Negotiating With Contractors is in my blood and, like many first generation college grads, I come from a long line of blue collar workers (though I don’t like the “blue color” phrase as, in my experience, many old world “blue collar workers” are as capable and technical as the average college grad here in the US).  My father, for example, was […]

We’ve had a cold and wet summer in the Northeast this year, so I’m not sure what the Fall and Winter seasons will bring us in terms of temperature, snow, wind, and rain.  However, I do know that a good looking garden (including grass, shrubs, and flowers) starts as soon as everything begins to die or go dormant.  Here are […]

Interest rates are low these days and there’s a ton of housing stock available, so, in my view, it’s a great time to buy a home.  The financing part is a bit trickier these days with banks scrutinizing loan applications, but if you have a good down payment (at least 20 percent), a great credit score, ready to work at […]

(The following is a guest post from David at Pimp Your Finances – click here to subscribe to his blog) I’m new to the world of home ownership, but I’ve already learned a lot. I’m big on doing things myself. It’s incredibly satisfying, and I like the idea of saving money. Here are some of the projects I’ve worked on […]

When I first purchased my 80+ year old home I had countless, uncontrollable, urges to renovate every square foot of the house; I wanted a period kitchen with white, maple, cabinets, a claw tooth soaking tube with 1inch hexagon tile, and new cedar clapboards for the outside of the house with luxurious copper gutters.  When I explained everything I wanted […]