packagew/purchase. Homes starting$26,500 & up. WAC 405-602-4526

No Land? Just want a home!Have down pymt money. Don'tprejudge your credit. We haveprogram for you WAC 631-7600

Abandoned D/W set up on 6acres. Ready to move in. Many tochoose from. Statewide 631-7600

3bd 2ba Singlewide $9000+ Delivery 405-631-7600

3bd 2ba vinyl siding, Ready now!$22K financing avail. 324-8000

1997 Spirit 16x80 3br/2bth$22,000 all. 405-240-7998

AWESOME! 32x80 Palm Harborrepo Starting @ $648mo 324-8000

Rent to Own: Nice 2 & 3bedMWC $350 & up 390-9777

NEW 3bd/2bth $1500 down,$381 mo. wac 405-324-8010

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 1st2401 NW 45th, OKC

3 BED, 2 BATH, 2 CAR GARAGEFor more info see

kencarpenterauction.com405-620-1524

AUCTIONNICE BRICK HOME * OKCFRI NOV 30TH 10 AM4921 NW 26th Street OKC, OK.

OPEN HOUSE NOV 18, 3-5PMVickie 405-205-9085 or

Troy 580-747-6747www.LippardAuctions.com

I BUY HOUSES 410-5700Any condition. No cost to U

Furnished/Unfurnished. Bills Paid» Wkly/Mnthly. Wes Chase AptsElk Horn Apts, Hillcrest, 370-1077

Briargate Apts 1718 N Indiana1bd 1ba 800sf, wood floors, $600mo, $300/dep 409-7989 No sec 8

800 N Meridian - 1bd All bills paidBrand New 2bd 2ba 946-9506


•ABC• Affordable,Bug free, Clean » 787-7212»

MAYFAIR Great loc! 1&2 bd W/Dhdwd flr quiet secure ¡ 947-5665


Newly Remodeled 1&2bdNo deposit for VA, seniors &

Disability. 4708 SE 44th 677-2200

Large 1 & 2 beds. Stove, refrig,3 SW OKC Locations$345 to 420 mo 632-9849

Furnished/Unfurnished. Bills Paid» Wkly/Mnthly. Wes Chase AptsElk Horn Apts, Hillcrest, 370-1077

SAN TEE APTS 1 BED $350 MOEFFICIENCY $275MO

+ ELEC & $135 DEP 408-9769

8300 NW 10th, 3 bed, 1K bath, 2car, washer/dryer hookup, $725,405-326-0695.

Oldetowne, 9124 Stonegate, 2bd,1car, 1 mi. to Tinker, 769-7177.

905 NW 21 Mesta Park 2 bed 1ba1 car, 1200sf. Just beautiful woodfloors! modern fixtures, all appls,

no pets $1100mo $900dep405-409-7989 no sec 8

2322 NW 20th 2 bed 1 ba 864sfnew paint and fixtures $725 mo,$300 dep 405-409-7989 no sec 8

912 N Gardner 3 bed 1O bathfireplace washer/dryer hook upswat/garb pd $550mo 408-9769

1721 NW 1st 1bed 1bath $365681-7272

1503 NW 17th, 2 bed, all appls,W/D, $600 mo + dep. 314-9511.

Bills PaidFurnished/Unfurnished

Weekly/Monthly 370-1077

» 3112 SE 19 3/1/2 stor bldg, wdflr ch/a DC schlS $580 476-5011

3 bed, 1K bath, 2 car, Del Cityschools, new a/c and heat, $700mo + deposit, 670-3471, Walter.

3 bed, 1 ba, carport ch&a, $650mo, $550 dep, no sec 8, 740-8419.

612 Reynolds Rd 3/1.5/1 $725681-7272

2828 Canton Ln, 4 bed, 2.5 bath,3 car $1700/month. 405-397-9075

» 705 Juniper Ave 3bd 1bd 2c chawd flr nice fncd. $585 476-5011

1305 Pinewood Ct 3/1/1 $575681-7272

3bed, 1K bath, 2car, fenced,near schools. $800 PMO.

