Josie Gulliksen

The obvious reason to switch to solar power would seem to be to cut our dependence on oil, but solar power experts say that it's more likely to alleviate our dependence on coal, which is polluting our air and water at a much faster rate than oil. And oil is not our main source of electric power generation, which is really what we need to run our daily lives comfortably.

"Obviously, putting solar on your house saves coal," Seth Masia, editor of Solar Today magazine told HousingWatch. (The Department of Energy says that more than half the electricity in the U.S. comes from coal.)

"Coal-burning plants are still polluting our air and water," Masia says. "Coal is just as, if not more destructive, than oil. Putting the panels on our house will ultimately reduce our dependance on coal."

The thought of installing the panels, which normally would send a homeowner into a panic due to high cost, is now becoming easier through leasing programs, which are becoming more readily available. A Colorado resident, Masia currently pays $100 a month for his electric bill. A solar lease could reduce that to $70 a month, which would be a considerable savings to him. SolarCity is one of the largest companies at the moment leasing solar power.

"With $30 per month savings that's $360 per year, which is $7,200 over the 20-year life of the system or term of the lease," Masia said. "In the real world, if the cost of electricity rises 2 percent annually and your monthly payment remains fixed at $70 per month, you'll save $8,750 over the life of the lease."

Miami home resales are hot and have been driving the market upward for about the last year and a half. But the condos and houses that are the force behind the upswing aren't the most desirable of the lot. There are several factors affecting the recent drop in prices and boom in resales which often are not detailed in what's being reported.

A recent MDA DataQuick report claimed that home sales in Miami were up 7.1 percent from May to June, without presenting many specifics about the source of the surge.

Miami Realtor Jesus Menendez with Coldwell Banker shed some light on the subject, giving some specifics on what specifically is affecting these jumps in resales.

"It's important to remember that these numbers are affected by both short sales and REO (real estate owned), which are corporate or bank-owned properties -- basically, homes that banks have had to take back into their portfolio and resell," Menendez told HousingWatch. "What's bringing the prices down is that, due to the lack of inventory, what's left is the scrap that no one wants and these are going for nothing. Investors are going to town on these."

Sure, $2 million is a drop in the bucket for many of the buyers around Miami Beach's swank North Bay Road area, where homes begin in this price range. But for these buyers, many of whom are wealthy foreigners, cash is burning a hole in their pockets. The traditional route of bank financing, down payment and mortgage is foreign to their purchasing process.

"A cash buyer may be someone who is borrowing from somewhere on their own, they may have the money in the bank, they may own the bank, but their purchase is not contingent on a finance deal," Esther Percal, senior vice president of Esslinger Wooten Maxwell in Miami Beach, told HousingWatch.

Those colorful, snap-together plastic building pieces we all loved as kids now have a theme park attraction all their own. Legoland Florida is set to open in Fall 2011 in Winter Haven, Fla., at the old Cypress Gardens site. (There is already a Legoland Resort in Carlsbad, Calif., as well as related theme parks in Europe.)

As with all new visitor venues, swirls of economic impact to the area are immediately mentioned, but what about the real estate market in the surrounding area?

Well, it would seem that job creation would automatically affect housing in the area, but when will the impact be evident?

The orange hue that owner T. Ruben Jones has painted his historic Atlanta home (it's on Georgia's National Register of Historic Places) is stirring things up in the upscale Peachtree Heights West neighborhood in the Buckhead area.

How can painting your house a color your neighbors object to cause such a fuss? It's easy.

Located at 125 W Wesley Rd NW in Atlanta, the house was built in 1922 and planned by renowned 20th century Atlanta architect Neel Reid and was specifically constructed to resemble a villa. It was listed for almost $2 million.

The two-story structure, built of natural limestone, had its natural grayish color -- that is, until Jones bought it and painted the exterior a bright orange, which he said, according the Atlanta Journal Constitution, will fade over time to achieve the Italian villa look he's trying to achieve.

Meanwhile, neighbors have knocked on Jones' door and expressed anger at his outrageous color choice. "The neighborhood is in an uproar because it destroys the historic character of the whole block," said Wright Mitchell, a lawyer who lives across the street.

Finding a "cheap" mansion on Miami Beach has become easier in the last few years due to the yo-yo-ing real estate market. That is, if you consider $3 million to be cheap. A few years ago, many of the properties on millionaire-row streets like North Bay Road and Palm Avenue were untouchable by many well-to-do buyers. Now those priced at $12 million and $13 million have dropped to $9 million, while those at $6 million are now priced at $3 million.

Ironically, wealthy all-cash buyers may ultimately rescue the deeply depressed local housing market.

"We definitely see affordable mansions happening all over, but especially in our waterfront properties, where the most desirable mansions are located," says Esther Percal, a Realtor with Esslinger, Wooten, Maxwell who has made a career of selling luxury real estate on Miami Beach.

She's referring specifically to North Bay Road where unobstructed, bay-front homes range near 14,000 square feet, with 80 feet of waterfront.

Solar power is inching closer to the mainstream, with more U.S. households replacing conventional electric service with home-based solar electricity systems. The American Solar Energy Society and the society's magazine, Solar Today, say that solar energy is becoming more of a presence in single-family homes, and beginning to challenge fossil-fuel-generated power, especially on the basis of cost.

The ASES' stats show that in 2009, residential-grid-connected photovoltaic, or PV, installations grew 40 percent in the U.S. to 435 megawatts (or MWs as they are referred to in the solar energy world). Doing some quick math here, the typical size for a residential installation is about 2.5 kilowatts. Divide that into 435 MW and the result is 170,000 homes now equipped with solar arrays.

