Looking for work? Look no further than the residential construction business.

Builders across the land say the lack of workers is one of their most pressing problems -- even more important than the dearth of buildable home sites or tight lending standards.

According to a survey in June by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), labor shortages have become more widespread over the past year, even as the new-home market has picked up steam.

Shortages are most acute for the basic skills that are necessary to building any house. For example, 69 percent of the builders who participated in the survey reported a shortage of workers who are willing and able to do even rudimentary carpentry. And 1 in 4 of them said the shortage was "serious."

But builders seem to be even more concerned about the availability of subcontractors. Nearly 75 percent of the work in building a typical single-family home is done by subs.

In the rough carpentry category, 74 percent of builders reported a shortage of subcontractors. Nearly 75 percent cited shortages of framing crews, 69 percent said they couldn't find enough finish carpenters and 56 percent reported a dearth of bricklayer-mason contractors.

And so it goes, on down the line. There aren't enough painters, electricians, plumbers, roofers and heating and air conditioning subs to satisfy the need.

"The incidence of shortages is surprisingly high given the rate of new home construction, which has only partially recovered from its 2008 downturn," said Paul Emrath, an economist with the NAHB.

How bad is it? Shortages in the nine trades covered in the NAHB survey are now "substantially higher" than they were at the peak of the 2004-2005 housing boom, when annual starts were averaging around 2 million (twice the current average). The last time labor shortages were so widespread was just before 2001, during a prolonged period of strong economic growth.

The bottom line for new homebuyers: It may take longer for your house to be built than you were told when you signed your contract. Worse, perhaps, your house may have more than the normal number of cosmetic defects like broken tile, chipped bathtubs and uneven paint.

Or worse yet, because builders are being forced to use neophyte workers, your new house may be both late and substandard.

CAR AND STUDENT LOANS WEIGHING DOWN HOMEOWNERS

Homeowners today are carrying more non-mortgage debt than at any time in the last 10 years -- too much, perhaps, to allow them to move up to a new house or even pay down their current loans, according to a new report.

On average, today's mortgage holders owe a whopping $25,000 on car loans, student loans, credit cards and the like, according to the data and mortgage analytics division of Black Knight Financial Services in Jacksonville, Florida.

That's $1,400 more on average than just one year ago, and nearly $2,600 more than in 2011.

The primary driver: auto-related debt, which accounted for 81 percent of the overall increase in non-mortgage debt over the past four years, Black Knight found. At the same time, student loan debt owed by homeowners is at an all-time high. Some 15 percent of all homeowners carry school loans, with average balances of nearly $35,000. The share of mortgage-holders carrying student loans has increased by 44 percent since 2006.

The offshoot of all this is that today's homeowners may owe so much that if they are hit by any kind of financial setback -- a major illness, for example, or a layoff -- they might not be able to make their house payments. Alternatively, they may not qualify for a new loan if they want to refinance or move up the housing ladder.

Non-mortgage debt among U.S. mortgage holders bears close watching due to its potential impact on both the lending and housing industries, says Ben Graboske, the executive who runs Black Knight's data and analytical division.

"Non-mortgage debt is another key piece of the home affordability puzzle -- the more total debt borrowers are carrying, and the higher monthly non-mortgage payments they have, the less money they have to put toward a new home purchase, or potentially even (to) their current mortgage obligations," Graboske says.

The company has already noticed "a clear correlation" between non-mortgage debt and borrowers inquiring about a new mortgage, with those who have recent mortgage inquiries on their credit reports carrying nearly 40 percent more debt than borrowers who do not.

If you've been turned down by your lender for a government-backed program that would allow you to refinance your mortgage at a lower rate and keep the foreclosure wolves from your door, you might want to give it another try.

The federal agency that runs the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) says that as a result of unconscionable denial rates, it has tweaked the program several times to make it easier for underwater borrowers to qualify -- and more difficult for lenders and the companies that service their loans to reject them.

The program's improvements came to light recently when the office of the Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program -- better known in Washington circles as SIGTARP -- revealed HAMP's abysmal performance record. It reported that 7 out of 10 borrowers who applied for assistance under HAMP were rejected.

That is, from 2009 through this April, 4 million of the 5.7 million beleaguered borrowers who sought help were turned down.

One of the Obama administration's key programs aimed at helping borrowers stave off foreclosure, HAMP is designed to provide deep and meaningful savings for homeowners tripped up by unaffordable increases in expenses or reductions in income.

The voluntary program calls on lenders and servicers to change the terms of loans to a level that is affordable for borrowers now, as well as sustainable over the long term. It provides clear and consistent loan modification guidelines that the entire mortgage industry can use.

But despite the fact that it includes monetary incentives for servicers, and for the investors who own the loans, the program's track record is pretty poor.

Many borrowers were rejected through no fault of their own. In its study, SIGTARP found that fully a quarter of all applicants were turned away because their applications were labeled "incomplete," even after servicers required them to resubmit the same paperwork several times. Often, servicers extended the time it took to make a final decision, outlasting borrowers who gave up in frustration.

Some 18 percent of owners dropped out of the running by failing to accept the servicer's loan-modication offer.

Another top reason for turning people down was that their incomes were deemed too high. But the report said the program has long been plagued by servicers' income miscalculations.