1 year lease. Broker/Owner823-6856 Mon-Sat

3/2/3 1820sf fp storm shltr $13003/2.5 mbl hm 2.5ac fp $950+dep3/1/1, 850sf. Cute! $675+depWAC Home&Ranch Rlty 794-7777

Spacious 2bd 2ba condo MooreSchls $895 Harris RE 410-4300

2646 NW 34 2/1/1 $6506717 NW 131 3/2/2 $125014311 N Penn 1/1 $60012520 Tealwood 3/2/2 $10952903 Quail Creek 2/2/2 $12501622 Sheffield 3/1 $6751744 Carlisle 2/1 $75012305 Cedar Springs 2/2.5/2 $850Express Realty 844-6101

www.expressrealtyok.com

KAT Properties-Apt & Homes forrent. Scan this w/your phone app

2224 NW 16 - 2 bed 1 bath,1281sf, new paint, wood floors.

Beautiful! $950 mo $800 dep405-409-7989 no Sec 8

1020 Clover Ln-3 bed 2 bath,1120sf $700/mo $500/dep

405-409-7989 no sec 8

7705 NW 116th, 3 bed, 2 bath, 2car, ch&a, $1045 rent/$1045 de-posit, no section 8, 405-370-1077.

NICE & CLEAN 1900sf 4/2/2 newwood flrs & pnt 7328 Walnut

Creek $1150mo+ dep » 476-5222

LEASE PURCHASETotally redone 4bd/2ba/2car

$1150mo ¡ 308-9291

For Lease - Piedmont Schools Ex-tra nice home 3bed, 2ba, 2,072 sq.ft. $1,250 mo. 405-408-1288

723 NW 25th 5bd/2ba CH&A$1,100 mo $600dep 831-0825

New Home 2000sf, 3bd, 2baRockwell & 122 ¡$1800¡285-6312

Exceptional 3bd 2ba home in FoxRun, 1900sf, $1085 603-4775

2 bd, 1.5 ba, 1216sf, W/D hkups$600mo 1138 N Bradley 618-8723

3013 NW 30TH 2BD 2BATH$525MO 408-9769

3/4bd, 2.5ba, 2car, Deer Crk Schl$1100 550-9179 6812 NW 130th

Putnam Heights, 3bed, 1bath, up-dated & new $775. 405-417-5833

3/4 bd, 2 full ba $825mo, $700dep1205 NW 80th ¡ 229-7437

608 SE 49th 3bd 1bath $4951502 SE 64th 2bd 1ba 1car $5256404 S Durland 3bd 1ba $525

681-7272

3bd 1ba, 1152 SE 18th St $750+$650dep Avail 12/1 405-812-0096

» K Off 2nd Month Rent! »1404 S Youngs Newly built 2/1

$550 ¡ Free List ¡ 681-7272

2736 SW 531030sf 3bed 1ba 1car $700 mo$500 dep 405-409-7989 no sec 8

3/2/2, 1750 sf, Kings Park, withcommon area, pool, tennis court,$1150 + deposit, 682-5885.

944 SW 35th 3bd $4952214 SW 30th dplx 2bd 1ba $495

Free List ¡ 681-7272

10125 Southridge Dr 3bd 2ba2car, Moore schls, 1700sf, $1000mo, $900 dep 409-7989 no sec 8

3001 SW 61st 2 story 4bd 1.75 banew carpet $795mo 408-9769

3bd 2K ba 3car 2300sf NO PETSSW 83rd. $1200mo 229-7295

2332 SW 49th 3/4bd 2 living, ch/aonly $625 Harris RE 410-4300

Nice 2 bd fenced yard garage$525 mo $300dep. 631-8039

MUST SEE - SHAWNEE 2Bd 1Baw/appls $475/mo + $450 dep.avail 12/1/2012 ‘ 405-432-8195

Edge of Nichols Hills 3/1.5/1 ch&a$795/mo. Refs required. 919-8043

11908 Ashford 3/2/2 $10501730 Riviera Ln 2/2/2 $925Express Realty 844-6101

www.expressrealtyok.com

Rent to Own: Nice 2 & 3bedMWC $350 & up 390-9777

2 & 3 BED MHs & HOUSES» » » 733-8688 » » »


Oklahoma CitySGS LLC, 8601 S Penn-

sylvania Ave., church, re-model, $2,000,000.

Booz Allen Hamilton, 211N Robinson Ave., office,remodel, $1,123,000.

Dave Goodman Homes,17212 Whimbrel Lane, resi-dence, erect, $750,000.

Tricore Custom HomesLLC, doing business asGallardia ConstructionCo., 5740 Oliver Court,residence, erect,$750,000.