"International markets for solar energy have saturated and plateaued, which has brought the market more to the U.S.," Seth Masia, editor of Solar Today, told HousingWatch. "Solar power installations have averaged about 35 percent to 40 percent annual growth over the past five years [in the U.S.]."

The first residence designed by famed American architect Philip Johnson, known as the Booth House, is on the market for $2 million. The humble home in Bedford, in New York's Westchester County, is a welcome change from the neighboring ones, which resemble each other in their mansion-like mass, manicured lawns, cathedral ceilings and intimidating size.

The Booth House is a simple looking abode that's the model of efficiency. After all, this style was Johnson's claim to fame. It's no wonder that two architects ended up as its occupants. And there are plenty of others in the design and architecture community interested in the property and surrounding piece of land, which is protected by the Westchester Land Trust.

The house, built in 1946, is being sold by former architect Sirkka Damora who bought it 54 years ago with her now deceased husband, fellow architect Robert. The place is a marvel of modern architecture, exemplifying the style that Johnson and his contemporaries popularized following the war, with the intent of creating homes that emphasized function over form.

It was once said that "no man is an island" but living in this Miami Beach condo can certainly make any occupant feel that way. That's because it's located in Aqua on Allison Island, an 8.5 acre island that's a unique living concept going against the grain of what the beach is known for. There's no Art Deco look here, it's modernist architecture with a little splash of deco color and a mix of urbanism thrown in. Designed by a team hand-picked by Dacra Development which is owned by Craig Robins who is responsible for much of the Miami's Design District resurgence, the intent was to create a self-contained island that emulates the "innovative ideas of the urbanist design movement," as described on their web site.

The 4-bed, 4.5 bath, 2,752 square foot unit available for $1 million dollar is in one of three mid-rise condos that make up this unique community, which also features island homes. Located at 6103 Aqua Avenue, the corner unit located in the Spear building, has a modernist interior to match the exterior. Price-wise the unit, at $363 per square foot, is at the higher end of other units available in the same building but also features an additional room. The place is also in move-in condition, updated throughout and a dream for anyone seeking the sleek, modern look and incredible views.

This place is a looker and in one of Miami-Dade County's most desirable neighborhoods, South Miami. The recent upsurge in nightlife and restaurants in the area's downtown has made it a mecca for the business/entrepreneurial set who like their options for places to dine, sip a few cocktails and go out on the town.

It's a nice alternative to South Beach where you might face parking hassles and a holier-than-thou attitude. In South Miami the vibe is quite the opposite.

Located at 7853 SW 68th Ave., the four-bedroom, two-bath move-in condition house was built in 1951, and although it retains it's charm it also has been renovated throughout.

Here are the details:

Miami's Brickell Avenue has forever been considered prime real estate, with high-rise condos that run along Biscayne Bay and offer residents envious views and amenities and most of all -- location, location, location. At $499,000, the 3-bed, 2-bath unit at 1155 Brickell Bay Dr. offers all this and then some.

The building faces the winding Brickell Bay Drive, which runs alongside the bay and offers a great spot for joggers, bikers and walkers. The surrounding neighborhood is ideal for families and single folks alike, offering great restaurants and a Brickell Park coming soon as well as plenty of nightlife for the single set.

Mary Brickell Village has all that and more. The Village has nightclubs, bars, restaurants and lots of everyday services like dry cleaning, pharmacy and a major grocery store. Nearby is the American Airlines Arena where the NBA's Miami Heat play and across the street is Bayside Marketplace.

Facing foreclosure and the uncertainty it brings is hard enough for people to handle. But what about their pets?

It's natural to focus all the attention on people who are displaced, but pets often are uprooted by foreclosures, too. According to Gail Buchwald, senior vice president of The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal's Adoption Center says, "This is a tough subject matter for us because we already have an epidemic homeless-pet problem in this country without the foreclosure problem."

According to the ASPCA, 63 percent of households in the United States have at least one pet and, even still, the number of displaced pets is staggering: 5 million prior to the foreclosure crisis and, since then, at least an additional 550,000 to 1 million. So for pet owners who are facing the possibility of foreclosure, Buchwald says, "I urge people to act quickly and as soon as they foresee a problem."

Buchwald offers some advice and tips on how to best handle the situation and find the most positive solution for the animal:

A portable thermal imaging device that uses an infrared camera to spot temperature differentials around a house is being touted in some real estate circles as the hottest trend in home purchases. But HousingWatch spoke to a variety of real estate professionals who say the devices are costly and not likely to replace more-affordable devices and old-fashioned walk-through inspections any time soon.

That may be reason alone to consider a thermal imaging inspection if you're looking for a legitimate edge in the bargaining process -- especially for a fixer-upper.

Home inspectors reportedly are using thermal imaging devices to accurately detect "hot spots" that identify dangerous wiring, nonworking heat vents and mold not visible to the naked eye. Cold spots reveal areas where air or water from outside the house is leaking in. Would-be homeowners pay from $150 to $300 for a thermal inspection, and use the information they receive to shave thousands off a home's price.

Real estate agents say thermal imaging isn't that useful, but one would expect agents to be skeptical of anything that might reduce their commissions.

See information about determining home values at AOL Real Estate.

It doesn't seem possible to find a home in the Miami-Dade County's upscale Pinecrest for less than a million. NBA superstar Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat used to live here.

In other words, this area ain't cheap. So under a mil around here sure is. The median family income in Pinecrest is over $120K, and everything about the village is manicured and meant to be aesthetically pleasing.

Ranch-style homes built on acre lots is how Pinecrest was developed. This $925,000 home on a 37,000-square-foot lot at 11300 SW 65 Ave. is a perfect example of what the town has to offer.