One day, our cat, Speedy, took a liking to a large brown paper bag from Menards, a hardware store that sells home repair and remodeling items.

If you're puzzled over listings that contain the words: active short sale contingent, you are in the majority. How do I know this? I have about 30 short sale listings in the Sacramento area right now. Most of them are in active short contingent status, yet I receive dozens of phone calls every single...