"New," "large," "great" and "beautiful" are the most frequently used adjectives to describe homes for sale, according to a new study.

The rest of the top 20, by frequency: open, huge, finished, spacious, custom, newer, nice, updated, private, fenced, colonial, gourmet, covered, lower, remodeled and formal.

"This study provides a fascinating insight into real estate trends around the country," said Alex Chang, CEO of Roost.com, which analyzed data for 250,000 home listings across nine major metropolitan cities.

"Just by examining the words used to describe homes, we can get a sense of the tastes and styles in each area and the challenges of each housing market," he said. "Buyers and sellers alike can learn which features and characteristics are most marketed in their city and within their price range -- and make decisions accordingly."

The nine major metropolitan areas covered by the study are: Boston, Chicago, Washington D.C., Dallas, Miami, Orange County (Los Angeles), San Francisco, San Jose and St. Louis.

For the most part, "nice" is used to describe homes under $250,000.

Frequently used quirky words to grab attention include "wow," "cool," "savvy" and "fussiest."

Here are the top 20 subjective words used to describe homes overall: perfect, gorgeous, wonderful, lovely, quiet, updated, entertaining, easy, oversized, old, fabulous, beautifully, stunning, charming, spacious, potential, plenty, luxury, style and quality.

The areas with the highest number of listings mentioning price reductions are Washington D.C. (8 percent), Orange County (5.9 percent), San Jose (5.6 percent) and St. Louis (4 percent). Chicago, Boston, Dallas and Miami were all at 2 percent.

Were you thinking about finally cleaning out that messy basement? And what about that garage overloaded with all kinds of stuff? There might even be some hazardous materials lying around there.

The City of Chicago, in partnership with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency and Northeastern Illinois University, is hosting a special Environmental Resource Event on Saturday. The following materials will be accepted: hazardous household chemicals and paint, computers, cell phones, batteries, fax machines, scanners, keyboards, old or unused prescriptions, non-prescription medication, old gas cans and gas-powered lawn mowers.

While supplies last, gas-can recyclers can receive a free environmentally friendly gas can, and residents who drop off a gas-powered lawn mower will receive a $100 rebate for an electric or push mower. Participants at the event will receive one free compact fluorescent light bulb while supplies last. Compost bins ($30) and rain barrels ($40) will be available (checks only; no cash or credit cards accepted).

The event will be at Northeastern Illinois University's parking lot, 3701 W. Bryn Mawr. Hours are 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.

At the first Environmental Resource Event in April, the city was able to collect 75,000 pounds of electronics, 566 gallons of used oil, 13,200 gallons of latex paint, 13,200 gallons of oil-based paint, 385 gallons of solvents, 440 gallons of solid pesticides, 4,600 gallons of liquid pesticides, 16,000 gallons of flammable materials (adhesives and sealants) and 600 pounds of batteries.

For more information on Environmental Resource Day, call (312) 744-7606; www.cityofchicago.org/environment.