Stunned, I slowly made my way through the house, carefully stepping over trash and debris as my eyes surveyed the damage and squalor.

Doors had been ripped from the kitchen cabinets. Drawer fronts were missing. The mahogany countertops were badly damaged. There were holes in the walls. Window sashes, broken and devoid of glass hung from the windows and broken glass carpeted the floor.  The bathroom sink had sustained a couple of cracks. Entering the bedroom that once belonged to my son, I caught my breath.  The smell of pet urine was suffocating. And filth. Everywhere filth.

It took a minute to get over my shock and horror at the condition of my house, and a few more to set aside my anger at the tenant. Ok. That’s not quite true.  The truth is, I’m still angry. It’s hard to understand how someone can treat someone else’s property like this.

I’ve had rental units for many years now. Early on, I was too trusting, too naive. I assumed that everyone was good and would treat my properties the way I treated homes when I rented.

I quickly learned that this just isn’t the case. So, I got better at screening tenants. Even so, sometimes a bad one slips through the cracks. As a landlord, I know this is a possibility. Never-the-less, when it happens it makes me angry!

For a while now, I’ve been contemplating selling this house, so when confronted with the mess and destruction, my first reaction was to find a buyer and sell it fast. Repairs take time and that amounts to lost income. Our real estate market is really hot.  In fact, while we were evaluating the damages, a neighbor stopped by to ask if we’d consider selling “as-is”. Tempting!

When I set my emotions aside and evaluated the situation, I realized that I spend a lot of time and money looking for damaged houses to fix and make a profit. So, why would I leave money on the table this time?

I was simply having an emotional response to an ugly situation. Doing the work to restore the home will bring a higher selling price and greater profits. It just makes sense, and dollars too!

Walking through the house again with a camera and notebook, I started making the repair list. Later, I would assign dollar amounts to each of these items and then get to work.

Having made the decision to renovate the house, I started getting excited. I really love this house. It’s a 1911, brick Craftsman, and  she still retains much of her period charm. The deep woodwork, though a little shabby, is beautiful still. The wood floors are original. I even love the old radiators!

It’s the kind of house that can work equally as well for a young family or for empty nesters. Having served us well for many years, first as our family home, then as an income property, she’s earned the right to  a make-over and I’m excited to give it to her. I’m also excited to share the process with you!

Someone asked me how I even start with a project like this. Here’s what we’ve done so far:

• Created a master list of work to be completed.
• Removed most of the tenant’s trash and debris, and there was  A LOT.
• Removed the urine soaked carpet from the bedroom.
• Cleaned everything that won’t be removed.
• Removed some of the kitchen cabinets. I’ll leave the base cabinets until new cabinets arrive because we use that sink.
• Removed the old, dirty microwave hood and cleaned the stove and refrigerator. These will likely end up being replaced with new appliances.
• Scheduled the electrician to come evaluate the wiring.
• Started prepping the walls for painting, although I don’t want to do too much in case the electrician needs to open walls to pull new wire.

We’ll have to invest time, effort and money, but in the end it will be worth it, and well, I love the process!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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