[Times art: Earl Towery]
Their real estate agent really liked their house. So much so, she offered to buy it. What happens now? Story

Deck the hall's closet
Christmas came early at my house this year. My husband and I decided in October to give ourselves a gift we'd enjoy all year: a new closet.

Home Front
Briefs and news of note

Community Living: New board must set policies, procedures
Question: I am a board member in a condo where control was recently transferred from the developer to the homeowners. Can the board hold workshops without the general membership being present? At our last meeting, a number of owners showed up and disrupted the meeting. Must we send notices of a business meeting to all members, or can we post a meeting notice 72 hours in advance of a workshop and still comply with the law?

Gifts for the gadget-lover
Whether you seek a stocking-stuffer or the big gift under the tree, here are some tools and gadgets that may please recipients this holiday season.

Mobile Homes: Homeowners association is a must
I am amazed that many small manufactured home communities still are without a homeowners association.

Homeowners' educational session
People who live in resident-owned mobile and manufactured homes are invited to an educational session Friday at Fairway Village, 1100 S Belcher Road, Largo.

House Values
St. Petersburg

Homebuyer U
TOPIC: "First Time Homebuyers" in Spanish. SPONSOR: UNO Federation Community Services, Inc. WHERE: Clearwater East Branch Library, 2251 Drew St., Clearwater. WHEN: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. today and Jan. 11. COST: Free. CALL: (727) 466-0784.

Choose and cut your own tree
Here are choose-and-cut tree farms in the Tampa Bay area.

More homes to tour during the holidays
Holiday tours continue this weekend and next.

A few minutes shopping with . . . Bob Vila
Bob Vila, the celebrity television contractor and spokesman for Sears Craftsman tools, made a round of calls to reporters Monday offering his holiday gift suggestions. Guess which brand of tools he likes!

 

St. Petersburg Times real estate classified ads:

Regional real estate links:
Tampa Bay Homes - Search local MLS listings, a service of Tampabay.com.
Florida Home Builders - features Florida developers with Web sites.

Other real estate links:
Cost of Living calculator: compares the cost of living in any two cities. Also includes links to Salary Calculator and Moving Calculator among other tools.
Home Buyer and Renter Consumer Information: From the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Home Buying Tips: from the U.S. Government General Services Administration.
Realtor.com: includes info on buying and selling real estate, allows you to browse property ads in the U.S. and locate realtors.