PHILADELPHIA -- I'm dirty, sweaty and bone-tired. And I'm filled with a level of self-satisfaction that I've rarely achieved with anything else I've done.

I was one of a thousand or so volunteers working under the auspices of Rebuilding Together to restore 30 aging homes last month in the Overbrook section of West Philadelphia, all at no cost to their owners.

Jumping in wherever needed, I hung drywall, painted window frames and ripped out overgrown shrubs. Others helped rebuild porches, replace cabinets and appliances, lay new floors and do whatever else was necessary to turn these circa-1930 houses back into safe, healthy homes.

Volunteers for the three-day revitalization project came from as far away as Florida and Minnesota to pitch in. Conrad Pawlina took vacation time from his job as director of an assisted living facility in Minneapolis to act as a "house captain." He was a second-timer, as was Parker White, the 16-year-old son of a Rebuilding Together executive who spent the beginning of his summer break hauling this and carrying that.

Barry Slaff, a 23-year-old graduate student at the University of Pennsylvania, was a rookie. He had a lot of time on his hands while in between programs and said he wanted to spend it volunteering rather than wasting it on video games. He helped me with the drywall and painting.

Working right alongside us, doing whatever they could to help, were many of the homes' low-income residents, who could never afford to do this on their own. They were people like Sarah Hall, who moved into her 62nd Street row house in 1971 and was amazed at all the volunteers who were busily working on her tree-lined street.

"This is a godsend," said Hall, 65, the neighborhood block captain who had to quit her job at Verizon to care for her mother. "My father was a plumber and electrician who took care of my house for me, but now he's gone. So this is a blessing, and you don't get many blessings."

Linda Bates, 54, has lived in her Overbrook home since the third grade and raised her two sons in the same house. Now, it's just her. After a career of taking care of elderly patients, she's on disability herself.

"I've seen this on TV, but I've never seen anything like this in person," she said as volunteers repaired floor joists, replaced her water heater, rebuilt her entire kitchen and treated the house for termites. "This is wonderful."

"A dream come true, a gift from God," is how Andrea Spencer, 45, described it. She works part time for $7 an hour at a supermarket to support herself, her two young boys and her husband, who has been out of work for some time. "We're so incredibly thankful," she said. "All of a sudden, we're not alone. It's a very profound feeling."

No, they're not alone. Rebuilding Together may not be as well-known as Habitat for Humanity. But whereas Habitat for Humanity builds new houses for needy families, Rebuilding Together provides critical repairs to nearly 10,000 homes per year.

Rebuilding Together's 200 affiliates throughout the country work with 200,000 volunteers, including skilled tradespeople and everyday citizens, to mend houses and stabilize neighborhoods.

Professional painter Isaac Harrison oversaw a crew of a dozen or so neophytes here, many of whom had never touched a paintbrush in their lives. He took particular delight in teaching them how to sand, prime and then paint.

Another painter, Ed Hirst, was hired to do the high work too dangerous for untrained volunteers. "I wanted to do it for free," he said, but such a donation was not permitted for liability reasons. "So I charged $4,000 for what was a $9,000 job. And I guarantee it's going to last 60 to 70 years."

Hirst ran a crew of 20 or so La Salle University student volunteers on several houses. Right next door, working on landscaping, was a group of young attorneys and would-be attorneys in the construction practices group of Pepper Hamilton, a downtown Philadelphia law firm.

Then there are the big-name corporate sponsors such as Lowe's Charitable and Educational Foundation, Choice Hotels and Wells Fargo, the and nonprofit supporters such as the Jon Bon Jovi Soul Foundation and Carter's Kids.

Lowe's has donated $7 million worth of building materials since joining with Rebuilding Together in 2007. "We're incredibly passionate about giving back to the community," said James Blair, Lowe's market manager for the Philadelphia area.

The playground built here was the seventh for Carter's Kids, a nonprofit dedicated to promoting fitness and self-esteem among America's youth that was started by Carter Oosterhouse, host of HGTV's "Carter Can" and "Million Dollar Rooms."

Once a year, Rebuilding Together takes on an entire neighborhood. This time, the community-centric project was this transitional neighborhood in Philadelphia. Last year it was Denver, and the year before that it was New Orleans.

Typically, though, local Rebuilding Together branches go house by house and block by block, restoring houses and the lives of the people who live in them one at a time.

"We do this work throughout the city and throughout the year," said Carrie Rathmann, executive director of the Philadelphia affiliate.

Not every house or owner qualifies; there are income and other requirements. But there is always room for volunteers, corporate or otherwise. Like the roofer who just happened by and said he'd be glad to put on a roof a week at no cost if Rebuilding Together would provide the supplies. Or like Lowe's employee Messica McCleary, 24, from Maple Shade, N.J, who helped build the playground and is proud to say, "I made that."

