Katherine W

My sister wants to help a friend of hers. The friend has two brothers, and together the three of them own a home. My sister wants to buy out the share of the two brothers, so that she and her friend (not related, not romantically involved) would own the home together. Would my sister need an all-cash deal? Or could she get a mortgage on two-thirds of the home ownership?

I know in Britain there's the idea of "shared ownership" but is something like this possible in America?

I hope this is clear.

And any ideas on interest rates for a mortgage on an entire apartment building in the U.S.?

My husband was married once and his ex-wife still calls. They don't have kids. This is really a minor concern, and it doesn't bother me much, but I'm curious as to reasons why she does it. Is it just loneliness?

So, if you do this, why do you do it?

FWIW, my husband doesn't call her. She calls to tell him about things going on in her life, like her moving or her getting fired or her new job search.

Can you tell me why you do this, if you do? I'm just curious.

Thanks!

I'm looking for some plans that would be good for teenage kids. So they should be a product that kids would know or a company they've heard of. It would be good to have a low stock price so they can put in money they earn to buy more stock. I'd like it to not have fees. It would be ideal if they could buy the first share directly from the company but I could start them with a share to begin with.

I'd also like it to be started with just one share.

Please help! Thank you!

This is for my walkway in my front yard, going from the sidewalk to my front door. It's about 4' wide and 20' long. If I seal it, it will no longer be porous, but it won't drift either. I realize that without sealing it, it won't drift much after a while, but it will always drift a little. What's your take on sealing it?

For those who are diabetic, how bad is an A1C score of 10 in a middle-aged man? He just found out, and he's taking steps to reduce it and will see the doctor to discuss it. I know the score should be around five or so, so I'm wondering how bad this is.

Thanks for answering.

Can you name some nonprofits that allow 13-year-olds to volunteer? I'm speaking to a group of young teens and I want to give them some ideas. Please name the nonprofits if you can.

Thanks!

We provide her with fresh water every day. She was sharing the bowl with another cat, but now we've added a second water bowl. However, she's licking the side of the bathtub for the water that's dripping down after I shower. Why is she drinking water out of the bathtub?

Tonight, we also noticed her drinking water out of rain puddles. Is there something else we should do for her? Why is she doing these things when we provide water?

A male friend said that strippers often have this one particular shampoo that they use. He would recognize the smell but he doesn't know the name of it. He said it's a kind of fruit smell. Any ideas?

I figure it's got to be something that's commonly available.

My engagement and wedding band set are platinum-toned (actually rhodium over white gold). Can I wear a gold watch with them? I have my mother's gold watch, but I feel that they kind of clash.

Do you have any personal experience with Lichen Sclerosus? A friend has been diagnosed with it, and she wants to know what to expect, especially with regard to other autoimmune diseases she may get.

I'm searching for the name of a painting and the artist. It has an animal in it at the edge of a forest. I think it's moonlight or something? The animal is off to the right. It is a classic, famous painting. Any ideas? Please help.

I'm trying to find this picture so that my friend's daughter can draw it.

We have the choice to lock in a rate now or wait. What do you think? Will mortgage rates go up or down in the next 30 days?

Please provide a source if you have one.

Thanks!

I got a gel overlay on acrylic tips. Now it needs to be filled in and I broke one off. Can they still fill it in? Do I have to go to the same place? What will it cost?

I understand why sellers should use a realtor, but why should buyers have a realtor? I think we can look at properties on our own. I know it doesn't cost anything more to have a realtor for the buyers, I just don't see the purpose in it. Please explain.

If you make $50,000 a year in Senegal, what could you afford? Is it enough to own a home? Would you have a maid? Or is it pretty much the same as the United States?

My Droid is broken -- it won't take a charge. The space where the charger goes seems to be broken, the little gold pieces are out of place. At Verizon, they said it couldn't be repaired.

It's too soon for an upgrade. They said the only way to get a new Droid at the $199 price is to switch to a more expensive plan, like the family plan, which would add $35 a month. Otherwise, I could use my old phone (which is sort of broken -- I can't use the '8') or I could pay $567 for a new Droid.

Do I have any other choices? Would a store besides Verizon give me a better deal?

I only had this Droid 13 months. I think it's a POS, but I don't want to switch companies or phones, as I know how to work this one.

I'd like to ask for items on eBay. Is there a way to create a list that others could view?

In baseball, when a team has plenty of people in a particular role, we say they have "Depth in their bench." How would the military express this idea?