Mark Nash, a Coldwell Banker broker and real estate author, has compiled a list of what's ``in' and ``out' for housing this year. The list is a result of input from Realtors from around the country who, in turn, have solicited feedback from home buyers and sellers as they visit resale and new homes.

Here's a sampling of what is absolutely ``out,' according to Nash and his contributors:

• Ebony-stained hardwood floors. You're better off tearing it out than trying to sand the ebony out to refinish.

• Single-rod closets. Buyers want the most storage in the least amount of space. Organizers accomplish this.

• Dark rooms with small windows. Natural light can overrule a variety of other problems in a home.

• Wallpaper. Buyers never have the same taste as decorators. Take it down (carefully) and paint.

• Builder-grade light fixtures and interior fixtures used outside. The proper fixtures say quality to buyers.

• Mid-century awnings on exterior windows and doors. Buyers want to let the sun shine in.

• Mirrored back splashes in kitchens and everywhere else. Mirrored walls and ceilings say 1980s hedonism.

• Commitment (strong, bold, trendy) colors. They look great in magazines, but as one buyer said, ``I don't live in a magazine.'

• Dropped ceilings. It might have updated a bungalow in the 1950s, but buyers want as much vertical space as possible.

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