During a recent tour of a town-home for sale, I was struck at the owner's apparent apathy for increasing her odds. My Realtor and I tripped over a pile of tennis shoes in the front entryway. Newspapers were littered about the living room floor. A pile of shirts drooped over the recliner. The morning's breakfast dishes were still on the table, being hungrily eyed by a pair of vicious Pugs confined to another section of the kitchen behind a baby gate. We walked out to the backyard to discover overgrown grass, chipped and peeling paint, and dog toys strewn about the lawn.

Getting help to spruce up the inside of your home is as close as the phone, mouse or remote control. Today's homeowners have lots of options when it comes to interior design. While hiring a professional to turn your house into a dream home is certainly one way to go, there are lots of other places you can turn for help that won't cost a penny.

Question: Several weeks ago, we found a house we liked. We went back to the house three times before making an offer; we wanted to make sure that this was the house we wanted to buy. Our offer was accepted. At all times prior to the signed of the contract, there were two refrigerators. One was in the kitchen and one was in the basement. The real estate agent told us that both refrigerators would stay with the property. Settlement is scheduled for next week, and we have now been told that the basement refrigerator has been removed. I do not understand when a refrigerator is a fixture and when it is not.

The trend in residential construction is definitely toward bigger. In the last 30 years, the square footage of a typical single-family house has increased by 40 percent. Yet there are some buyers looking for smaller houses. Many empty nesters are looking to downsize from houses that often exceed 4,000 square feet to ones that are 2,000 square feet or smaller.

Q. At our settlement recently, a lawyer charged us $215 for a survey. When we questioned this charge, we were told it was a lender's requirement and we could do nothing about it. Just what is a survey?

A: I hope the lawyer at least gave you a copy of the survey and fully explained it to you. I also hope that you were not buying into a condominium or a cooperative, and that this was a purchase - not a refinance.

What do many homeowners want to hear after a long day at work? Perhaps it's the sound of nothing. In the age of talking appliances, chiming pagers and musical cell phones, Americans tend to savor their quiet times above all. The problem is, most homes are not built for quiet.

As we enter the sweltering days of late spring and early summer, homebuyers' thoughts will naturally turn to patios, decks, landscaping, air conditioning, and in some cases, pools. So if your home is on the market, you'll want to make sure your house is in top order and summer-friendly.

While it may sometimes appear that your home inspection is the end-all, tell-all, it isn't. Home inspectors occasionally make mistakes, which is why it's important to carefully review everything that comes to light in the inspection process and question findings that don't add up.

Selling your home has never been easier; get these Marketing Tips. If you've decided to sell your home, chances are you're caught up in a host of emotions. You may be looking forward to moving up to a new dream house or facing the uncertainty of a major move across country.

If you believe what it says, late night TV is full of great ways to invest in real estate. Most investors - they seem to suggest - are looking at big paybacks with no money down. That's unlikely, like going to the store to buy a watermelon and offering to pay for it with a paperclip (a highly-unlikely feat which my daughter successfully managed to do this summer at camp).