While the home improvement business is slowing down, plenty of contractors are finding work fixing abandoned homes, according to this story in The New York Times. Foreclosures are booming across the nation, but it is a process that, once underway, often takes years to conclude. And the longer a property sits vacant, the more wear and tear it endures from vandals and nature. Abandoned properties can also draw drug users and criminal gangs to an area. As a result, mortgage companies are under fire from state and local governments to maintain vacant properties, providing a booming business for some local contractors.