The Roberts Group,16325 Scotland Way, resi-dence, erect, $590,000.

Mayse & Associates,6420 SW 3, restaurant,erect, $550,000.

Willco Homes LLC,3209 NW 177, residence,erect, $530,000.

Central Precast, 3941 WReno Ave., warehouse,erect, $530,000.

Energy Architecture,801 N Morgan Road, man-ufacturing, add-on,$520,000.

Craig Young PropertiesLLC, 14908 Kurdson Way,residence, erect,$500,000.

Avalon Homes & Prop-erties LLC, 7701 JesseTrail, residence, erect,$499,525.


Clyde Riggs Construc-tion, 525 Central ParkDrive, office, remodel,$450,000.

Bekm Holdings, 16224Muirfield Place, shellbuilding, erect, $410,749.

Tapestry CustomHomes LLC, 1408 NW 188,residence, erect,$396,700.

McDermott Construc-tion Co. LLC, 9904 Rus-sell Drive, residence, erect,$390,000.


J.R. Bowers Jr. Con-struction Co. Inc., 10909Meadowlake Farms Drive,residence, erect,$325,000.

Suburban Homes/Clo-verleaf LLC, 9024 NW 147Place, residence, erect,$325,000.

Brown DevelopmentLLC, 8701 SW 107, resi-dence, erect, $307,000.

Willa Construction Co.Inc., 2508 SW 135 Circle,residence, erect,$290,000.

Willa Construction Co.Inc., 3209 SW 137, resi-dence, erect, $280,000.

J.R. Bowers Jr. Con-struction Co. Inc., 10921Meadowlake Farms Drive,residence, erect,$275,000.

Sun Properties LLC,5417 Lazy Fawn Trail, resi-dence, erect, $275,000.

Heritage ConstructionCo., 6900 NW 122, busi-ness, remodel, $262,800.

Landmark Fine HomesLP, 18428 Salvador Road,residence, erect,$260,000.

Allenton Homes & De-velopment LLC, 7028 NW159 Place, residence, erect,$260,000.

Shawn Forth CustomHomes, 18213 HaslemereLane, residence, erect,$259,000.

KB Mac LLC, 6800Broadway Extension, of-fice, remodel, $250,000.

Allenstyle Homes LLC,7017 NW 161, residence,erect, $248,000.

Olde World ClassicsLLC, 19809 OakshireDrive, residence, erect,$245,000.

Sierra Homes LLC,3209 Hampshire Lane,residence, erect,$240,000.

TLP Custom HomesLLC, 1529 SW 131, resi-dence, erect, $240,000.

Earl Austin Construc-tion Co., doing business asAustin Homes, 8413 NW122 Circle, residence, erect,$230,000.

J.W. Mashburn Devel-opment Inc., 5601 NW 121Circle, residence, erect,$230,000.

New Home Construc-

automotive repair-wash,erect, $20,000.

Stephen Taylor, 9900Stefano Circle, accessory,erect, $20,000.

RBA Architects, 3111Quail Springs Parkway, of-fice, remodel, $15,000.

Rich A&A InvestmentsLLC, 1137 N Indiana Ave.,residence, remodel,$12,000.

Okstormshelters LLC,8745 Pikes Peak Road,storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $10,200.

Vicky Pando, 320 SW30, residence, remodel,$10,000.

Grace Contracting LLC,7000 NW 122, retail sales,remodel, $5,000.

Brad Cage, 2309 SW 94,storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $4,600.

Don Hodges, 2400 SMacArthur Blvd., manu-factured home, move-on-mobile home park,$4,000.

Tom Michael, 15216 NFrisco Road, accessory,erect, $4,000.

Paulo Paes, 17709 GoldDrive, storm shelter, in-stall-storm shelter, $3,395.

Jose Garibaldi, 3200 SW23, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,295.

F5 Storm Shelter, 19528Talavera Lane, storm shel-ter, install-storm shelter,$3,200.

F5 Storm Shelter, 17016Wales Green Ave., stormshelter, install-storm shel-ter, $3,100.

Lindsey M. Ray, 6025NW 154, storm shelter, in-stall-storm shelter,$3,000.

Bryan Nikkel, 13100 Lin-den, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $3,000.