Or Air Force veteran Lonnie Bowen, 66, who rode the trolley an hour each way from his North Philly home to "just come out here to see what I could do."

"I'm living in a veteran's home they remodeled three years ago," says Bowen, who served two tours in Vietnam. "When people do something for you, you try to do something for others."

Deadlines are looming for anyone seeking a review of their foreclosure proceeding, for borrowers whose lenders require them to carry flood insurance and for homeowners considering a short sale:

-- Under the terms of an enforcement action between Uncle Sam and large mortgage servicers, you still have time to ask someone to ensure that you were treated fairly if you were involved in a foreclosure.

Back in February, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the Federal Reserve Board extended the deadline for the "independent foreclosure review" from April 30 to July 31. Now the deadline has been extended again, to Sept. 30.

The extensions provide more time to publicize the enforcement action, which requires participating servicers to retain independent consultants to identify borrowers who may have been harmed during foreclosure proceedings in 2009 or 2010. So far, the response has been disappointing.

As of this writing, just 196,000 borrowers had actually asked for a review. The servicers have selected 142,400 more cases for review on their own, for a total of 338,400. That number is expected to grow, says Bryan Hubbard, a spokesman for the Office of the Comptroller. But as of now, that's just 7.5 percent of the estimated 4.5 million borrowers covered by the enforcement action.

The requirements for a review are simple: Borrowers are eligible if their loans were serviced by one of the participating lenders listed below, if the house was their principal residence, and if the loan was active in the foreclosure process between Jan. 1, 2009, and Dec. 31, 2010.

You don't need to have lost your house to be eligible. You also may be covered if you paid your way out of the foreclosure process by bringing your loan current, participated in a loan modification, sold the house for less than what you owed or simply handed the keys back to your lender.

Participating servicers include America's Servicing Co., Aurora Loan Services, BAC Home Loans Servicing, Bank of America, Beneficial, Chase, Citibank, CitiFinancial, CitiMortgage, Countrywide, EMC, EverBank/EverHome Mortgage Co., Financial Freedom, GMAC Mortgage, HFC, HSBC, IndyMac Mortgage Services, MetLife Bank, National City Mortgage, PNC Mortgage, Sovereign Bank, SunTrust Mortgage, U.S. Bank, Wachovia Mortgage, Washington Mutual, Wells Fargo and Wilshire Credit Corp.

There is no cost for a review, and you should have been contacted by now if you are eligible. If not, then start the ball rolling right away by getting in touch with your servicer. Keep accurate records of any attempt to do so and of what is said in any conversations.

-- If you want an example of the gridlock that has gripped the legislative process, consider the National Flood Insurance Program.

Eighteen times since 2008, this vital program has been extended at the last minute by lawmakers who can't seem to agree on how to reform it. In 2010 alone, it was allowed to expire four times because Congress couldn't get its act together. By the Property Casualty Insurers Association's count, coverage could not be purchased for a total of 53 days.

Now the program is set to expire again, this time on July 31.

Without flood insurance, borrowers cannot obtain federally insured mortgages or loans that qualify for purchase by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac, the two government-controlled mortgage giants. Together, Fannie, Freddie and the Federal Housing Administration have their stamp on perhaps 90 percent of the mortgage market.

More than 5.5 million owners rely on the National Flood Insurance Program to insure their homes. It's not just a coastal problem, either. Nearly 10 percent of the houses in the Midwest are in floodplains.

The National Association of Realtors estimates that 1,300 sales are either canceled or delayed each day that coverage is not available. During the 2010 lapses, the association says, about 40,000 deals were stalled.

Last year the House passed, by a resounding 406-22 vote, a bill that would reform and reauthorize the flood-insurance program for five years. But a similar bill loaded with superfluous amendments has languished in the Senate. Now, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada has promised to schedule floor debate on similar legislation this month.

Will it happen? We'll have to wait, probably until the last minute, to find out.

-- The window is closing on one of the most important tax-relief provisions enacted by Congress during the housing crisis to help financially strapped homeowners.

Under a 2007 law that expires Dec. 31, taxpayers are allowed to exclude from income the amount of debt on their principal residence that is forgiven or canceled by their lenders. After that, if you participate in a short sale in which the lender allows you to sell for less than what you owe, you will be required to report the difference as income on your federal tax returns.

The other alternative is a foreclosure. Under the tax code, there is no levy on canceled debt. But the black mark a foreclosure leaves on your credit record is more devastating than a short sale, which itself is more than just a ding.

