Friday, January 21, 2011

Flip 1217 - A success!

Whoa... I am way behind, as usual. But in any case thought it would be worth it to document a pretty awesome project we took on in 2010. Flip 1217. The short of a long story goes something like this... we partnered with Matt's cousin and his wife to 1) start a company... Raybill (named after both the guys' dads) 2) combine capital to purchase a foreclosed property and 3) flip that shit! (apparently it's the corporate tag-line, FTS for short).

It started something like this.... According to our partner one of the most important things to do first was tackle a corporate logo.
Next was to secure a production crew in the hopes of making it big on ? HGTV, perhaps? (I really have no idea... at this point it was all the guys, which probably explains a lot). Until the "production crew" actually showed up it was imperative to take homemade videos on site.
Umm yeah, quality programming right there.

Finally we documented the "pre-flip" condition of the house. Please excuse my crass humor, I felt a little guilty attempting to make money off of someone else's misery. But at the end of the day, with condo living, Matt & I were in dire need of a project.

And then the fun began. We ripped carpet out of the main floor, completely demo'd the lower level, upper story and porch. As for one bathroom and kitchen it wasn't a complete demo but close enough. The entire main floor was painted in a beautiful pink color, hard to tell in the pics but it was a light shade of pepto. Thankfully the exterior, windows and mechanicals were relatively new and in good condition. And to top it all off we were blessed with a brand spanking new 2 car garage. Not too shabby for a big project at the start of the best time of year in Minnesota... summertime.

Overall, we logged way over 600 hours between 4 people. We did most of the work ourselves with the exception of carpet installation, mudding and taping, bringing the electrical box up to code and installing new flex plumbing in the basement. Everything else... paint, new electrical fixtures, tiling, bathroom install, framing, sheetrocking, egress window, curb appeal, new door installation, counter/cabinet install, trim and refinishing the hardwoods was all us. all raybill. It was a lot of sweat, a little bit of tension but overall a ton of fun. Would we do it again? You betcha! Here's the finished result... oh and we sold the house ourselves in a short 6 weeks! at a profit! Cha-ching!

Us...Five! Five-a-Live!

Seriously. five. it's a big number. Okay. this year, there's no tellin', well maybe some tellin' since it's already May... Here's what I do know and the rest well it's all a big ole' question mark. Year five will inevitably bring change, career change! yay! attitude change! yay! I've been waiting. it's finally here. now Raybill... Matt scored our first investment property. and a tv show to boot (note: tv show used generously). watch for it peeps. It's going to be huge ;)

Us... cuatro ano

I really have no idea where this year will lead us. All starts with our biggest vacation yet... Thailand. And then from there who knows? We have (or should I say I have) been searching for a project maybe landlords, maybe a new fantastic job, maybe entrepuer, maybe a new house. Crystal ball anyone?

Us... On to year three.

Most exciting thing in our life... No more school! No more school! Well at least for me. Matt may think differently, like I told him vacation is on for me, over for him ;) Not quite sure how I will fill my time yet, we all know I don't do relaxation well, and the first two weeks have been interesting, a visit to NYC, re-sodding the lawn for the second time, planting the garden, a craiglist's garage sale, etc.

Us... Year 2

Year 2 of marriage. As Matt would say this is the year of being "young professionals"... Matt went independent in August and we are trying to figure out how to adjust to "tax-free" checks. It makes me a little nervous but Matt, the ever adivsor, says it is just fine. I just started my new job at ConAgra Foods, quite a change from industrial automation. Oh and there's school... never ending school. Someday, I will be done, right? With the house projects near completion, Matt traded smoking for a new boat. (I think he cheats by having a beer just to justify a smoke, but I secretly cannot bring myself to sell the boat - Sonny likes it too much) And then there is Sonny, 100 pounds and spoiled. He continues to rule the house.