Strictly speaking from my perspective as a landlord: And what do they look for in a application? Stability. Not frequent movers/bailers. Ability to pay (and responsibility for) debts incurred. Are they going to do a background sheck, a credit check? Depends. Some don't do any checks. But housing conditions tend to be reflected in that (lower quality). Some do only credit checks. Some do credit and order full background check. I do credit check, call references, and check local court dockets or dockets from counties of prior residence if available online. (I'm looking mostly for evictions.) I also check sex offender registries. So although I don't order formal background checks, there are several ways to access info that's enough to paint a pretty good picture of an applicant. A tip re: references. Don't put a friend down as prior landlord. It's so easy to trace a prior address (which shows up on your credit report), track down the owner through tax records (almost always online nowadays) and contact owner. Too many applicants were offering cell #'s with friends playing landlord. I stopped that by insisting on landline phone #'s only, so that I can use a reverse directory and make sure phone # matches address of owner that I've confirmed via property tax records. In a nutshell: don't lie, you'll hang yourself. I have a misdemeanor charge from last year that I already paid and a couple of traffic tickets that are unpaid, but that's about it for my rap sheet. Misdemeanor criminal or traffic? If it's traffic I don't pay too much attention to moving violations. All depends on what it's for. Credit's another story. When I was 18 I got a credit card, and I only spent my money on three things, all of them under $20. Because that went unpaid for so long (I was living in that first apartment and only had money for rent and food) I now owe hundreds of dollars. Get those paid off, asap. Even if you pay interest and a little toward the initial charge. It will not disappear. I also owe $40 to a video store Not to be critical, but I've seen those occasionally and immediately mentally reject the applicant. Why? If a person can't be responsible enough to rent a movie and pay for it, they probably will have the same attitude toward rent. Get that charge paid off first! It's the smallest and it looks really bad. and over $700 to my old community college (I dropped out and asked my parents to use the tax return they received for claiming me to pay it off, but it "magically" didn't happen). Tuition deductions reduce their adjusted gross income on their tax return. It doesn't mean they get reimbursed that whole $700. So just because you incurred a school debt and didn't pay it does not make them obliged to give up their deduction to pay toward your debt. If it was agreed you pay for school, and you dropped out, tuition is still your responsibility. So debt-wise, all told you owe about $1,000? If you can't manage to pay it off in a year (about $83/month) then shoot for two years max ($40/month). You might have to sacrifice something (iTunes, internet, cell, those cute shoes at the mall, fast food, Starbuck's, etc.), but you're just getting your foothold in life and you've gotten off on the wrong track, to the point it's impacting your ability to get a decent roof over your head. Two years seems like an eternity when you're 19, but someday you'll look back and it will have gone by in a whirl. Frankly, from a landlord's perspective, you're a pretty risky tenant at this stage. History of racking up silly debt (video store), bailing out on school and not paying tuition (lack of self discipline, not paying what you owe) and letting a couple $20 charges add up to hundreds (irresponsible). Not trying to slam you, just laying it out. There are a lot of 19 year olds who don't have this kind of activity on their credit. But I've seen 19 year olds with much worse. My point: you are not too far gone. Back peddle now. Make it a priority. You're so young, don't let this become the pattern of your life. It will have far reaching and negative consequences. I feel bad that you are being booted out suddenly with little choices. I find that cold. Thirty days would be much more humane. (And you might find, from a legal standpoint, that you can show established residency at Matt's mom's house, and legally she can't just put you out on the street with such little notice. But I'm not a lawyer.) So first things first. Get a decent job. Or two decent part-time jobs if necessary. You're probably going to need help for a bit, which means as much as you like it where you're at, you might need family/friends to help get you back on your feet. Then go out and explore your options. Because as it stands, you've boxed yourself into a corner with few options. Higher education will open doors. Whether university, community, or 1 year business school. In today's world, it takes more to make it. Not everyone is cut out for schooling though, and I understand that. But if there's anything that interests you, for your own sake, get that education! Whether it be a bachelor's degree or a cosmetology license or a skilled trade. Something that will get in you in the door to a steady job with benefits. You might find (as many people do) at some point you will be heading back to school because what you have now is not enough to make a life for yourself. I'd encourage you to do that now, before you are tied down with the bigger responsibilities that come with age. Second, get those debts paid off. Top priority. If you applied for one of my houses today, you'd be declined. Too much on your credit that reflect small items allowed to balloon. Those should have been addressed. However: if you applied in a year or two, told me your story, and your credit reflected that you were indeed making regular payments to satisfy your outstanding debts, to me that shows maturity and willingness to be responsible for your own actions. I have given many adults a 'break' who screwed up much worse than you when young, but had a subsequent record of getting back on the right track. Turned out to be good, reliable tenants.

We used exposed aggregate concrete with natural flagstones scattered through it for our pool decking. The problem is that too much concrete was taken off in many places, making the deck very rough. It feels like you are walking on gravel, and it is almost impossible to walk barefooted on it. We thought it might even out some when it was sealed, but it didn't. So we need to find a fix. I talked with someone from Increte products (he has not be out to the house yet), and they have a spray on product that will basically cover up the aggregate, but it will not bond to the flagstone. Also, he says they will have to do some type of blasting to the surface to get the sealer off, hopefully leaving a good surace to bond the new product. I also am worried about too much thickness in another surface which will affect drainage around the pool. I would really like some sort of clear product that would leave the look of the aggregate, but fill in the deeper places. Does anyone have any experience with something like this or have any ideas? We have already had a large chunk of this jackhammered up and repoured, but it didn't look much better. Help!

Hire a professional painter who takes pride in his work! Believe me, that's a rare breed! We finally found one, but not before enduring the GC's so-called professionals. The guy we hired is re-doing what wasn't done right in the first place. I've learned not to assume just because someone's a painter that they automatically do all the prep that's necessary for a good paint job.

I still don't know if you hired the painter or the GC hired him. If you have a decent relationship with your contractor, I would start there. If it is your painter, just ask for advice on how such issues can be handled. Perhaps a request from the contractor to the painter to come by and look at the situation might get a response from the painter as the GC would be a source of future income. If the contractor provided the painter, the issue is his, not yours. If you have paid in full for the job, you don't have much influence over the painter at this point. Your only recourse is reviews but that is small comfort if you are dealing with a subpar paint job that still needs fixed. I might take some good pictures and go talk with the store where he bought the paint, presuming it is a real paint store. Show them the pictures and ask for advice. They may be able to get you in contact with someone who would fix up the job at a reasonable price. Look on the paint can labels to find out where the painter bought the paint. Most people don't like getting called out by their peers and a comment from the counter staff might be heard more clearly than one from you. Of course, if the paint was from a big box store, you chances are slim