HOUSING  SPECIAL REPORT

• 42  – Where There’s Hope in Housing by Jerry Edgerton: In today’s tough market, we locate the bright spots for buyers and renters.
• 48 – Bottom Dollar for a Tip-Top House by Edward E. Scharff: First you get the price down 10% — then you start the hard bargaining.
• 54 – Dealing and Wheeling in Mobile Homes by Marlys Harris: Better loan terms, zoning changes and rising values improve them as a housing choice.
• 58 – The Ins and (Mostly) Outs of Contractors by Jeremy Main: A home-front veteran suggests how to score small victories over those eccentrics who fix houses.
• 66 – Reading, Writing and Real Estate by Patricia A. Dreyfus: Teachers Peter and Terri Konrad have earned high marks dealing in houses. Our advisers counsel graduating to other investments.
• Pointers: Where house prices rose most and least, page 46; how to get a mortgage, page 50; selling into a buyer’s market, page 52
• 76 – A Computerized Day at the Races by David Lachenbruch: With the Racing Form, a $100 pocket calculator and a few hours of practice, our author goes to the track and turns himself from Dave the Duffer into Harry the Horse.
• 82 – The Candidates’ Family Finances by Marlys Harris: Money looks into the incomes and net worth of 11 men running for the Presidency and finds that none has to worry about taking time off to try for the job.
• 92 – Three Spectacular Stock Pickers by Charles J. Roto: They’re eye-popping proof that some people can consistently beat the market by wide margins. The secret: finding good value in stocks of small companies that big investors scorn.
• 103 – The Glories and Glitches of Electronic Banking by Jerry Edgerton: Cash machines, debit cards and bill paying by telephone complicate your choices—and may save you money. Here’s advice on coping with the puzzlements of number codes, robot tellers and interest-bearing checking.

Departments

• 4 – Current Accounts: About money and human nature Getting them young; cashable pork; layaway beef; and more
• 6 – Editor’s Notes
• 9 – Money Letter: Wall Street – Late-breaking investment news
• 14 – Money Helps: Answers to readers’ questions
• 26 – Love & Money: Finance and the sexes (Take my wife; and more)
• 32 – Shopping Center: A guide to goods and services Defective LPs; energy-saving water heaters; fire safes; and more
• 40 – Fund Watch: Where the best yields are
• 108 – Reviewing Stand: Three books on estate planning
• 115 – Money Letter: Washington: The government and your money
• 122 – Mail –  Bottom Lines (Presents by proxy, page 80; installment-plan life insurance, page 106), Acknowledgments, page 122
• 42 – Choices
• 76 – Races
• 48 – House shopping
• 82 – Candidates

Money (ISSN 0149-4953) is published monthly, $17.95 per year, by Time Inc., 541 N Fairbanks G.. Chicago, ill. 60611. Principal office; Rockefeller Center, New York, N.Y 10020. James R. Shepley President; J. Winston Fowlkes, Treasurer; Charles B Bear. Secretary. Second-class postage paid at Chicago. ILL. and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER Send address changes to Money. Time & Life Building, 541 N. Fairbanks Ct., Chicago, ILL. 60611. © 1980 Time Inc, All rights reserved.  Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.

Cover photograph by Joel Baldwin