A Detroit home. Photo: AP

Sixty-two thousand properties have faced foreclosure in Detroit this year over unpaid taxes. About half will likely be auctioned for $500 apiece this fall.

Buying homes or vacant lots for $500 might sound inviting, even in a city as troubled as Detroit.

After all, look at New York: Decades of crime and decay gave way to a real estate boom that has gentrified even outlying working-class neighborhoods.

Properties that sold for thousands in the bad old days are now worth millions.

But there are no guarantees. "The opportunities are there but there are huge challenges," said Dang Duong, a law and business student at the University of Michigan who has bought and renovated several dilapidated homes in Detroit.

"If you're under the impression you can buy a property for $500 and wait a few years until Detroit has recovered, that's going to be difficult."

Here are five things to consider before buying property in Detroit.

Are you prepared to evict former owners, longtime tenants or even squatters? Loveland Technologies, a mapping company that has surveyed every property in Detroit, estimates that half the properties facing foreclosure are occupied, housing about 100,000 Detroiters.

Critics question the morality of buying occupied homes and fear the program may increase Detroit's homeless population. They say many owners stopped paying taxes because they weren't getting city services in return.

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Homes selling for $500 but here's what you should know before buying

Kate Glanville bought family home in Carmarthenshire with her husband Newly married couple fell in love with the two-bedroom cottage in 1996 But in achieving dream of building perfect home, their marriage crumbled Couple discovered problem after problem with home and started arguing Beautiful home was featured in a magazine, but the pair were not happy After 17 years and 150,000 spent, their marriage finally collapsed in 2013

By Kate Glanville For The Daily Mail

Published: 17:36 EST, 9 March 2015 | Updated: 10:30 EST, 10 March 2015

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The handwritten For Sale sign caught our attention as we drove through the Welsh countryside on the first warm day that spring. The hills were drenched in sunshine, daffodils lined the lanes and newborn lambs bleated in the fields.

For years we had fantasised about living in just such an idyllic place; dreaming of a country cottage where we could set up a pottery studio for us both to establish our ceramics businesses, and where I could write and fulfil my dreams of becoming a published author.

The sign was propped outside an old stone cottage in the village of Bethlehem, Carmarthenshire, in the Brecon Beacons National Park. The two-bedroom cottage had a long barn attached to it and was surrounded by a large, overgrown garden. Damp patches stained the walls, and the slate roof and wooden porch looked as though they might collapse at any moment.

Despite its dilapidated appearance, my husband Duncan and I could immediately see its potential, and by the time wed finished looking around we had fallen in love with the property.

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How creating a perfect home can wreck your marriage

Clovis police investigating Sunday morning murder Clovis police investigating Sunday morning murder

Updated: Monday, March 9 2015 6:03 PM EDT2015-03-09 22:03:17 GMT

Authorities in Clovis are trying to find two men they want to question about a weekend murder.

Authorities in Clovis are trying to find two men they want to question about a weekend murder.

Updated: Monday, March 9 2015 5:41 PM EDT2015-03-09 21:41:31 GMT

The subject in the attached photo is a person of interest in a theft at an LISD elementary school on Friday, March 6.

The subject in the attached photo is a person of interest in a theft at an LISD elementary school on Friday, March 6.

Updated: Monday, March 9 2015 5:12 PM EDT2015-03-09 21:12:45 GMT

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) conducted a traffic stop Sunday on US-287, yielding over 112 pounds of marijuana, valued at over $682,000.

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) conducted a traffic stop Sunday on US-287, yielding over 112 pounds of marijuana, valued at over $682,000.

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Family files lawsuit against mobile home park where two died

If in the market for a new Honeywell thermostat, make sure you understand your Honeywell thermostat wiring needs before upgrading.

Q: I installed my new programmable thermostat, but it wont turn on.

A: If you plan to upgrade to a new thermostat make sure you have the proper number of wires available, otherwise your new thermostat wont work. If you do need additional wires, you will want to consider how difficult installing new wires will be for your application.

Modern electronic thermostats are no different from any other technology, in that they can do more, but can also seem complicated to install and understand. One comfort to know is the basic wiring hasnt changed much, withexception of an additional wire to get some programmable digital thermostats operating.

Note:For specific thermostat model installation manuals and wiring instructions, refer to our Thermostat Buying Guidefor a complete list and link of manufacturers. Individual thermostat model information is most likely the best place to find particular manuals, and not a generalmanualscategory that can be found within the search function.

