Blog
Flipping Houses DIY: The Importance of Having a System (Video)
December 16, 2014
Creating something unique and new, from start to finish, can be a very a time-consuming process. That’s especially true with the myriad decisions involved in real estate investing. The most successful investors all have systems and processes so they don’t have to make the same decisions and think about the same problems over and over. In fact, having a system ensures that you have a specific workflow that produces great products, time and time again. ...
read moreRehabs Revealed: Chicago Part 2 of 4 – Interior
December 16, 2014
We almost always recommend placing a high-quality laminate flooring from Home Depot (many with a 50-year warranty) throughout the main level of a house. In the case of 3646 W. 87th Street in Chicago, Illinois, we were able to have the hardwood floors refinished beautifully. For a cheaper price than what laminate flooring would have cost. These gorgeous hardwood floors are probably one of the biggest “statement” pieces in this house. Both the glossy floors and the nice kitchen really pop as you enter the living room of this house. The layout of this house was pretty standard, so we primarily just opened up one wall between the living room and the dining room, but we pretty much left the walls upstairs in tact. The brushed nickel fixtures throughout this house and the cool paint scheme really transformed this house into a trendy Chicago abode. Here are some of the SKU’s we used on the inside of the house: Wall and Ceiling Color – Silver Sage (UL 210-8) Trim Color – Fledgling (MSL 198) Door Color – Elephant Skin (UL 260-5) Hardwoods – Solid Oak (Minwax Stain: Special Walnut with Semi-Gloss Poly) Carpet – Touchdown Caramel (528-529) Living Room Light – 13″ Brushed Nickel 2-Light Flushmount Twin-Pack (701-704) Dining Room Chandelier – 3-Light Brushed Nickel (118-638) Baseboards – Pro-Pack of 7/16″x3″x12′ (143-210) ...
read moreFear Not Part Two
December 16, 2014
“There is only one thing that makes a dream impossible to achieve: the fear of failure.” – Paulo Coelho Here are a few truths that I believe you must know in order to avoid them influencing or ruining your path to success: 1. Understand the difference between paralyzing fear and motivating fear. The fear that prevents you from even trying is “paralyzing fear.” This is a very dangerous type of fear that will destroy your potential before you even begin. “Motivating fear” is the spirit that inspires you to tuck your chin and go for it! This is a positive type of fear. You can fear failure and give up before you even begin or you can take that same fear and use it as a motivator to work harder and get smarter in order to succeed! 2. Never let fear make your decisions for you! It may make you overly cautious or even cause you to rethink/reevaluate everything…which may end up working in your favor. But do not let the spirit of fear make your decisions for you. 3. Discern the warning signs of fear: self pity, withdrawing from those closest to you, abandoning/lowering your goals, pointing fingers of blame away from yourself – all of these are indicators that the spirit of fear has taken over. Once these emotions set-in, with them come the self-destructive forces of addiction, infidelity, laziness, distraction, and other negative behaviors used to escape and ignore the nagging fear inside of us. 4. Learn how to combat fear. The remedy of fear is not necessarily boldness or courage. The remedy of fear is love! When you “love” what you do, when you “love” your peers, and when you “love” every moment that you have to achieve your goals, fear has no way to reach your spirit! 5. Another powerful weapon against fear is a disciplined mind. Your thoughts influence your feelings and your feelings influence your actions. What you think about in your spare time will have a greater impact on your actions than what you think about while you’re working. 6. Be a reader. Readers are not necessarily leaders but all good leaders are indeed, readers! Read biographies of successful men and woman who overcame fear and obstacles on their path to success! Fill your mind with examples of success or the the daily “negative grind” will provide an entryway for fear to creep in. 7. Lastly, hold pep rallies for your team. Celebrate successes and encourage one another. Honoring those who overcome fear in their successes will help push-away the spirit of fear that holds us all down! Too often, when we let fear sneak its way into our daily lives, we create a breeding ground for fear and failure! Don’t let this cycle start. When you feel fear creeping-in, this is the best time to pull those friends, family members, and co-wokers in closer to yourself. Recommit yourself and your team to the values and goals that initially brought you all together. Fear not! The future is yours….grab it by the horns and “make it” a success! ...
read moreDIY: How To Make Your Kitchen Stand Out – The Farm Sink (Video)
December 16, 2014
Here’s a great tip on how to make your project’s kitchen really stand out! The farm sink. In this video, I show you the difference you can make with a single “wow” factor in a rehab. ...
read moreRehabs Revealed: Chicago Part 1 of 4 – Exteriors
December 16, 2014
This is a new entry in my Rehabs Revealed series. Each Wednesday for the next 4 weeks I’ll highlight a different aspect of this rehab. It will demonstrate how my team does what they do so well and, hopefully, give you some ideas you can use in your business! In Part 1 this week, we’ll take a look at the outside. Scroll through the images as well as read a little about how we got started on the project below. Outside Improvement Strategy: This property is a classic Chicago two-story house with a partial brick exterior along with vinyl siding. Furthermore, the house was built in 1944, it also has a detached garage. The landscaping was a bit challenging on this house for two reasons. First, everything was overgrown. Secondly, there was a big hole in the backyard where a pool used to be. We had some dirt brought in to level out the back yard. You have to have the vision to see past the ugly things, whether they’re on the inside of the house or on the outside. Once the bushes were trimmed down and we added flowers and flower boxes, it really created a nice curb appeal. Although this house was only 1,178 square feet, it really turned out with a nice layout on the inside and a great curb appeal on the outside. Here are some of the SKU’s we used on the outside of the house: Material list (exterior): Base Paint – Garden Wall (Behr PP 730D-4) Trim Paint – Cornerstone (Behr PP 330E-2) Accent Paint – Intellectual Gray (Behr PP UL260-2) Front Door Paint – Roasted Pepper (Behr PP 180D-7) Door Handle – Kwikset Smartkey (745-825) Numbers – Hillman Group (844-043) Mailbox – Repainted existing In next Wednesday’s post, I’ll take you inside the house to show you where we started and what we did to transform from an old house to someone’s dream home. ...
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