5:00 PM Pre-Sale Warning

Earlier this week I told you about tumbling real estate prices and sales. It's had an impact on those looking for a new home. Many developers have started lowering prices in the pre-sale market.

Sometimes lower prices are genuine. Sometimes they reflect the fact a developer has taken things out of the project to lower his building costs so he can sell for less. Maybe those granite countertops which were standard are now an option. Or the hardwood floor has become carpet or laminate or lower quality appliances will be installed.

When you are looking at the fancy show homes and presentation centres keep in mind that some of what you see may be options. Sometimes there are little tags to let you know you can buy them as extras, sometimes it is buried in the contract. You have to visualize the place without them.

Before you give a deposit take your contract, the brochures, and any other paper work to a lawyer. This is the biggest investment of your life, so that lawyer can tell you what both sides are really committing to. You need to know what your risks are: Can the developer change things without notice. Can you cancel and get your deposit back?

Other questions to answer: can the developer stop building and leave you in a construction zone? Or stop building and sell off the rest of the land. Can they drop the club house or just not build the pool or other amenities? Are the promises made at the presentation centre included in the actual plans or contract? Know your rights. Anticipate problems and that can save you money -lots of money in the long run.

6:00 PM Carry On Luggage

If you're planning a winter vacation --a good carry on bag can be a life saver. The airline can't lose it - you'll save time in check in lineups --and if you're flying on a US carrier you'll save on baggage fees. Many charge up to $25 a bag for checked luggage.

So many travelers are opting for a single carry-on instead. Consumer Reports tested 12 carry-on suitcases to determine which one is best.

First, you need to size up a suitcase carefully.

"We found that four of the bags we tested were over the size limit for carry-on luggage for many major airlines," warned Leslie Ware of Consumer Reports.

In Canada, West Jet and Air Canada both limit carry on bags to 10 kilograms in weight and 23 by 40 by 55 centimetres in size. It's smaller than you think!

And with a lot of the bags consumer reports evaluated, if you stuff the outside pockets, they'll be too big to carry on -- so watch your packing!

To test the bags durability, consumer reports loaded each carry-on in its tumbler machine.

About a thousand rotations later, some were damaged. The first Kenneth Cole bag ripped in two places. The second one had a broken zipper. Only a third Kenneth Cole came out undamaged. To see how easily each suitcase rolls, staffers pulled them over tiled floors, and carpeted ones, too: up and down stairs and through a zigzag course that's not unlike weaving through a crowded airport.

The Briggs and Riley Baseline 20" rated excellent for durability and the company backs it up even honouring airline damage in its warranty.

"Which is pretty rare for a luggage warranty," explained Trefor Digby of Weston Luggage.

"Most of the warranties will cover manufacturer's defects, small troubles like that but Briggs and Riley will cover everything done by carriers," he said.

It's listed at $500 but often sold at a discount depending on the store.

A good value is the $140 Delsey Helium Fusion. It was better than several bags that cost far more. Another plus: unlike other suitcases, the Delsey also has inline skate wheels that go in one direction --a feature which testers preferred.

Before you buy any bag, check out the important features like the length of the handle and take it for a test drive around the store.