Cabinets account for a large percentage of remodeling budgets. Flippers, landlords, and homeowners, often focus on price during kitchen renovations.  Although cabinets made of different materials might look the same on the outside, what the cabinet is made from and how it is constructed, can have long-lasting implications, impacting not only aesthetics, but durability, environmental footprint and ultimate cost.

The least expensive cabinets are generally made of medium density fibreboard, MDF, an engineered product is made by breaking down hardwood and softwood residuals into fine particles, combining them with resin and wax, then applying heat and pressure.

There are several disadvantages to MDF.  Water absorption is one. MDF soaks up water like a sponge. If exposed to damp or humid environments, it can swell, losing structural integrity resulting in sagging,

MDF’s fine particles also make it difficult for screws to hold, cracking or splitting when screwed into the edge of the board. Although MDF’s smooth surface is good for painting and finishing, veneered or laminated MDF products are prone to chipping around the edges
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The Families Flourish Program, (FFP), includes a mobility component to move families into neighborhoods and school districts that assist in a families’ specific career and educational development. FFP needs participating landlords who accept a subsidy as a part of the full market rate rent. This enables families to advance in their careers, create stability for the family through things like increased savings for college and aid minor children with superior educational opportunities. The subsidies continue for three years.  This is a successful program in Columbus, Ohio and is being expanded into the Miami Valley Region. 

Click HERE for a PDF version of the Participating Landlord Program.

 On Facebook today, the City of Middletown announced the following update to water utility billing, illustrating the need to focus on current Ohio water utility legislation:

Important Water and Sewer Update! 📣

The City of Middletown Water and Sewer Rules and Regulations are in the process of being updated. The updated rules and regulations will go into effect April 1st, 2025. Some key changes to take note of are:

• All water accounts will remain in the property owner's name. Tenants will no longer be able to sign up for a water account. Any account that is currently in a tenant’s name will remain active until the account is closed.
• The service fee will be increasing to $50.00.
• Deposits will be increasing to $300.00.

A copy of the Water and Sewer Rules and Regulations can be found on the city website at cityofmiddletown.org/254/water-services.

PRESS RELEASE FROM THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT REGARDING CTA:

March 2, 2025

The Treasury Department is announcing today that, with respect to the Corporate Transparency Act, not only will it not enforce any penalties or fines associated with the beneficial ownership information reporting rule under the existing regulatory deadlines, but it will further not enforce any penalties or fines against U.S. citizens or domestic reporting companies or their beneficial owners after the forthcoming rule changes take effect either. The Treasury Department will further be issuing a proposed rulemaking that will narrow the scope of the rule to foreign reporting companies only. Treasury takes this step in the interest of supporting hard-working American taxpayers and small businesses and ensuring that the rule is appropriately tailored to advance the public interest.

“This is a victory for common sense,” said U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent.  “Today’s action is part of President Trump’s bold agenda to unleash American prosperity by reining in burdensome regulations, in particular for small businesses that are the backbone of the American economy.”

Scope of Work: The Foundation of a Successful Rehab

“The scope of work is bigger than anybody understands, If you don’t get it right, your project will go off the rails.”

A detailed, clear scope of work ensures that contractors know exactly what needs to be done and eliminates any “I thought it would look better this way” surprises. Here’s what Ray emphasizes when creating a scope of work:

✔ List Everything: Every task, material, and finish should be outlined in detail. “If you don’t specify the grout color, don’t be surprised when your contractor picks something crazy.”

✔ Time Estimates: Define how long each part of the project should take. If a job should take 45 minutes, and your contractor thinks it’s a full-day job, that’s a red flag.

✔ Material Costs: Have a rough esti
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