Neal Templin's Cheapskate column in today's Wall Street Journal (subscription required), is a reminder that restlessness -- and the cost of relocation -- doesn't come cheap.

Templin and his wife are making their fifth move in 17 years. In their situation, it's work related. Still, even with the fringes of a corporate relocation, the costs add up. "You spend thousands fixing up the home you sell and thousands more fixing up the home you buy," and that doesn't include the costs -- both in time and money -- that most of us don't consider. Things like transferring automobile registration and insurance, finding new resources, or enrolling in new schools may demand more time and stress than money, but it all counts.

In "The Millionaire Next Door," 1998, Stanley and Danko described research they had done into the characteristics of millionaires. It turned out that millionaires often don't look like millionaires. They don't necessarily drive a Mercedes or even a relatively new car. More interesting, millionaires tend to stay put. They stay married and they don't move all that often. They tend to keep what they acquire. They also don't spend much time on home projects. They don't fritter their energy away, the use it to make more money.

We may be beginning to emerge from decades of bigger is better and more still isn't enough. Maybe we'll become less restless.

When it comes to borrowing money, credit unions are my favorite place to go because of the quality personal service I receive. In the current credit industry, where the 10th bank this year recently closed, credit unions are faring well and even bragging about it.

BankRate.com looked into how credit unions are prospering while conventional banks are taking hits across the board. It found that the success was linked to credit unions being quicker to share best practices even with those in the same market, and due to the fact that the credit unions faced lower write-offs and delinquencies than traditional banks.

Not only are credit unions doing well in avoiding write-offs, but many of them are boasting increased membership. Further adding to the health of credit unions in a tumultuous environment is that for the first quarter of 2008, as a whole, they issued more loans than they have historically. Analysts place this rise on the willingness of credit unions to utilize their local knowledge and sit down with individuals in order to provide smart lending.

This throwback to the old-fashioned, highly human-involved method of banking may be one part of what protected the credit unions from the current fallout, not to mention a good way for individuals to continue to get loans to get the economy back on track, at least on a small scale.

Ed McMahon has finally found a buyer for his multi-million dollar house avoiding foreclosure. Reportedly, his mortage lenders filed notice of default in Februrary when McMahon was over $644,00 in arrears. When McMahon was interviewed regarding his money woes, he blamed his financial problems on having broken his neck about 18 months ago, preventing him from working.

I certainly can empathize with health issues causing financial hardship, but where's the bucks? McMahon worked for over 30 years on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, was the host of Star Search and spokesperson for dozens of products. I repeat: "Where's the bucks?"

While several accounts connect McMahon's problems to the credit squeeze and U.S. housing downturn, I think it has a lot more to do with poor money management. At 85 years old, with a career that spanned decades, you would think that McMahon would be financial secure. But I have seen this before.

My neighbors are usually pretty insular, limiting their contact to polite waves, but the housing crisis is having a positive social affect. Thanks to the economic angst, after 10 years on the block, I now know people's names.

This morning a group of neighbors were huddled at the corner, gossiping over the sale of a house on the next street for $150,000, a price not seen in this neighborhood for at least 20 years.

The son of the owner who died last winter sold it -- probably sight unseen -- to an investor who, at least in the good old days, would have slapped on a little paint, mulched the flower beds and made a fortune.

One of my favorite real estate shows from a few years back was Bravo's Million Dollar Listing, which followed around top producing high end real estate agents in Malibu and Hollywood.

This season, the balance of newbies and seasoned veterans has been replaced with a cast of under-30 hotshots driving sports cars and selling homes to celebrities. The idea is probably to bring the show to a hipper audience, and, from the preview shown below, it seems to work. Madison Hildebrand is back from season 1 -- and this time he's openly "polyamorous", dating men and women. He's joined by Josh Flagg, who's grandmother is a Holocaust survivor and the first person to import polyester to the United States. Josh is a 25 and never went to college but has become one of the top agents in the area.

Then there's Chad Rogers -- I've spent the past hour trying to think of how to describe him, but I can't think of any words that are appropriate for a family site like WalletPop. So you'll have to watch the half-hour preview episode below and decide for yourself.

TV Squad reports that Million Dollar Listing will premiere on Tuesday August 5th at 11 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo, immediately following the season finale of Flipping Out. The series will then move to its regular time, Tuesdays at 10 p.m.

According to his website, Tom Hopkins is one of the top sales gurus in the world: "His first book, How to Master the Art of Selling, has sold over 1.6 million copies and been translated into ten languages." He is known as "the builder of sales champions."