Bowlware (W.S.) Con-struction, 15200 NW 34,temporary building,move-on, $3,000.

Kari Bishop, 8405 NW63 Terrace, storm shelter,install-storm shelter,$2,995.

Kevin Fitzgerald, 3121SW 137 Court, storm shel-ter, install-storm shelter,$2,995.

Darwin Stewart, 12600N Rockwell Ave., stormshelter, install storm shel-ter, $2,950.

Asako and BrandonAshpaugh, 17617 NickelLane, storm shelter, in-stall-storm shelter,$2,900.

Leonard and Lois Mur-phy, 17121 Platinum Lane,storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,900.

Tom Townley, 525 SW159 Terrace, storm shelter,install-storm shelter,$2,895.

Babu Mathew, 11812 SW1, storm shelter, install-storm shelter, $2,800.

Eppachen Daniel, 9205SW 23, storm shelter, in-stall-storm shelter,$2,800.

Terry and Dana Jones,1000 SW 102, storm shel-ter, install-storm shelter,$2,800.

Alloy Building Co., 2120SW 61 Terrace, canopy-carport, add-on, $2,600.

Jerry Anderson, 12504Doons Drive, storm shel-ter, install-storm shelter,$2,600.

Chris and Tanna Zach,7301 NW 106, storm shel-ter, install-storm shelter,$2,595.

Carson & Shdeed, 228NW 59, office-warehouse,remodel, $2,500.

Carson & Shdeed, 228NW 59, office-warehouse,remodel, $2,500.

Sherri Stotts, 2900Donnelly Ave., residence,add-on, $2,500.

Clydell Dewberry, 645NW 109, canopy-carport,add-on, $1,377.

Rosalinda Burrola, 1629SW 52, canopy-carport,add-on, $1,200.

DemolitionsKendall Concrete, 2318

NW 18, residence.

Drive, residence, erect,$150,000.

Titan Homes, 11100Tammy Terrace, resi-dence, move-on,$140,400.

Olde World ClassicsLLC, 12116 Cliff Rose Drive,residence, erect,$140,000.

Ideal Homes of NormanLP, 18409 Las MeninasDrive, residence, erect,$132,000.

Ideal Homes of NormanLP, 18525 Las MeninasDrive, residence, erect,$131,000.

Westpoint Homes, 6001NW 151 Terrace, residence,erect, $130,000.

Cliff Marical HomesInc., 10620 SW 34 Terrace,residence, erect, $129,900.

Cliff Marical HomesInc., 10617 SW 36, resi-dence, erect, $129,900.

American BuildingContractors & DevelopersLLC, 3005 Canton Trail,residence, erect, $125,000.

Allen & Co., 2627 WWilshire Blvd., residence,add-on, $120,000.

Home Creations, 9812SW 36, residence, erect,$117,200.

Dale Ryan Design PlusInc., 2100 W MemorialRoad, restaurant, add-on,$110,000.

Harbor Homes, 17109Avila Lane, residence,erect, $110,000.

Chickasaw Holding Co.,601 SW 7, business, re-model, $110,000.

Rausch ColemanHomes LLC, 11416 SW 25Terrace, residence, erect,$109,000.

Home Creations, 2433NW 197 Terrace, resi-dence, erect, $103,600.

Cresap Capital LLC,2424 NW 194 Terrace, res-idence, erect, $100,000.

Cresap Capital LLC,2409 NW 194 Terrace, res-idence, erect, $100,000.

Rausch ColemanHomes LLC, 9637 LaurenDrive, residence, erect,$100,000.

Rausch ColemanHomes LLC, 4709 HunterBlvd., residence, erect,$100,000.

Ideal Homes of NormanLP, 432 Scully Road, resi-dence, erect, $96,000.

Home Creations, 2437NW 197 Terrace, resi-dence, erect, $85,400.

Dan Reynolds Con-struction & Restoration,800 Gleneagles Drive, res-idence, remodel, $83,500.

Home Creations, 19801Vista Ave., residence,erect, $78,800.

Cornerstone GroupLLC, 10740 SW 36, resi-dence, erect, $65,000.

Cornerstone GroupLLC, 11720 SW 20, resi-dence, erect, $65,000.

Cornerstone GroupLLC, 2325 Makaila Way,residence, erect, $65,000.

Cornerstone GroupLLC, 2316 Makaila Way,residence, erect, $65,000.

