Home Improvement Advice From Uncle Sam

It's a fact of life if you're a homeowner-occasionally you'll need to make repairs or even complete renovations, and that means you'll have to hire a contractor. But with all the home improvement horror stories out there-especially the ones involving seniors-how can you protect yourself?

A good place to start is, Home Sweet Home Improvement from the Federal Trade Commission. This site offers sound advice to help you avoid a lot of home improvement pitfalls.

Here's what it covers:

• Questions you should ask prospective contractors
• Tips on how to spot bogus contractors
• How to protect yourself from falling victim to "home improvement" loan scams
• Advice on how and where to complain if you do fall victim to a scam.

And more! In short, this is one site you'll want to refer to before you make the decision to improve your home.