SEE ALSO : In-Depth Thermostat Wiring Explained

Note: A previous installer may have used a different set of color wires. This will be a non issue to keep track of if a whole new set of thermostat wires is pulled. Otherwise tag the wires before removing from the existing thermostat, or take note of the terminals each wire is attached to.

Some programmable thermostats (e.g. Honeywell Prestige wiring requirements) need aminimum of5 wires, and maybe more depending on what features you want to operate (humidifier, etc). The additional 5th wire will be for common (neutral), which acts the same as it does on an electrical light switch to complete a path and provide power for thedisplay, closing switching relays, etc.

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Honeywell Thermostat Wiring Instructions | Diy House Help

When it comes to smart lighting controls for the connected home, there have been just two basic choices: You can plug lamps into ugly wall-wart plug-in modules, or you can remove your existing light switches and replace them with smart switches.

The first choice is ugly and doesnt work with overhead lighting; the second choice is expensive and requires you to handle bare electrical wires. But now the crew at Switchmate have an ingenious third way that delivers the benefit of a switch replacement without the need to deal with wiring.

I first saw a prototype of the Switchmate back at CES. Its a block of plastic with a servo motor, a Bluetooth Low Energy radio, and a couple of magnets on the inside, and a simple button on the outside. Place the Switchmate over your existing light switch and the magnets secure it. Press the button and the motor moves the existing light switchs control mechanism to turn the light on and off (it works with both a traditional toggle switch as well as the fancier Decora/rocker switch).

More importantly, the Bluetooth LE radio inside the Switchmate makes it possible to control the switch from an app. Switchmate has developed a free app for the Android and iOS operating system that lets you control your lights from your phone or tablet. You can also set up schedules for your lights to turn on and off automatically, either as a burglar deterrent (delivering the impression that someones home while youre away) or just to make sure certain lights are on when you typically come home from work.

Switchmate will also offer a Bluetooth hub that will enable you to control your lights from anywhere you have Internet access. The Switchmate is slim enough that multiples can be mounted side by side to control multi-gang switches. The one thing Switchmate wont do is dim your lightsits an on/off solution. But the low cost and simple design make this smart-home solution appropriate for everyone, including renters who wouldnt want to alter the property or leave their controls behind when they move.

Switchmate kicked off acrowd-funding campaign on Indiegogothis morning, with a $50,000 goal, and will be selling its lighting controls at early-bird pricing of $39.95 each. Thats a little more than the typical Z-Wave plug-in module, but those require a hub to operate. And its cheaper than a Belkin We-Mo plug-in module. Bottom line: Its a very smart idea.

Michael is the lead editor of IDG's TechHive property, which is focused on the connected-home and home-entertainment markets. He's an early adopter of connected-home technology, having built his own smart home in 2007, which he uses as a real-world test lab when reviewing new products. Michael also reviews home-networking products for TechHive and PCWorld. More by Michael Brown

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Switchmate makes your home lighting smart without any changes to your wiring

A home near Adams Center was engulfed by fire shortly before noon Thursday.

Firefighters were called to home at 13178 Fuller Road, next to the Honeyville Baptist Church, around 11 a.m.

According to property records, the home is owned by David Harrienger II.

Officials said three adults lived there.

No one was home at the time.

Officials said one of the residents went home for a lunch break, saw smoke coming out the back of the house and called 911.

The owners just stood by with family and friends and watched.

"Well, I got multiple phone calls. First one was from the previous owners who live in Ithaca now, and these new people moved in a couple months ago, so I feel pretty bad I know they had a dog inside and from what I hear they didn't get him out," said neighbor Aaron Williams.

Aaron's home across the street was built in 1863.

He said seeing his neighbors house on fire made him worry about this own home.

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Home Near Adams Center Destroyed By Fire

A new type of smart lightswitch has launched on Indiegogo, which does away with the difficulty of messing with your homes wiring.

The way Switchmate works is by using magnets simply snap it on to your lightswitch and itll stick with magnets. The existing switch is then switched off and on using a mechanical switch on the back of the device.

It can be controlled using either bluetooth or a switch on the wall and a hub will also be available for controlling switches when youre away from home.

At the moment there is a bit of a way to go, so it will be interesting to see if it makes its goal.

By James O'Malley | March 2nd, 2015

LG launches new G Pad 10.1 across the globe ...

British trains win wifi speed boost because of repeatedly...

Maybe we're not all doomed: Solar energy cheaper than...