Home First Inc., 15100Turtle Lake Place, acces-sory, erect, $60,000.

Mike Sullivan Con-struction, 6016 SE 149,residence, add-on,$46,000.

CW Homes, 7510 Bob-white Trail, residence,add-on, $45,000.

Rice (Mike) Construc-tion, 6903 N May Ave., re-tail sales, remodel,$42,000.

JNC Transport, 3308 SE89, manufactured home,move-on-mobile homepark, $30,000.

JNC Transport, 1325Windsurf Way, manufac-tured home, move-on-mobile home park,$30,000.

Quality Interior Design,7309 S Western Ave., retailsales, remodel, $30,000.

Step By Stepps, 2515 SW57, residence, add-on,$30,000.

Bronco Steel Inc., 6025NW 2, canopy-carport,erect, $25,000.

Chris Papasarantou, 325W Memorial Road, cano-py-carport, erect,$20,000.

Jim Lemmons, 2212 NW36, accessory, erect,$20,000.

Lawrence Baranski,9809 S Sunnylane Road,

tion LLC, 12015 SE 105Court, residence, erect,$225,000.

Rice Custom HomesLLC, 19001 Pinehurst TrailDrive, residence, erect,$225,000.

Braxton Homes LLC,3913 Chesterfield Place,residence, erect,$225,000.

E-Z Living Homes Inc.,12400 Heathfield Lane,residence, erect,$225,000.

E-Z Living Homes Inc.,12605 Lexington Drive,residence, erect,$225,000.

E-Z Living Homes Inc.,11801 Milano Road, resi-dence, erect, $225,000.

Johnston Builders LLC,5632 NW 126, residence,erect, $220,000.

Heartland Homes LLC,2401 NW 174, residence,erect, $214,900.

Allenstyle Homes LLC,7021 NW 161, residence,erect, $200,000.

J.W. Mashburn Devel-opment Inc., 3121 SW 136Terrace, residence, erect,$200,000.

Sun Properties LLC,1404 NW 176, residence,erect, $200,000.

R&R Homes LLC, 10717SW 34 Terrace, residence,erect, $200,000.

Massey (Rex) Construc-tion Inc., 636 NE 14, ac-cessory, erect, $200,000.

Taber Built Homes LLC,13917 Drakes Way, resi-dence, erect, $200,000.




Walter Owens HomesInc., 8708 SW 59 Terrace,residence, erect,$200,000.

Woodcrafter HomesInc., 524 Kearny Lane, res-idence, erect, $200,000.

Woodcrafter HomesInc., 524 Kearny Lane, res-idence, erect, $200,000.

Allenton Homes & De-velopment LLC, 7024 NW159 Place, residence, erect,$200,000.

M&J Homes LLC, 9901SW 28, residence, erect,$195,000.

League Custom HomesLLC, 8809 NW 109, resi-dence, erect, $190,000.

Watermark Homes LLC,2816 Morgan Trace, resi-dence, erect, $190,000.

Redwing ConstructionLLC, 9809 SW 27, resi-dence, erect, $190,000.

Quality DesignedHomes LLC, 2301 MakailaWay, residence, erect,$187,000.

Quality DesignedHomes LLC, 2320 WayneCutt Ave., residence,erect, $187,000.

League Custom HomesLLC, 605 Celtic Circle,residence, erect,$186,000.

Cliff Marical HomesInc., 11312 SW 37, resi-dence, erect, $185,000.

J. Hill Homes Inc., 9009SW 38 Terrace, residence,erect, $185,000.

Bradbury Homes Inc.,11736 SW 21, residence,erect, $184,000.

Timber Craft HomesLLC, 8404 NW 143 Ter-race, residence, erect,$169,500.

Johnston Builders LLC,5601 NW 126, residence,erect, $160,000.

American BuildingContractors & DevelopersLLC, 11208 SW 37 Court,residence, erect, $150,000.

Hollingsworth Enter-prises LLC, 9801 SW 27,residence, erect, $150,000.

Leonhardt EnterprisesInc., 15912 Cantera CreekDrive, residence, erect,$150,000.



Manco Enterprises LLC,15917 Panther Way, resi-dence, erect, $150,000.

Manco Enterprises LLC,15904 Cantera Creek

Permits

Jeanie Butts has joinedThe Covington Co., 6520 NWestern Ave., Suite 200, asa broker associate.

