Back then, before laundromats, before wash and wear clothes, people drop off their laundry down the street on their way home from work, not drive a long distance to drop it off. 

How about shoes or clothes?

And drop cloths to protect the floors.

I ran an online clothing business for a few years with a partner but it wasnt as organized as it should have been.

You are much more likely to have improved confidence wearing nice clothes.

We have a multifamily under contract (to use as a rental and owner occupancy, maybe condo-ize it someday) in the Roxbury/Dorchester area and would like to make something of the basement, which has a high ceiling and looks dry, but of course they're always damp at least.  

I don't buy things that often (i.e. buying a new gadget or clothes every few weeks) and know that I'm able to save a decent amount, but I don't actually know how my money is being spent.Blocking 30 minutes each week to review the previous week and plan goals for next week to make sure I am on track to meet my monthly goals.

Hi Marian.I think many here will agree that perhaps the BEST course of action is to find a portfolio lender in your area, put on some nice clothes, gather up your plans (and financial data) and go talk to them.Portfolio lenders don't sell off their loans on the secondary market, so they aren't as restrictive.

At one point I opened a closed closet and looked at what clothes I had hanging and they all looked dirty.

When I can contact the loan officer, I can supply him with an excerpt from the Home Inspection Report that explains the dampness in the basement that the appraiser flagged, and at any time I can take down the rotted wooden steps.But what would you do?