Barbara Hernandez was like thousands of other lifelong renters in San Francisco, a native whose modest income made her desire to stay in the city relatively dependent on a rent-controlled apartment. Then, at age 50, she won a homeownership lottery and her prospects seemed utterly changed.

A single mother who had lived in a 1,100-square-foot flat in the Mission District for only $800, she had always harbored a dream of someday owning her own place. Having worked first as a preschool teacher and then as a graphics administrator at City College, she’d spent decades scrimping and saving for a down payment. When her son moved out, she’d rented out his room to reduce her expenses.

 Q: I plan to sell my home in the next few months. Is it wise to have a professional home inspector prepare a report before I list my house for sale so I can use his findings to help establish the sales price?

One agent tells me I should not have the report made because if buyers rely only on his report, then I am liable if the inspector misses something. The agent says home buyers in my area usually will not have their own inspection done if I had one available, and therefore I am taking on more liability. What is your opinion?

 For borrowers who cannot face the prospect of paying more interest than principal over the course of a loan, mortgage lenders have begun to offer alternatives more aggressively.

Companies like Macquarie Mortgages USA, CMG Financial Services and others have unveiled mortgage products in the past year that allow borrowers with good credit and above-average incomes to accelerate their payoff schedule and reduce their overall interest liability, all without increasing their monthly mortgage payment.

“These aren’t for everyone,” said Tom LaMalfa, founding partner of Wholesale Access Research and Consulting, a financial industry consulting firm based in Columbia, Md. “But for those who are reasonably affluent and good savers, it makes a good deal of sense and reduces the overall loan cost.”

 Q: My husband and I put more than $3,000 worth of renovations into the townhouse we were renting. We put in new hardwood floors, new appliances, paint, a tile backsplash, and many other extras to make this property our home. We were reimbursed for about $1,000 by having it deducted from the rent.

Now we have moved out and our landlord is dragging her feet on returning the security deposit. After all the improvements made to increase the value of the property, aren’t we entitled to our security deposit being returned promptly?

RISMEDIA, Jan. 22, 2007-(MCT)-Omaha’s Celebrity Homes is offering prospective buyers the chance to shop for a new house without a calculator handy to add the costs of features that don’t come standard.