Looking For A Good Contractor? Try The Fire Department

My fiance bought a two-bedroom co-op a couple years ago, and we were just getting around to replacing the 1960s kitchen. As first-time renovators, we were prepared for noisy sanding, choking on white dust and "plumber’s crack" sightings galore.

JOKERS AND GROANERS

THE MODERN TOOLBOX Hammer - In ancient times a hammer was used to inflict pain on ones enemies. Modern hammers are used to inflict pain on oneself. Screwdriver - The drink ordered at the local bar . . .

Michael Olenick: 9.8 Million Shadow Inventory Says Housing Market is a Long Way From the Bottom

By Michael Olenick, founder and CEO of Legalprise, and creator of FindtheFraud , a crowd sourced foreclosure document review system (still in alpha). You can follow him on Twitter at @michael_olenick "Shadow inventory," the number of homes that are either in foreclosure or are likely to end up in foreclosure, creates substantial but hidden pressure on housing prices and potential losses to banks ...