Pamela Dittmer Mckuen

Is a bigger home always better? No, resounds the "less is more" crowd. "A generation ago, people expected much less," says Amy Dacyczyn of Leeds, Maine, co-publisher of "The Tightwad...

Here's a test to help you decide which is better suited to your lifestyle, a house or a condominium. 1. Your definition of home maintenance is: a. Changing light bulbs...

Tammy and John Breen know the true meaning of the term "starter home." Their small brick ranch in the West Lawn neighborhood suited the two of them and their dog...

If you`re shopping for a condominium, your questions should go beyond ''What`s the price?'' and ''What are the assessments?'' For instance: - Are pets allowed? Are there any height or...

After many years of city living, John Vick longs for a couple acres of land and a vegetable garden. His wife, Virginia, says, ''I go where he goes.'' If possible,...

When Kathy and Mike Costello moved into a larger home in Elmhurst two years ago, they were elated to have lots of living space and a formal dining room. What...

Their research has led Andy and Lizzy Ringness to conclude that they paid too much for their two-bedroom brick ranch in Wheaton two years ago. Now they face the upsetting...

Lisa Scott and John Street wrote ''Selling points'' last year to request some spruce-up advice when they decided to put their Old Town condo on the market. Our consulting real...

Lillian Powers is 82 years old and, in her own words, ''too old to be mucking around'' with shoveling snow, mowing grass and dealing with home improvement contractors. She is...

Numbered paddles whipped the air, inciting the contagious urge to splurge at the 3rd annual benefit auction for the Ray Graham Association for the Handicapped last weekend. As the auctioneer...