Your Dream House: Delivered By Mail, Assembled by Number

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.

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?

How to Bargain for a House As the Real-Estate Market Cools
After years of soaring prices, inventories of homes for sale are rising in some areas. As a result, some buyers are regaining long-lost bargaining power. Want an Audi with that condo?

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.