For borrowers who are still trying to save their homes, the SIGTARP report isn't as important as the response from the Treasury Department, which runs HAMP. Treasury said that things aren't as bad they seem, and they certainly aren't as bad as they once were.

And therein lies an underlying message to those who have been rejected: Give it another try.

"Treasury closely monitors the number of HAMP denials and has made changes to the program to simplify documentation requirements and expand eligibility criteria to assist more homeowners," said Mark McArdle, chief of Treasury's Homeownership Preservation Office.

Among the improvements: Documentation requirements have been simplified multiple times, most recently in a "streamlined" version that targets seriously delinquent borrowers who have yet to complete a modification application.

Also, eligibility requirements have been expanded to provide a more flexible debt-to-income ratio, and allow modifications on certain rental properties.

As a result, McArdle said, "We have seen significant improvement in servicers' compliance with program guidelines, including proper evaluations and denial decisions."

So, if you are still having trouble paying your mortgage and you meet the eligibility requirements -- chief among them is that your loan is owned, insured or guaranteed by Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, the Federal Housing Administration, the Department of Veterans Affairs or the Department of Agriculture -- you might look into giving HAMP a shot, even if you've been unsuccessful in the past. The program's life has been extended three times and now runs through Dec. 31, 2016.

Even if your loan is a conventional mortgage, not of the government-backed variety, you might want to consider asking your servicer for a modification.

As McArdle maintains, HAMP has not only helped more than 1.5 million homeowners modify their mortgages, it has also "indirectly assisted millions more by setting new standards for the mortgage industry that have led to more affordable and sustainable private modifications."

When the late-night television comedians joke about Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac -- the two government-sponsored housing finance agencies that almost went belly-up during the housing crisis -- you know they have reached the public consciousness.

But there are two other federal housing programs hardly anyone knows about. One is Farmer Mac, a government-sponsored enterprise similar to Fannie and Freddie; the other is from the Department of Agriculture.

Both are aimed at rural homebuyers, but don't let that word fool you: "Rural" may be much closer than you think.

Among Farmer Mac's programs is one that targets buyers who want to move to the country and do a bit of farming, either full-scale or on the side. If you qualify, you are eligible for mortgages of up to $12 million (or $30 million on high-value properties of less than 1,000 acres).

There are no minimum or maximum acreage requirements. But if the property is less than five acres -- not a lot of ground in some suburban markets -- a minimum of $5,000 in annual gross sales of agriculture products must be documented. There is no such requirement for properties larger than five acres.

Known more formally as the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation, Farmer Mac was created by Congress in 1988 to build a secondary market for agriculture real estate and rural housing mortgages, thereby increasing the availability of long-term credit for ranchers, farmers and rural homebuyers.

It doesn't make loans directly to borrowers. Rather, it purchases loans made by local lenders. And among the products it buys are part-time farm/residential mortgages made to so-called "hobby" farmers.

Eligible properties must be owner-occupied, single-family detached residences or second homes with enough acreage to support agricultural production. There are no geographic restrictions, but the property can't be just a house on a large lot, or off in the woods somewhere.

A variety of loans are available, including both fixed-rate and adjustable mortgages, with terms from seven to 30 years. For loans up to $5 million, the loan-to-value ratio cannot exceed 70 percent. Borrowers who want more than that will have to pony up 40 percent as a down payment.

To qualify, you must be a U.S. citizen or permanently admitted for U.S. residency.

To find a local lender that sells its mortgages to Farmer Mac, go to FarmerMac.com and fill out the pre-application form under the Borrowers tab. An employee will contact you to help you find a lender serving your area.

For borrowers who want to live in the country but don't want to be farmers, the Agriculture Department's Rural Housing Service (RHS) offers a variety of loans, grants and loan guarantees to build, buy or improve both single- and multi-family properties.

Actually, "rural" is something of a misnomer when it comes to the USDA, because eligible properties can be much closer to big-city markets than you might think. To find out if the property you are considering is eligible, go to eligibility.sc.egov.usda.gov and enter the address.

Under the RHS' Section 502 Direct Loan Program, low- and moderate-income borrowers are eligible for 100 percent mortgages with no money down. Applicants must have an adjusted income that is no greater than the low-income limit for their area, and be unable to obtain a mortgage from other sources.

Generally, houses can be no more than 1,800 square feet with a market value that does not exceed the applicable area loan amount.

The payback period for Section 502 mortgages is 33 years, though applicants with very low incomes who can't afford that extended loan term can stretch the loan out to 37 years.

Under the Guaranteed Loan Program, RHS provides a 90 percent loan note guarantee to approved lenders, to reduce the risk of extending 100 percent loans to eligible rural homebuyers and those who want to build, rehabilitate, improve or relocate a dwelling in an eligible rural area.

To find a list of approved lenders, go to rd.usda.gov/files/SFHGLDApprovedLenders.pdf.

There are limitations based on income and family size. But folks who have "moderate incomes" -- up to 115 percent of the U.S. median -- qualify. In the Chicago area, for example, the limit ranges from $87,400 for a one-person household to $115,350 for households with eight members. And in the Sarasota-North Port area on Florida's southwest coast, the ceiling ranges from $75,650 for single borrowers to $99,850 for eight-member households.

Guaranteed loans can be used for a new or existing residential property to be used as a permanent residence, occupied by the borrower. Closing costs and reasonable and customary expenses associated with the purchase may be included in the transaction.