Stress and Rehabs

Travis

Back in September 2020 I wrote about The Mansion for the first time. I’d have to look back on my notes for when we got started on this one, but it was some time during the winter.

It’s been a journey!

We fully gutted the (previous) duplex and reconfigured the floorplan to make it a natural feeling single family home. We’re on the home stretch, but it’s been super stressful.

The appraisal was supposed to happen last week Thursday. We were scrambling but it was clear (Wednesday morning) that we were nowhere near ready. I managed to push the appraisal until this Friday.

And it’s still going to be close.

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Ryder turns three

Travis

Ryder, how are you only three?! It’s hard to believe you aren’t already four. Our bathroom scale says you’re 44 pounds, I was reminded of that today when I had to carry you for about a mile back home from the park. Beyond that, your conversational skills are insane. You seem to be ahead of the curve on pretty much everything.

And I’m thankful for that, because I’m ready to get out of the baby/toddler phase.

You are a ball of energy. You literally don’t stop. I love it most of the time, but it is incredibly draining!

You are persistent as all hell. Everything is a negotiation. Everything we try to get you to stop doing (and it’s a lot) is met with a, “But I’m just…” or “How about…”. You don’t concede and it leads to a lot of threats until you do. Telling you we’re going to call the “police” or the “witch” no longer works. I’ve had to resort to putting a dab of hot sauce in your mouth (just once). Now I start counting to three and it generally works, because when I get to three the hot sauce comes out.

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BiziBoy Weekend

Travis

I spent Friday through Sunday evening alone with Tucker and Ryder. I’ve never cared for them around the clock like that, so I wasn’t sure how I’d do.

It was a blast. It was also exhausting.

It helped that we kept busy. We had a birthday party at a farm on Saturday, managed to hit the zoo on Sunday despite the rain, and caught “Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway” at the theatre. In hindsight, I guess we had a very animal themed weekend.

I ended the weekend feeling closer to the boys. It’s funny what an intense 48 hours can do. I also felt some relief in knowing that I can handle playing mom when needed.

The best part is that it wasn’t nearly as difficult of a weekend as I anticipated. Part of that, again, I attribute to just staying busy. But I’ve been reflecting on why else it was relatively easy. A big part, in my opinion, was the fact that there was only one authority figure in the house. It’s not that Kaitlin and I contradict one another, but it does sometimes feel like we’re tripping over each other like two people trying to cook at the same time in a small kitchen.

I can’t say I have a new found respect for what Kaitlin does day in and day out. But that’s simply because I already know how hard it is. I’ve worked from home since before Tucker was born, so I have a front row seat to the trials of being a full-time mom. And while I wouldn’t want to do it full-time, I’m grateful for the past 48 hours and happy to help Kaitlin get an emotional reboot that was badly needed.

Tucker Turns Five

Travis

Tucker, the first thing that comes to mind when I look back on this past year is that you’ve gotten easier. Reading back, it’s clear last year was still a struggle. Things continue to be hard, but it’s different… usually fights with your brother rather than seemingly irrational fits and reactions to things.

It’s been a year of growth for you. And a year of surprises for us.

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The ages of athletes

Travis

I’ve noticed something that I’m now calling a pattern. We’re hearing more and more about older athletes competing at the top of their game.

Tom Brady made a splash earlier this year, winning the Super Bowl at the age of 43. Remarkable.

Then, just days ago, Phil Mickelson became the oldest player to ever win a major, taking down the PGA Championship.

And I keep seeing mentions of Simone Biles doing what’s considered to be some crazy shit by any gymnast’s standards. Apparently, they’ve been changing the rules because she’s doing stuff literally nobody else can pull off.

Simone is 24-years-old. Young, right? But consider…

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The beginning of the end of ageing

Travis

I’ve long considered the possibility that I may live forever.

No, not in the metaphorical sense through my children, but literally.

While I nearly have a degree in Biochemistry (three-and-a-half years as a biochem major will do that), I had no scientific reasoning to believe this. I simply understand the pace of technological innovation we’re currently experiencing and the vast potential that machine learning and AI possess.

The logical conclusion, for me at least, will be grossly extended life if not immortality.

And don’t be fooled. It won’t be a light switch moment. Like lockdowns during COVID-19, it’s all about buying time… initially. All we really need to do is extend our lives bit by bit until it’s perpetual.

