tips

Selling a home in this economic slump can be downright daunting. While first-time and existing home buyer tax credits could spur sales in metro Detroit this winter, the crisis facing the real estate market remains.

Q: Dear Real Estate Adviser, My uncle is a noncitizen and he wants to buy a home in San Diego. He has heard that if he were to die while still the owner, the government would be owed 50 percent of the property's value. What really happens in the event of the sudden death of the owner? -- T.

Entering 2010, many home sellers feel they're mired in the winter of their discontent, but there are signs the real estate market is on the mend. Sales activity is up, homebuilders are finally moving inventory and values are rising slightly in many American cities. At year-end 2009, mortgage rates stood at historic lows, spurring a wave of new applications.

How to save the planet and trim your bills. Sarah Lonsdale lists her top eco-friendly tips for 2010 .

When someone becomes a vegetarian, the questions can fly at them from every direction: "But how will you get your protein?" "Won't you miss meat? It's natural to want it!" or "Isn't that a quick way to become anaemic?" In today's meat-obsessed world, it's not easy eating greens but a newly released book from LifeTips.com Inc. can help. 101 Vegetarian Eating & Living Tips by Staci Marquez-Nichols provides info and insights veteran and newbie vegetarians alike can use to enjoy a smart and healthy vegetarian lifestyle - including ammunition they can use against veggie naysayers.