">HomeOwnerNut

We learned from Ghostbusters about the willingness of college students to be strapped to electric shock machines for a few bucks or in the name of research. When I was in college, I was paid to sleep. I drove over to the NASA Aames facility and climbed into bed around two in the morning while scientists monitored my biorhythms while I dreamed of that fox in my journalism class.

A few months ago, a few dozen Old Dominion University (ODU) students clicked through a series of photos of test homes while an ocular tracking program scanned their eyeballs. The results of the study to chart buying habits of would-be homeowners, were reported this week by Yahoo. Students were asked to evaluate a range of design features, including shocking pink living rooms. Findings in these and similar studies are not all that surprising when you really think about them.

A University of Texas study crunched data from 60,000 real estate transactions only to find that homes with a fresh coat of paint, new roofing or carpeting—something consistently suggested by agents and home improvement experts—sold for “slightly less” than homes without those last-minute upgrades. Researchers said it was just like putting lipstick on a pig, scaring buyers into thinking that there might be hidden problems with the house.

Here’s something to ponder: the ODU study found that when a male home shopper found the selling female real estate agent attractive, he was willing to spend more on the house. Simply shocking! On the distaff side, women shoppers were not affected price-wise by a handsome male Realtor.

How long before we see prices go up again? Despite the fact that, on average, housing prices have plummeted by 30 percent across the country since 2006, it’s still hardly a buyer’s market, reports National Public Radio. The reason: bruised lenders are raising the bar on requirements for financing. It’s called shooting yourself in the foot as a nation.

Stay tuned. If university students are willing, there may soon be a survey on how many people are pricing yurts.