So it's fair to say that the techniques he suggests are probably employed by a good number of successful real estate agents. Here's a sample of his "advice" for real estate agents looking to increase sales, from his book Mastering the Art of Selling Real Estate:

"If there is a charge to refinance the property prior to the maturity date, don't call it the prepayment penalty. Who wants to be penalized? No one. Call it the prepayment privilege."

I understand the it's the real estate agent's job to put his best foot forward but, to me, that language is incredibly misleading. The truth is that everyone who buys a house has the privilege of prepaying; a prepayment penalty just adds a special cost for doing so. This tricky euphemism has no basis in reality.

You may hear on the evening news or in your local paper that "home values were down 5% last month" or "foreclosures doubled," but what does all that really mean to you? For the most part, not a whole lot.

Our friends at Bankrate.com just put out this article that does a good job looking at three of the major home valuation reports or "indexes" that are often cited in the media.

Now, you may be thinking, this is too much work for me to look at all these reports and try to figure out what my home is worth. For that very reason, web sites like Zillow.com and Cyberhomes have popped up in the past few years, to offer you a real-time look at what your home may or may not be worth. Real Estate ABC also has a home valuation tool. AOL's real estate channel has a home values page, powered by Cyberhomes, for free. But the value for your home can vary widely from site to site, so if you really want to get dirty, here's an overview of the three major indices.

Daily Real Estate News reports that four New Jersey and New York men were charged with "felony fraud for a scheme that enticed people in search of rentals to pay hundreds in bogus search fees."

Using the name "Innovative Apartments", they claimed to have access to "exclusive apartment listing" and told prospective clients that they would need to to pay $200 for a "credit and background check."

You can probably guess what happened next: $200 paid, and then nothing except for links to apartments listed on numerous other free sites. The New York Attorney General's office accused the foursome of scamming people out $1,000,0000 over the past 3 years.

The National Association of Realtors and its members have been catching a lot of flack lately, much of it deserved. As the chief cheerleaders of the housing bubble, led by the clown princes of economics David Lereah and now Lawrence Yun, Realtors encouraged a lot of people to overextend themselves, using risky mortgages to buy overpriced homes when they could have continued renting for a lot less money.

But let's look at the bigger picture. According to a 2004 Federal Reserve study, the average renter had a net worth of $4,000 while the average homeowner's net worth was $184,000 -- homeowners are 46 times richer than renters.

I would defy anyone to show me any other group of salespeople who can say that, on average, they've helped to make their clients 46 times richer. I know: it's not that simple. You could say that "the average Lamborghini driver is x times richer" but let's be real: the dream of homeownership is within reach for almost anyone who works hard and manages money prudently, and the National Association of Realtors has been a chief proponent of that dream, to the great benefit of millions of Americans.

A few years of turmoil doesn't reverse decades of great work that Realtors have done and I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a group of salespeople who've done more to improve the lives of everyday families. The vast, vast majority of homeowners are far better of owning than they would be had they stayed renting, and the agitprop arm of the NAR is partly to thank. So if you see a down and out Realtor who hasn't had a closing in months, give him/her a hug!

As a Cape Cod, MA native, I can't help but notice how badly market woes have beaten down real estate in many parts of the area. I've seen condos that sold in the $220,000 range a few years ago listed at $99,000.

I found a unit in Falmouth that is very inexpensive and sticks out as a possible investment property. I wasn't familiar with the address and, wanting to know about the neighborhood before I look any further, I Googled it: "Parker Road" in "Falmouth."

One the first page of matches, I found:

CARREIRO, Ronald J., Jr., 17, 35 Parker Road Apt. 5, East Falmouth; driving uninsured motor vehicle June 5 in Bourne, dismissed upon payment of $100 court cost; driving unregistered motor vehicle, no inspection sticker, not responsible; license plate violation to conceal identification, dismissed.

Winifred Moniz, 73, was found dead shortly after noon Monday in her home on John Parker Road. The victim's husband was mowing the lawn at the time of the alleged attack.

The search for the perfect investment property continues. Moral of story: Google the neighborhood before you buy!

Many moons ago, we in the mortgage business would sometimes hear the phrase, "I've got terrible credit but my Uncle said he would co-sign for me" and we would put together a financing package that would allow the nice Uncle to appear on the loan with the person who had the bad credit.

Lenders understood that, just like other consumer loans, if something went awry with the mortgage loan they could come after the Uncle for payment. But not anymore and it's been that way for quite some time. Unfortunately, many consumers aren't aware of this lending rule.

