New Options for Furniture Finish On Upscale, Custom Collections

New Options for Furniture Finish On Upscale, Custom Collections
In an effort to compete with Chinese importers, U.S. furniture makers are offering a greater number of stains and paints for their products -- but they come at a price. Distressed 'English antique' tint, anyone?

Your Dream House: Delivered By Mail, Assembled by Number
A look at another real-estate boom: mail-order houses. Between 1910 and 1940, tens of thousands of people ordered their homes from Sears, which would deliver an entire 'kit,' down to the nails and varnish.

Blueprint for Buying -- or Renting: Timing for a Market in Turmoil
Act today? Tomorrow? Never? With many consumers wondering if the decade-long housing boom is peaking, June Fletcher explores the crucial question of when is best to purchase property. Read her suggestions for gauging the effects of rates, demand and taxes.

Developers Ask Homeowners To Share Golf Courses, Pools
Instead of building exclusive-use tennis courts, golf courses and other amenities for their buyers, builders are increasingly making arrangements for residents to borrow or use other communities' facilities at a discount.