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Directions

Preheat oven to 320°F and grease an ovenproof baking dish. Spread both sides of your bread with butter and arrange them in the baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk, sugar and vanilla extract until well combined and a little frothy. Pour this over the bread in the baking dish and allow it to stand for three minutes.

Place the baking dish in a deep baking tray, and sprinkle the dish generously with sugar. Pour hot water into the tray so it comes up to about halfway up the sides of the baking dish, and bake for 1 hour and 5 minutes. The pudding is done when the top is golden brown and crispy, but it gives a little wobble when you shake the dish. Let it stand for 5 minutes, and then serve warm with vanilla custard.

Recipe by Lynn Enchante

I think my house needs a fresh coat of paint before I put it up for sale. Where should I apply the brush to make my home look attractive to buyers?

Repair blemishes: If you've got cracked or peeling paint, you'll certainly want to repaint before you put your house on the market. Tired paint makes buyers think the house hasn't been well maintained.

Tone down your color scheme: While the colors in your home might appeal to you personally, it's important if you are selling your home that they appeal to the widest market possible. So that means avoiding bright, unusual colors and changing colors that were fashionable a few years ago but now look dated.

Types of paint: If you have imperfections in your walls, choose a paint with a flat finish, as this will conceal them. Make sure you use washable paints in bathrooms and kitchens - an interior flat enamel is good for this.

Is Condo Life for You?

1. The Lifestyle Itself: One of the biggest advantages of condo living can also become a disadvantage. The sense of community, amenities and other features that originally attracted you to a community may change as your needs and desires change. Make sure you select a condo that truly reflects a lifestyle you will love.

2. Shared Responsibility: A condo association establishes many rules and regulations - typically by majority vote. Likewise, maintenance and repair costs are also shared by members. Things can get dicey when individual members are at odds with the majority. Examine your willingness to abide by rules, regulations and associated expenses to be adopted by the community.

3. Privacy and Autonomy: In some instances, condo living can resemble apartment living with less space and individual autonomy. To make the most of condo living it's essential for residents to remain involved in the decisions and activities of the community. Those with a need for privacy and autonomy may feel more comfortable with single-family homes or other housing alternatives.

4. Still a Need for Repairs: Many major repairs and maintenance items are taken care of by condo associations, but not all, so condo owners aren't completely off the hook. Condo owners should set aside a little time to take care of routine repairs and interior maintenance on their units.

Clear the Clutter

Put a box or two in the center of every room and then clear the clutter from closets, cabinets, the garage, garden shed and other storage areas both inside and outside the home.

Wash the Doors and Windows

Doors and windows take a lot of abuse, so it's no surprise they tend to build up dirt, grime and unsightly stains. Begin by removing curtains and blinds for a deep clean, and then tackle tracks, screens and sills with a gentle solution. Tough stains around doorknobs may require a quick touch-up of paint, but the results are worth it.

Floors and More

Rent a commercial-quality carpet-cleaning machine or consider having a professional do the job for you. Either way, it's important to clean the carpets and upholstery in preparation for spring. Research shows that humans lose an average of seven pounds of dead skin each year, and most of it ends up in carpets, the couch or other fabrics.

Breathe Easy

For the ultimate spring clean, be sure to include the air vents, ceiling fans and central air filters. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, homes that have been sealed tight over a long winter are prone to air quality problems that can make asthma, headaches and allergies even worse.

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Before you quit your day job, though, it might be wise to take some time to consider the following:

Can You Handle Uncertainty?

While the nine-to-five grind isn't always easy, there is the stability of having a steady stream of income. Freelancing often entails a higher level of flexibility as well as the need to drum up new business while waiting for payments and dealing with deadbeat clients.

Do You Have a Solid Safety Net?

Freelancing can be lucrative, but it takes time to build up a strong client base. Expenses, insurance and the ever-present self-employment tax can take a big bite out of the average earnings of a start-up freelancer. Make sure you have a solid safety net in place prior to taking the plunge.

Are You Disciplined?

The reality of freelancing rarely lives up to the expectation. Rather than spending days at the beach, most freelancers are tied to the phone and spend countless hours at the computer. Not only do deadlines loom on the horizon, but the need to drum up new business before finalizing the next job requires strong organization skills and extreme self-discipline.

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However, because of depressed home prices, since Oct. 1, 2009, borrowers who obtain reverse mortgages get 10% less than they would have before that date.

That change compensated for an estimated $800 million deficit in home prices. And now there are rumbles of even more reductions.

Reverse mortgages enable people 62 or older to use the equity in their homes and receive lump-sum payments, periodic checks, a line of credit or a combination of the three.

Lenders are repaid from the sale of the home when the borrower dies or moves. The maximum reverse mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration has been raised to $625,000 from $417,000. Origination fees are capped at $6,000.

The lender can never force senior homeowners out of their residences as long as the property taxes and the homeowners insurance are kept current and the property is maintained.

Recorded like any first mortgage, reverse mortgages mean that the residence cannot secure any other financing.

But if there is a small mortgage balance, such as less than 25% of the home's market value, the borrower can still probably qualify by using a reverse-mortgage lump sum to pay off the old mortgage.

Because most senior citizens own their residences free and clear or with a small mortgage balance, this is usually not a problem. However, a mortgage balance over 40% of the home's appraised value usually makes a reverse mortgage unavailable.

Greedy prospective heirs often discourage reverse mortgages because they feel their inheritance is being spent. Others encourage their senior citizen parents to obtain a reverse mortgage to enjoy their "golden years" in financial comfort

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