rehabbing: My Life as a TV Real Estate Reality Show Star (imagined) - 03/16/18 07:50 AM
Every morning I wake up with my head exploding with brilliant Instagram images on rehabbing houses. It's not an easy work, it takes a village. There are project plans, the decor has to be gorgeous, crew lined up, and buyers vetted. Hair and wardrobe make or break the image. What should I wear swinging a sledgehammer or showing a dingy basement? The look has to be professional and glamorous, yet with homey relatable images.
At 10 AM I meet the new couple at my office. They've been vetted by the casting team, contracts are signed, budget is set, and they’ve already bought … (24 comments)

rehabbing: 400 Hours of Watching HGTV Does Not Make You a Designer - 02/27/18 07:20 AM
Our eyes are fixated on the screen, our blood rushes, and we hold our breath. Are you ready? Are you ready to see your dump of house transformed? YES, YES, YES!!!! The buyers scream, Ohhhh, we can’t believe it!!!” We cheer with them, our hearts are pounding, and we can’t wait to see the surprises inside.
Room by room they swoon, it gets better and better. The designer squeezed in every desire, it's almost a psychic dream come true. Sunlight pours in through enormous windows casting a cozy glow across sparkly granite countertops. Walls were opened up creating expansive airy rooms, clever … (8 comments)

rehabbing: South Minneapolis DEAL OF THE WEEK, teeny, tiny, adorable, affordable - 01/11/11 01:28 PM
Right there, in South Minneapolis, plunked in the middle of big snow drifts, is an adorable, affordable and totally rehabbed tiny house.   
We've become accustomed to seeing 4000 square foot Minneapolis Garagemahals, but what about that single first time buyer who doesn't want to live in a condo?  Or the couple who wants a convenient budget saving pad near the airport? We're all looking for a bargain, so here is the SOUTH MINNEAPOLIS DEAL OF THE WEEK!
This is a fabulous 480 square foot, 1 bedroom, completely new kitchen, bathroom, wood flooring for only $64,900.  That is a teeny, tiny $300 Principle … (5 comments)

rehabbing: READY, SET, REHAB! Minneapolis remodel gets worse before it gets better. - 04/05/10 04:33 PM
 
READY, SET, REAHAB!  Minneapolis remodel gets worse before it gets better.
If any of you watch old movies, you might have noticed that in 1940 romances he carries her over the threshold of a dump he has just purchased where they will start their lives together.   She is thrilled, and even misty among the rubble.  Next morning, after she prepares a stack of waffles, sausage and Maxwell House coffee for her man, she sets to work on the house.   By the time he gets home at 5PM, the shack is transformed into a darling cottage that is cleaned, painted … (2 comments)

rehabbing: READY, SET, REHAB! Uptown Minneapolis, Remodel - 03/31/10 05:42 AM
 
READY, SET, REHAB!  Uptown Minneapolis Remodel
After a long, bitter winter of trudging through frigid vacant Minneapolis foreclosures, we found the jewel that investor’s dream about.   It’s a stately 1906 duplex with almost 2400 square feet, in Uptown.  The basement is a horror, original boiler and oil tank in a dank block foundation with leaky plumbing lines. But, it was at the right price, and is in a prime rental area just east of Lyndale and a short jog to Lake Calhoun.
The main floor unit has original wainscoting, built in buffet, fireplace with green ceramic surround and mantel, hardwood … (2 comments)