Charles Ray's company, CCM Homes, is hustling to finish a house in Lawrenceville so it sells by the end of the month. Still missing: countertops, carpeting, outlets, light fixtures and appliances.

Ray, however, isn't the owner of the three-bedroom brick dwelling. A bank is.

While the housing downturn has sharply reduced new-home starts and forced lenders to take back many properties, it's also opened up a new opportunity for builders trying to outlive the slump.

They're finishing jobs other builders started so banks can dispose of the dwellings.

The clean-up work doesn't compensate for the fall-off in home construction and sales, but it is helping builders stay afloat and avoid further cutbacks. CCM is working on 45 bank-owned homes.