Lenders will use the lower of the middle scores for each borrower. If the three credit bureaus report your scores as 589, 550 and 545, then the lender will the middle score for underwriting purposes. If the Uncle's three scores were 810, 779 and 766 the score for underwriting purposes would be 779. That's a great score. But there are some misconceptions about these scores, that lenders average them together or they use the highest one or they use the one who makes the most money and so on. The lender will use the lowest of the middle scores and if 550 is too low for an approval, then no-can-do. Misconceptions can cause a lot of heartache. What do do?

The first choice would be simply to wait, repair the negative credit items and wait for your credit scores to heal. Or second, the Uncle could buy the property as an investment home with you being on title. You don't have to be on a mortgage in order to be legally recorded as an owner of the property. Your name along with your Uncle's name will appear on the title report for all future generations to see.

Real estate finance expert David Reed is president of CD REED Mortgage Bankers in Austin, TX and author of Mortgage Confidential: What You Need to Know That Your Lender Won't Tell You and Mortgages 101: Quick Answers to over 250 Critical Questions About Your Home Loan.

The New York Times reports that, as more people face foreclosure and affordable housing continues to be a problem for the working poor, more of an effort is being to help those groups help each other out. Community organizations are offering services to help boarders find struggling homeowners in need of a few hundred extra dollars per month to make mortgage payments.

Of course it's not ideal for homeowners -- few people get excited at the prospect of sharing their homes with a stranger -- but this is exactly the right kind of solution to the foreclosure crisis. No handouts and no bailouts: just people who have needs working together to reach an agreement that benefits both parties.

The opportunities for this are quite good. With foreclosures soaring nationwide, people are getting kicked out of their homes, and those homes are sitting empty. Banks don't rent out their foreclosures and this is causing, paradoxically, a lack of affordable housing in the face of plummeting property values.

And, experts say, living with someone else, especially in times of financial stress, can be tremendously rewarding. So if you have an extra bedroom and you're short on cash, give some thought to taking on a boarder.

By sheer coincidence, found myself in New Orleans this past weekend, which happens to be one of America's Fastest Growing Cities according to recent Census Bureau data. Victorville in California was number two. While some of New Orleans' growth is based on people returning to their homes after all the hurricane damage, there does seem to be a flourishing tourism industry in New Orleans, with a large Harrah's casino and several high end restaurants such as Shula's, GW Fins, Morton's and, of course, Ruth's Chris.

The local NBA team is coming off a run through the Eastern Conference finals, so morale in the city seemed to be fairly high despite the 99 degree heat and humidity. There are also a ton of local golf courses, so you can see why people might be looking to move to this area while home prices are fairly affordable. The average market value in the New Orleans housing market is only $158K.

Three cities in Texas, Denton, McKinney and Killeen, made the list, most likely reflecting the booming energy industry in that state. North Las Vegas and Gilbert, Arizona, were the two cities that made the list from the Southwest. Port St. Lucie showed that Florida is not quite dead yet, and Cary, N.C., showed the continued strength of North Carolina to attract citizens from East Coast cities looking cheap housing, jobs and better weather.

Check out more of the best places to live at AOL Real Estate

Brett Widness is an editor with AOL's real estate channel and a licensed real estate agent.

When I was a freshman at the University of Massachusetts -- Amherst last year, I took the plunge: I pulled some money out of savings to make the 20% down payment on a condo near my school, planning to live in it (After I bought it I decided that I could make more money renting it out and living in the dorm, but that's another story that involves night of stepping over other people's barf to get to the shower while the tenant relaxed in my hot tub.).

Admittedly, most students don't have the resources to invest in real estate but maybe their parents do. If you're a parent in that fortunate situation, buying your student a condo to live in is something you should give serious consideration to.

Realty Times recently reported that "Student housing in major college and university towns has been one of the steadiest performing niches in real estate throughout the current down cycle. After all, no matter what's going on in the economy, college students are still flooding campuses, they still need a place to live, and they strongly prefer private rental housing over dormitories."

Any real estate agent will tell you that the internet has changed the world of selling homes -- most buyers browse listings online, and no longer have to rely on realtors to see MLS listing sheets. Today's buyer is far better informed than in the past. So it's no surprise that agents are looking to use the internet to generate business -- posting homes on Facebook, setting up LinkedIn profiles, etc.

But the New Jersey Association of Realtors has taken it to another world -- the world of Second Life, an online, massive multiplayer computer game. The group has purchased an office in the game, and is hoping to use it to provide potential home buyers and sellers with information and resources.

The investment is small -- only a few hundred dollars -- but it's interesting nonetheless. It got me and many others writing about it, so it's already generated a good amount of publicity for the money.

With the New Jersey real estate market suffering along with the rest of the country, Realtors need to find business. Perhaps they should consider turning the virtual office into a functioning business, selling Second Life real estate. It's probably a better investment than most real estate was a few years ago.