It turns out there”s more to real estate than location. If you plan to try your hand at flipping houses, keep three things in mind: People, people, people.
That”s the lesson Jennifer Lehner of Columbus learned during her first professional house renovation. Fortunately for her, she learned the easy way.
Lehner purchased the two-story house at 225 10th St. S. in Columbus in 2008 and, after months of work ranging from major to minuscule, she”s ready to sell.
The craftsman-style home on the corner of 10th Street and Third Avenue was on the brink of condemnation before Lehner stepped in, which offers some idea to the extent of work needed to bring the house back to life.
And it”s not like Lehner is a veteran architect with experience in carpentry, plumbing and electrical wiring. Nor is she a self-made real estate mogul ready to close her thousandth deal.
The stay-at-home mother of two just knows people.
“I ended up with such a great team of experts,” says Lehner. “You hear all these nightmare stories of people getting burnt. But I had a great electrician, great plumber, great painters. That”s probably why I”m not scared to do it again.”
Lehner was lucky in the sense that she had just one bad experience with a contractor charging her more than she expected to pay, but the rest of her decisions can hardly be dismissed as a fluke.
Having quarterbacked renovations on her own homes over the years, Lehner knew a couple things about hiring contractors.
“I got three bids for everything,” she says. “It was amazing how drastically they can vary. And (contractors”) work can also vary so you have to check references.”
Due to the house”s condition, practically everything had to go. The plaster walls were torn out in favor of drywall but, while they were out, all new electrical wiring, plumbing and insulation was installed. Add to that: Brand new central heating and air, constructing two additional bathrooms, plus new doors and windows.
The extent of the renovations and the coordination required to tie them all together made hiring the right people a necessity.
“It”s like the difference between a fry cook and a great chef. These people aren”t just someone who hammers a nail. There”s so much knowledge required and some people definitely have more than others,” says Lehner. “One person will look at an electrical plan and say, ”It can”t be done.” Another guy looks at it and says, ”Piece of cake.””
Lehner also made no secret of the fact she was comparison shopping, which led to some helpful hints from the contractors themselves.
“They would remind me to make sure I”m comparing apples to apples. A painter might only put up one coat of paint or not scrape off the old paint,” she says.
The more she learned about the unique aspects of each job, the better equipped Lehner became to choose the right contractor. And choosing the right person for one job often led to finding the right contractor for another.
“I got really close with all the people I worked with. And it was my plumber who referred me to Buster Ponds.”
Ponds, an Alabama carpenter, is Lehner”s favorite example of finding the right man for the job.
“He had a crew who could do anything,” she says. “They were in around 7 a.m. and would clock out by 1 p.m. and they wouldn”t speak to each other.”
Ponds” crew had no need to talk. Lehner jokes that their work was so fluid and efficient she could charge admission for others to watch them.
Ponds is responsible for the home”s ceilings, which Lehner admits are uneven, but Ponds” skill created a leveled illusion.
And Ponds is just one name on a long list of artisans and contractors
that Lehner is thrilled to have worked with. She was so satisfied with her choices that she listed them on a Web site she created to advertise the home: www.yourcharmingnewhome.com.
Obviously, quality work doesn”t come cheap. Lehner says each contractor knew to keep costs to a minimum since the intent was to sell the house immediately, but that didn”t stop her from running over budget on her way to sinking over $100,000 into the project.
She had intended to sell the house for $170,000, but that price ballooned to $212,000.
Still, Lehner says the house is worth every cent.
“The thing about doing a flip house is you gradually try to save money. You start off trying to do the minimal amount because it”s all about making a profit, but you want to do it right,” she says.
Determined to keep the price fixed, Lehner says she isn”t making much profit from her project. Yet, she”ll do it all over again if the right Southside home becomes available.
“Having tangible results for your efforts is so gratifying, to see your ideas come to life,” she says.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 34 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