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WATCH: Switchmate aims to make internet-connected lightswitches even easier

News

Family loses pet in mobile home fire

By CHARLES WHISENANT Wednesday, March 4, 2015 8:43 AM CST

The Arab Tribune

A family lost their pet in a mobile-home fire Friday night. No one else was home at the time.

Dennis Leftwich and his grandson, Jordan Mulhouser, werent home when the fire broke out in a bedroom at their residence on Cullman County 1856 just south of Arab.

Leftwich arrived home to find flames coming from the residence and called 911 at 8:08 p.m.

Arab Fire and Rescue, along with Joppa and Four-C Volunteer Fire Departments, responded to the fire.

Arab Fire Chief Ricky Phillips said Tuesday the cause hasnt been determined but likely was an electrical fire.

Hed had some trouble with squirrels getting under the house and chewing up stuff, including electrical wires, Phillips said. We havent seen anything suspicious. Its most likely going to be an accidental fire caused by electrical wiring.

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Family loses pet in mobile home fire

CTV Montreal Published Tuesday, March 3, 2015 8:07PM EST Last Updated Tuesday, March 3, 2015 9:47PM EST

A city subcontractor hired to thaw frozen pipes nearly set a house in NDG-Cote-des-Neiges on fire last month.

The record-setting cold this season has been breaking water mains and freezing pipes all across the island, forcing the City of Montreal to hire private contractors to keep up with demand.

The worker sent an electrical current through the line - a common de-frosting method -- which sent flames into Greg McWhirters home on Harvard Ave.

His pipes frozen, McWhirter, heard a noise in the kitchen and was fortunate enough to act fast.

I saw flames coming up from behind the fridge, he said.

You're shocked! You go into a bit of a panic mode especially when you get a fire and then another fire and then a fire upstairs.

Along with the fridge, small fires started in the dishwasher, inside the furnace room and part of the natural gas line needed to be replaced with signs of heat damage.

It turns out that anything that was hooked up to the water main was passing current, said McWhirter.

His landlord said there was almost $14,000 worth of damage; she feels the borough should pay.

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NDG home nearly burns down as worker thaws frozen pipes

DC15-087 March 3, 2015

With more than 90 million wi-fi devices sold in the UK last year, the rapid demand for wi-fi access continues to grow 1and tablets and wi-fi devices are becoming more commonplace in UK homes. Customers want to get online all around the home, including bedrooms and even in the bathroom.

However, wi-fi dead spots are a common issue causing huge frustration to consumers. BTs latest range of connectivity products makes it easy for customers to overcome this problem and get wi-fi coverage all around their home, and even into the garden.

From the new Mini Wi-Fi Home Hotspot 500 Kit, to the 11ac Dual-Band Wi-Fi Extender 1200, the range of products allows users to connect Smart TVs, games consoles, laptops, smartphones and tablets to the internet and enjoy content on demand all around the home.

Erik Raphael, Director BT Devices and BT Wi-Fi, said: In 2014 there was a growth of 17 per cent in the number of wi-fi devices sold in the UK. With the growth in fibre, customers are using their broadband more and more around the home to stream content, browse the web and play games.

Customers want to access wi-fi in every room of their house. We are continually looking to push the boundaries of new technology to give customers access to the best possible connection and fastest speeds, which is why we have launched the new 11ac Wi-Fi Extender and the Mini Wi-Fi Home Hotspot.

We are also planning on expanding our range of wired broadband extenders in the very near future. We will be doubling the speed of our existing broadband extenders by launching a 1000Mbps powerline. This will again bring the very latest in technology into consumers homes.

The new mini Wi-Fi Home Hotspot uses powerline technology to enable customers to get a new wi-fi signal in any room of the house that has a power socket. It doesnt require linking to an existing wi-fi signal so the hotspot is ideal for getting wi-fi to rooms further away from the main router and houses with thick walls.

An alternative for solving wi-fi issues is the new 11ac Wi-Fi Extender 1200, which boosts the wi-fi signal further round the house improving your wi-fi, making it perfect for using tablets and smartphones in different rooms. This is a single plug that is placed at the edge of the wi-fi routers range in order to boost the signal. This new model comes with 11ac wi-fi, the latest and best wi-fi technology available, ensuring minimal interference and maximum speed, perfect if you have super-fast fibre broadband.

These new wi-fi connectivity products follow on from the launch of BTs first range in September 2013. In a rapidly developing market place BT is striving to make the latest technology available to customers to give them the best possible connection

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BT Press Releases