In this funny and sharp romantic comedy, a woman with a knack for turning her boyfriends’ lives around starts a professional service to help wrangle men, only to be unexpectedly matched with an old flame. Ever since she can remember, Aly has been fixing everything around her: her parents’ marriage, her colleagues’ work problems, and her friends’ love lives are just a few examples. After a chance meeting with an ex who has gone from living in his parents’ basement to being a married project manager in three years, she realizes she’s been fixing her boyfriends, too.... So, Aly decides to put her talents to good use and, alongside two work friends, sets up the Fixer Upper, an exclusive, underground service for women who are tired of unpaid emotional labor. Using little tricks and tips, Aly and her friends get the men to do the work themselves—to get out of the job they hate, sign up for that growth seminar, do more parenting. Before long, a high-profile Instagram star hires them to fix up her app developer boyfriend. There’s just one catch—he’s also Aly’s childhood best friend and first love. As Aly tackles her biggest “fixer upper” yet, she’ll have to come to terms with their complicated history and figure out how much to change someone she’d always thought was perfect as he is....

Practical ideas to provide affordable housing to more Americans Much ink has been spilled in recent years talking about political divides and inequality in the United States. But these discussions too often miss one of the most important factors in the divisions among Americans: the fundamentally unequal nature of the nation’s housing systems. Financially well-off Americans can afford comfortable, stable homes in desirable communities. Millions of other Americans cannot. And this divide deepens other inequalities. Increasingly, important life outcomes—performance in school, employment, even life expectancy—are determined by where people live and the quality of homes they live in. Unequal housing systems didn’t just emerge from natural economic and social forces. Public policies enacted by federal, state, and local governments helped create and reinforce the bad housing outcomes endured by too many people. Taxes, zoning, institutional discrimination, and the location and quality of schools, roads, public transit, and other public services are among the policies that created inequalities in the nation’s housing patterns. Fixer-Upper is the first book assessing how the broad set of local, state, and national housing policies affect people and communities. It does more than describe how yesterday’s policies led to today’s problems. It proposes practical policy changes than can make stable, decent-quality housing more available and affordable for all Americans in all communities. Fixing systemic problems that arose over decades won’t be easy, in large part because millions of middle-class Americans benefit from the current system and feel threatened by potential changes. But Fixer-Upper suggests ideas for building political coalitions among diverse groups that share common interests in putting better housing within reach for more Americans, building a more equitable and healthy country.

The prodigal daughter returns to the mountains... Natalie Roche has made it. She has her life, her independence, and her rock-and-roll dream job: a talent manager in L.A., at the world’s largest music management firm. But when her grandmother dies and leaves her the family house in Appalachian Maryland, she has no choice but to trek her way back east and confront the past she’s worked so hard to escape. And family drama isn’t the only thing she finds in the mountains. Bonnie Baker is used to difficult clients: after all, working as a public attorney for ten years offers no shortage of headaches. No one could blame her for indulging in a one-night stand to relieve the stress… until the blue-eyed bombshell from the bar shows up in her office. Now they're both fighting the rules and fighting their attraction, and Natalie has more than just her inheritance at stake. Between the demands of her overbearing boss, her family's secrets, and the weight of her past, will she capsize under the pressure? Or will her new-found friendships teach her what makes a house a home? Betting on the House is an LGBT homecoming story with themes of found family, small town life, and a sprinkling of spice. It is the first book of the stand-alone Fixer Upper Romance series.

Expert money-making advice from the nation's leading fixer-upper guru "Excellent book on the fixer strategy."--John T. Reed, bestselling real estate author "Filled with practical examples of how to profit from rundown fixer-upper properties."--Robert J. Bruss, syndicated real estate columnist Nobody wants to buy an ugly, decrepit, rundown house--which is exactly why they provide real estate investors with the best bargains! In Investing in Fixer-Uppers, nationally known real estate guru Jay DeCima reveals how investors can add thousands of dollars to the value of an "ugly" house. He discusses how to substitute personal skills for traditional down payments, strategies to profit without waiting for appreciation, and dozens of other value-adding tips.