Partly because of the looming deadline, and partly because lenders realize less of a loss on short sales than on foreclosures, the number of short sales is growing. According to mortgage data collector RealtyTrac, 26 percent of the houses sold in the first quarter were short sales.

As of now, there seems to be no urgency on the part of lawmakers to extend the tax safety net. But stay tuned.

Location is often described as the most important thing in real estate. It's said to be the second and third most important things, too. But in the rental housing market, finding a high-quality tenant trumps location every time.

"The essence of an investment in real estate is a good tenant," says James McClelland of the Mack Cos., perhaps the largest owner-manager of single-family rental properties in the Midwest. "A good tenant in a bad location is better than a bad tenant in a good location."

The trouble is, most novice landlords -- and even some experienced ones -- don't do the legwork necessary to land a top-notch tenant who will pay his rent on time and take care of the place, hopefully as if it were his own. And that's when landlords get burned.

Nearly 60 percent of the landlords and property managers polled recently by LeaseRunner, an online leasing company, identified "finding the right tenant" as the most challenging aspect of rental real estate.

Perhaps the only thing more difficult than putting in a good tenant is getting out a bad tenant. But if you hold out for a sound one, you won't have to go through the costly, time-consuming eviction process.

McClelland, whose company manages about 570 single-family rentals, including 200 owned by others, maintains there are plenty of good tenants looking to rent a nice house. "You may have to go through a bunch of (prospects) to find one," he says, "but it's worth it."

So, whether you are an "accidental" landlord who has no choice but to rent your house or an investor looking to cash in on what is expected to be a booming single-family rental sector, here's how Mack Cos. goes about it:

For starters, personally meet your prospects at your property to show them around, answer their questions and ask a few of your own.

There's no hard rule about appearances. A guy with a bunch of tattoos who shows up on a Harley could just as easily be Mr. Right -- as long as the bike isn't too loud -- as a seemingly clean-cut guy who arrives in a Prius. But if he or she doesn't seem to give a hoot about personal hygiene, chances are they won't take any better care of your house than they do of themselves.

Don't discriminate because of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. Still, if you get a bad vibe about the person, or if something doesn't seem right, go on to the next one.

You also have to ask the right questions. Most novice landlords ask about such things as hometowns and high schools, McClelland says. "They just want to see if they like the person, without any understanding of their financial capabilities."

It's better to purchase a standard rental application form at the local stationery or office supply store and have your prospect fill it out completely. Most important, you'll want to know how long they have lived at their current address, how much rent they pay, where they work and how much they earn. Also ask why the person is leaving. It could be that he is being evicted, but it also could be that he has no choice. Maybe the owner is selling the place or wants to rent to a relative.

Now verify everything. Start by interviewing the current landlord on the phone. How much is the rent? How long has the potential tenant lived there? Did he take care of the place? Any problems?

Yes, you want to make sure everything matches up. But during the course of your conversation, you want to listen for something on the order of, "I'm sorry So-and-So is leaving," or, "He was really a good tenant; I hate to lose him."

Also call the prospect's employer to verify his employment. Mack Cos. looks for people with three years' tenure at their current workplace. "You want to make sure they are stable, not job-jumping," McClelland says.

Next, pull a credit report on the prospect and run criminal background and "skip-trace" checks. If you don't have an account with a credit reporting agency or tenant screening service, ask your real estate agent to perform these services on your behalf.

You can charge the prospect a fee for this. In fact, doing so often weeds out the bad apples who don't want to pay because they know what the results will be. But you can't use the credit report as a profit center.

Here, you are looking at how prospects pay their bills. If they are late or don't pay at all, chances are they are going to treat the rent payment the same way. "A landlord needs his rent on time because he has to make his mortgage payment on time," McClelland says.

McClelland's staff also visits prospects at their current residences to get an idea of how they maintain their homes. "How they take care of their current property is indicative of how they will take care of yours," he explains.

If the would-be tenant does not meet your standards, you can deny the lease or ask for a co-signer, a larger security deposit or even a higher rent. But if you take any of these "adverse" actions based on a credit report or a report from a tenant-screening service, you are required by law to give the prospect the name, address and phone number of the agency that supplied the report.

Following these steps will help protect your investment, but the work doesn't stop there. Now you have to manage the property.

There's more to it than just collecting rent, of course. A great way to make sure your rental house is being taken care of is to go to the place in person every month to pick up the check. That way, you can look around to see for yourself that the house is in the same condition it was when the tenant moved in.

McClelland concedes that this takes time. "But you know what takes more time?" he says. "Making costly repairs to the property because you haven't checked on the tenant in months, then finding out the property was poorly maintained."