She has been a resident ofOklahoma City for morethan 30 years. She gradu-ated from Oklahoma State

University and has a lawdegree from OklahomaCity University.

She is a former assistantattorney general and as-sistant city attorney for thecity of Norman.

Butts joins Covington Co.

Jeanie Butts

The Listing of the Weekis a large Mediterranean-style home with three largeliving areas, including oneoverlooking the pool.

The 3,754-square-foothome has four bedrooms,three dining areas and adetached three-car garage.The main living room has afireplace. The den has abuilt-in entertainmentcenter. The kitchen has alarge pantry, built-in deskand granite counters. Thefront bathroom is a saferoom. The home has amother-in-law plan, withtwo bedrooms on each endof the house. The study isnext to the master bed-room, which has a his-

and-hers bath with walk-in closet. The home has acabana area with gas grill,a security system and un-derground sprinkler sys-tem.

The home at 1224 Da-vinbrook Drive, southwestof NW Grand and NW 63,built in 1967, is listed for$529,000 with SandyGiasson of Churchill-Brown & Associates Real-tors. For more informa-tion, call 641-3836 or 843-8188.

Nominations for Listing of the Weekare welcome. Send a copy of the MLSinformation sheet on a single-familyhome to The Oklahoman, Richard Mize,P.O. Box 25125, Oklahoma City, OK73125. Nominations may be faxed to475-3996.

LISTING OF THE WEEK

The Listing of the Week is at 1224 Davinbrook Drive. PHOTO PROVIDED

Large home has 4bedrooms, pool

ST. LOUIS — A north St.Louis County real estatebroker was arrested on in-dictments of bank fraudand other federal chargesafter allegedly bilkinglenders with a real estatescheme, the U.S. attor-ney’s office said.

Jerrick Hawkins, 28,recruited buyers for realestate that he either ownedor for which he was actingas broker from at least2007 to September 2011,prosecutors said.

Most of the buyerscouldn’t pay for the prop-erties or legitimately qual-ify for loans, so Hawkinstold them to supply falseemployment and incomeamounts on loan applica-tions and submitted falsedocuments to back themup, including pay stubs,W-2s, gift letters and ver-ification of employmentforms, prosecutors said.Most of the loans went intodefault, prosecutors said.

Hawkins now faces onebank fraud charge and twocounts of making falsestatements.

Mo. real estate brokerindicted in fraud caseMCCLATCHY-TRIBUNEINFORMATION SERVICES

ORLANDO, Fla. — As morehomebuyers, sellers andinvestors rely on socialmedia and online re-sources for real estate in-formation, Realtors are re-sponding.

Realtors at the recentsession “Raise your SocialMedia Marketing to theNext Level,” at the 2012Realtors Conference andExpo learned strategies toenhance their social busi-ness and digital engage-ment and ways to incorpo-rate new outlets into theirmarketing mix.

“Technology has trans-formed the way Realtorsdo business, and it’s im-portant to keep up withthis ongoing evolution,”said Nobu Hata, director ofdigital engagement for theNational Association ofRealtors, who spoke dur-ing the session. “Given theInternet’s convenienceand round-the-clock ac-cessibility, it’s not surpris-ing that many homebuyersfirst look online for prop-erties and informationwhen beginning theirsearch. And most of thosebuyers then turn to real es-tate professionals to help

them realize their real es-tate goals.”

According to the 2012National Association ofRealtors Profile of HomeBuyers and Sellers, re-leased at the conference,nine out of 10 recenthomebuyers used the In-ternet to search for homes,up from seven out of 10 in2003. And the percentageof buyers who report usingthe Internet “frequently”nearly doubled, from 42percent in 2003 to 79 per-cent in 2012.

“Stay in touch and en-gaged with your clientsonline by making yourwebsite the most ‘social’thing you use,” Hata said.“Give consumers whatthey can’t Google.”

Nearly half of all Real-tors — 49 percent — reportactively using social net-working websites, and asmall but growing seg-ment use forms of com-munication such as blogs(17 percent), according tothe most recent NARMember Profile.

Session participantsdiscussed ways to leveragethe business applicationsof popular social mediaplatforms, including Pin-terest, Tumblr and Yelp.

Realtors get socialin Orlando, Fla.FROM WIRE REPORTS

the oklahoman real estate

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