'He started to work the laces of his boots loose. Toeing them off, he tugged his t-shirt over his head. "Oh my God. What are you doing?" Paige's voice barely rose above the spray from the showerhead. "I'm washing your damn hair."' ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ It's a constant battle on set between sexy home renovation reality star grumpy Gannon and his no-nonsense field producer. Paige has zero time for temperamental talent, especially one who acts like being in front of the camera is the last thing he wants. Mr. Sex in a Toolbelt has made it his mission in life to get a rise out of her, but Paige is a master at locking down her temper. They're on the road together working long hours fixing houses and changing lives. When cracks in her legendary coolness start to show and sparks fly, Gannon is infatuated and the cameras are there to capture it. But he's fallen for pretty packages before and Paige won't be taken seriously if she's caught sleeping with the star of her show. She also can't seem to resist those big, rough hands. Those smoldery hazel eyes. The dimples. The toolbelt. That fiercely protective vibe. Too bad it's all about to fall apart. She never should have trusted him. He never should have let her go. ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ Author's Note: A protective grumpy hero, a not easily impressed heroine, the worst human being on TV ever, a grand gesture so big you'll need a box of tissues, and THAT SHOWER SCENE.

This eBook includes the full text of the book plus an exclusive additional chapter from Chip and Joanna that is not found in the hardcover. An exclusive look at America's first family of renovation! Taking you behind the scenes, Chip and Joanna Gaines share the story of how they met, the ups and downs of being an entrepreneurial couple, and how they built a life they love. The Magnolia Story is the first book from dynamic husband-and-wife team Chip and Joanna Gaines, stars of HGTV’s Fixer Upper. Offering their fans a detailed look at their life together, they share everything from the very first renovation project they ever tackled together to the project that nearly cost them everything; from the childhood memories that shaped them, to the twists and turns that led them to the life they share on the farm today. While they both attended Baylor University in Waco, their paths didn’t cross until Chip checked his car into the local Firestone tire shop where Joanna worked behind the counter. Even back then Chip was a serial entrepreneur who, among other things, ran a lawn care company, sold fireworks, and flipped houses. Soon they were married and living in their first fixer upper. Four children and countless renovations later, Joanna garnered the attention of a television producer who noticed her work on a blog one day, leading to the incredible Fixer Upper phenomenon. In The Magnolia Story, fans will finally get to join the Gaines family behind the scenes and discover: The time Chip ran to the grocery store and forgot to take their new, sleeping baby Joanna’s agonizing decision to close her dream business to focus on raising their children When Chip buys a houseboat, sight-unseen, and it turns out to be a leaky wreck Harrowing stories of the financial ups and downs as an entrepreneurial couple Memories and photos from Chip and Jo’s wedding The significance of the word magnolia and why it permeates everything they do The way the couple pays the popularity of Fixer Upper forward, sharing the success with others, and bolstering the city of Waco along the way And yet there is still one lingering question for fans of the show: Is Chip really that funny? “Oh yeah,” says Joanna. “He was, and still is, my first fixer upper.”

Libby Kimmelman is overwhelmed. As the admissions director at an exclusive Manhattan private school, she’s awash in bribes from parents desperate to get their offspring into the school. Her apartment is going co-op, and she can’t afford it without financial help from her obnoxious ex-husband. Her thirteen-year-old daughter has discovered boys, music, and rule-breaking. Her sister-in-law is determined to set her up with a boring guy from the local synagogue. And then there’s Vermont transplant Ned Donovan, whose smart, scrappy son longs to attend Libby’s school. Ned’s a widower, a carpenter, sexy as sin—and wild about the fireplace in Libby’s living room. Ned wants to fix up her apartment. Libby believes he could fix up her life…if only she could be sure that his love isn’t simply the biggest, most dangerous bribe she’s ever received. Winner of the RT Reviewers Choice Award for best contemporary romance of the year.