I quit my job at 43 to write my own paychecks and maintain and manage my rental properties.

This book describes how I started with almost nothing and reached my goal in 11 years, which was to be financially independent. I did this by investing in older style apartment buildings and stores in Seattle, Washington.

You will see many pictures of buildings I bought, how I operated, maintained, improved, and sold some. Many anecdotes and examples are presented. Also pictures of my rewards along the way. You will learn what I think "money makers" are: why, where they are, and how I bought them.

Many tips, maintenance and repair techniques are described. You will learn the same opportunities are here today in every city in the United States if you buy right. It's been my life for 38 years and it's been fun and rewarding.

Never Hang Wallpaper With Your Wife is a humorous look, from a guy's point of view, at home renovations, decorating and home repairs, and how it can affect the relationship of a husband and wife. It is liberally sprinkled with handy tips, do-it-yourself information and laced with humorous anecdotes.

Hammar, now retired and living in British Columbia, was one of Canada's earliest home improvement experts. The experience and knowledge, gained over fifty-two years in the field, is shared with you in a way sure to make you laugh as you learn. The information in this book is not only from Hammar's experiences but also from that of friends, family and his audiences on radio, television and at home shows. There are dozens of innovative handy tips and ideas on how-to and how-not-to. Many of these tips are accompanied by clear illustrations of the project.

When asked if he really is an expert in the DIY field he says, "According to one dictionary an expert is 'one who has great knowledge or skill in a particular area'". But, in the words of my former wife, "In the case of Michael Hammar, I think an expert is a person who has done something wrong so many times, has finally found the right way, and now wants to be paid to tell people about it".

This book is funny and, at the same time, very informative with down to earth stories and ideas. Avoid the "how-not-to" frustrations and chuckle at one man's struggle with home repairs and renovations. See how one "guy" deals with the "boss" on the job.

You will surely identify with some of Hammar's experiences and laugh as you learn.

A freedom fighter of the 1956 Hungarian revolution, after over 40 years in the US, and his California-born wife, decide to return to his native land to live. What's more, they decide to purchase a dilapidated country house-with about 7 acres of land-perched atop a hill in the foothills of the Bakony Mountains, nestled in the middle of an ancient area the Romans called Pannonia. The house sits alone, set apart from the neighboring village of 1,200 souls. The couple is idealistic, brave and - some might say - idiotic to undertake such a task. Of course, the house needs to be renovated and made fit for habitation. Craftsmen and workers need to be found. The work needs supervision. As our hero and heroine are "absentee owners" (living mostly in California), they are people who could easily be taken advantage of by unscrupulous and greedy locals. Country folk often focus on strangers as exotic and wealthy - true or not - and this is especially the case when the "strangers" are viewed as "rich Americans".

The situation calls for caution and careful planning. Fortunately, a local "good Samaritan", in the form of a native and pillar of the community, befriends them, comes to their aid time and again, and becomes their guardian angel. Amid seeming chaos and very real trepidation, restoration and refurbishment begins. While progress is far from smooth and continuous, no major disasters occur. Local craftsmen are found who are ably kept in check by Anti, the guardian angel. The skirmishes are numerous and colorful, but the locals (who for some reason concoct the story that the house has been bought by a "famous American film producer"), gradually accept the interlopers.

As time passes and the owners spend more and more time on the property, boundaries come down and friendships are forged. There are invitations and counter-invitations issued and accepted. People offer their generous help with problems otherwise unsolvable. The house is completed. With the assistance of these new-found friends, the adventuresome newcomers plant a vineyard, and now spend over seven months a year in their new paradise. Life is good...

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