In fact, I believed this so much that during the earliest days our boys were born I remember looking at them in fascination, thinking “These guys will live forever”. I shared this with Kaitlin who gave me that half eyeroll but, “I know you actually believe what you’re saying” look.

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Off the Writing Wagon

Travis

It’s been nearly a month since I’ve written a post.

I hate that.

My goal is to write daily, not for anyone but simply for myself.

It helps me think, keep track of what’s important, and perhaps most of all gives me a window into how I got myself into mistakes.

A lack of writing does not mean a lack of progress though. We’ve been busy.

The Courtship Revival demolition is in full swing. I’ve put in about 21 hours of solo work, and it’s… getting there. I took down the first section of ceiling today, and it wasn’t as bad as I thought it’d be, largely because I could attack it from above.

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Buying a block

Travis

My buddy Paul and I have been kicking around the idea of working together on a real estate project for quite awhile now, and we’ve been actively looking for something with the right potential for the last couple months. That’s when two quadraplexes caught our eye on the MLS that are owned by the city of Detroit.

And let’s be clear… they shouldn’t have caught our eye.

These things are ugly, both inside and out. The exterior brick on each side and backs of the buildings has been stripped, leaving only the front façade intact. That’s enough to scare 99.9% of people off.

Apparently we are the 0.1%.

After walking the block a couple times and getting into one of the quads, we decided to put in an offer. But with one caveat: we didn’t just want to buy the two quads, we wanted to buy the entire block.

You see, the block is rough. It’s comprised of 28 parcels (18 structures and 10 vacant lots) with 26 of them owned by the city. Of the two structures that are privately owned, one is CLEARLY running drugs. The other seems to be in decent condition and occupied.

Almost all of the structures are missing their exterior brick like the quads. Why? Apparently drug addicts used to chisel out bricks, bring them to the local brickyard, and sell them for $0.10 each when Detroit was really at its low point. There’s a very good chance that this activity destroyed the potential for these buildings to ever be rehabilitated.

But Paul and I are willing to take a gamble. I contacted the listing agent, had a very nice chat with her, and was told to write a proposals.

A proposal? Umm… ok.

So I did. I outlined exactly what we wanted to do, why we were fit to do it, and what challenges we were going to face. I argued why the city should sell us the entire block rather than just the two properties that were listed, even though the rest of the block wasn’t currently up for sale.

Paul was convinced they’d demand to see proof of funds, at best. I was convinced we didn’t have a shot in hell at the entire block but they’d likely offer the quads that were listed on the MLS.

It took weeks before we heard back. I was shocked last Friday when the agent called me and said the city “countered” our $17,000 offer at $30,000.

They were onboard with selling us everything.

So now it’s real, and we have to really figure out how to proceed. It seems Paul and I are both onboard to give this a shot, but we’re going to go walk the block again tomorrow, get into as many buildings as possible, and likely present a counter offer this week.

I’ve been wanting to level up a bit, and this seems like a fantastic opportunity to do that.

Is it insane? Absolutely. But I’ve found it’s always the ideas that seem a bit (or a lot) crazy that are the most rewarding.

Courtship Revival Video Walkthrough

Travis

Before I got to tearing down more plaster and lath the other day, I decided to do a video walkthrough of our latest purchase, Courtship Revival.

I’m going to do my best to document this project since I’m hoping to do most of the work myself, and it will be fun to watch the transformation. I know it’s a bit lengthy, but if you’re at all interested in purchasing a property from the Detroit Landbank, this will give you an idea of what to expect.

The rare appraisal dispute win

Travis

A couple weeks ago I was bitching about our appraisal on the Somerset home. Well, it wasn’t the only one that came in low. The McCarty house‘s appraisal came back at $105,000. Not terrible, but we were really hoping for $120,000+

Granted, pre-COVID I was certain we’d be lucky to hit $90,000 or so, but things really heated up recently, so my plans adjusted.

So, like Somerset, we appealed this appraisal. But unlike Somerset, this one actually got adjusted. Our new appraisal is now $120,000.

Now, that’s not a massive difference, but it does equate to about $11,000 more in our pocket once we finally get through these rehabs. Hopefully the quiet titles get done soon and we can wrap them up.

I didn’t have to do much for the appeal. My mortgage broker took care of most of it, we just talked about some comps that I was aware of nearby. Thankfully, it worked.

Once we do finally get these fully done I’ll write up some posts with all the numbers.