Pay for it in Advance and get it... NEVER

Important lesson learned. Early on in the project we head to Home Depot to pick out things like toilets, sinks, drawer pulls, lighting and various other things. There are 3 reasons for things being done this way...

1. You get a discount when you buy in bulk.
2. You pick things out at the same time so they all match or at least have a theme
3. Pay in advance and pick up when needed

What we learned this time around was....You can order it, pay for it and NOT be guaranteed to be able to pick it up. That is right, I said it....HOME DEPOT will not hold things for you that have ordered in advance and paid for. This was more than likely always the policy and we just never caught on until now. On Ginger it really affected us. They were out of our ceiling fans, toilet and chandelier causing us to scramble to pick out new stuff that is suitable and goes with the other stuff already installed. I am sure that it doesn't seem like a big deal, but it is. It takes quite a while to pick things out and when we have to go back to the drawing board in the final completion phase it SUCKS!

Where were we?

In my frantic run around to get people what they need for the tax credit I have been a bit lax in blogging. Now, I am back and have plenty a story to get you caught up on. Ginger went on the market on Easter weekend and people scoffed at the idea of holding a Saturday open house. Who is going to shop for a home on Easter weekend, right? I'll tell you who...Someone VERY serious. That Saturday we held the open and only 2 groups came through. Just two, and I was bummed. Seriously. Not to be kept down for long though we threw a party for all the people who helped get Ginger to market and personal friends of the Starke, Inc. gang. During the party and in between flowing cups of wine and mini cheesecakes we received an offer. Just one, one is all it takes.

The following day, Easter: I walk out of my house with contract at hand to meet the owner of Starke for brunch. I could tell you where, but then I would have to kill you...Let's just say it is one of my favorite CWE spots. He signed the contract on the spot. I can't tell you how much it was for, because we haven't closed yet and that would be BAD. Still, I am very proud to say that our list price was one of the highest in that area for what we had and I am sure we will be one of the highest closed sales. We pushed the envelope a bit, but put out a phenomenal product.

We close on Monday and I am proud. Proud of the team and that little house. We made it past 2 appraisals, a Laclede inspection and City occupancy to become legends (in our own minds).

HERE IS THE FINISHED PRODUCT, ENJOY! http://www.3929meramec.com/

WTF?

I have been slacking quite a bit in the blog department. So, I thought I would ease back into it with this lovely picture...What The Flip? You may wonder how I find this stuff. Honestly, I must tell you the bulk of these great pics are the spoils from the hunt for a new project! I have been searching high and low, with little luck up until now. This garage made me laugh though, and eased the pain caused by my fruitless searches. Apparently, this little beak on the front of this garage was added to accommodate the owner's long front ended car. So, anyone with a full sized, '76 Caddy you need to keep, look on Keokuk. Just try to ignore the fun house style floors. I mean, who cares if you have a garage that allows you to drive such a fine ride?!
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More Hidden Treasures

Found this assortment of toys on Meramec! The bear/monkey has become the mascot for Starke. Dan Carter has been taking his picture at different places throughout the site.
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Counting Down to the End of the Week

Ginger is almost there. Of course, the last 10 percent of a project take longer than anything else. When they finish on Ginger they will move straight on to Terracotta and finish her up.

This week at Ginger they laid a new tile floor, covered some of the old tile, picked out a new toilet and sink and had the bathtub re glazed. When the bath is finished it is going to look sharp. Since baths and kitchens sell properties more than anything else it is VERY important they be stellar. It is the small touches that set one property apart from another.

I am so excited to take pics of the finished product and show it off! Be looking for more blogs as we scramble to finish Ginger by the end of the weekend.
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Monday Morning Meetings

Most of you who know me know that I am up really, REALLY late. I love the evening, it is when I am finally alone to jam on my work. However, construction and everything else happens in the morning sometimes before the sun comes all the way out. Monday is my Friday, but for the rehabbers and contractors it is the beginning of their work week. Rehabbing is a circus for sure. In this case, it is a three ring circus. Everyone has a role to play but we all have to be in communication. There is the Developer (Starke Group), the Contractor (Dan Carter) and Me (Real Estate Agent). What we realized after working together for quite a while now was that someone was mentioning something to someone else that was supposed to pass it on to the intended recipient and it wasn't happing. What a shocker, right? Another thing that was happening was we were discussing things WAY TOO much causing for annoyance and not enough time for action to be taken. What we came up with as a solution was Monday Morning Meetings. They start at 7:30 am and items of mention are discussed over hot coffee, that flows way faster than the stuff at Starbucks. Uncle Bills is the perfect location, it is close to the rehabs, close to my office, fast on service and accomodating. This is all very important since time is money in this game. Topics up for discussion today were coordinating installation of cabinets around the floor refinisher's schedule, organization, carpet, marketing, deadlines and many other topics (like they need to be taking more pictures for the blogs). Today there wasn't much to talk about because so much got done from last week's meeting. Very exciting, I think the meetings are working!

PS Due to having to rise so early and being close to work. Mondays have become my most efficient days in terms of getting work done. Just in time for wrapping up for my day off TUESDAY!

ERRRRRRR....Back up and REWIND! You never want to admit that you have to...

OK, so I told you guys that the floors on Ginger had been redone, and they had. In fact, they had taken days and days of hard work and some good money. Not to mention, they had eaten up several days of time on the schedule (time is money in the flip biz). So, imagine the pain of having to admit they look like crap. That's right....I SAID IT, they LOOKED LIKE CRAP. When the dust settled and the floors dried they were not looking so sharp. Here is some friendly advice DO NOT TRY TO REDO FLOORS YOURSELF!

 I am never quite prepared for the conversations that as an agent you have to have with your clients that aren't so nice. Let's be honest though, real estate isn't always wrapped in a nice neat package. I wish it was, but if it was anybody could sucessfully help you buy and sell real estate. Right? So, armed with my best ally on how finishes are supposed to look, Dan Carter I waded into the muck and told the investor that the best possible thing to do was to have the floors redone. This wasn't easy for me to say. I mean, basically I was saying, "You need to spend a couple grand and stall a week to have this crap fixed. Oh and by the way, that puts you further behind schedule and you may miss your window to draw the largest number of buyers." Yay! Go Leigh, way to make them love you. To my surprise, I didn't get much fight. His statement was, "Will it affect the sale? If the answer is "yes" then let's have them redone."

Needless to say, I am now waiting on floors so they can go in and get the rest of it done before it can go on the market. Anyone who knows me knows that patience isn't my virtue, but it is going to look hot!