Shopping at Restore

I scored a set of solid mahagony double doors at Habitat for Humanity Restore for only $350! And a stainless steel double sink with faucet for $59. I hope I can go back and get the garden tub....only $175! In the meantime I found two more Restore stores in Houston. This is much more fun than stripping vinyl tile!

It feels so good to be back at Kinkaid! I just love these kids. I can use the money I make to pay someone else to strip tile. Now that's my idea of rehabbing!

Getting Physical with Rehabbing

So Jack and I decided that to save some money I would tear up the vinyl floors and wood deck myself. I bought work gloves and rented a tool from Home Depot. I am now friends with Nancy in the tool section and have picked up a business card from a guy returning a machine. Did he see the word "newbie" scrawled across my forehead? But I digress.

After three hours of ripping up floors, moving the gawd awful smelling carpet from the master bath only to find that the outlet did not work and we did not have the right extension cord, it was game over. I hauled the tool back to Home Depot and asked the guy checking me out if he could recommend a place that made really good margaritas. He suggested Tequila Lopez and he was spot on!! And they had a jukebox that played 80's music! Nothing sounded sweeter than Andy Gibb singing "Shadow Dancing." I was about to play "Staying Alive" when I remembered that I was driving a rental car (an accident that wasn't my fault! WooHoo!) and that maybe I should head on home.

Moral of the story....maybe physical labor isn't my skill set. Monday I call Kinkaid to be put back on the sub list.

Our first investment property!!

It finally happened...after months of submitting offers and numerous hours of workshops and networking, we acquired our first rent house!! I say house but for some lucky family it will be a home. Maybe I was so excited about not being in a bidding war that I didn't think much of a 24K rehab budget. Since we bought it from a wholesaler all we had to do was be the first person to hand over a nonrefundable 5K deposit. Nonrefundable. Don't look back! The 24K rehab budget was, should I say, a little underestimated! At first I was overwhelmed with the foundation, a/c, new water heater and the stench from the gawd awful carpet in the bedrooms. But wait!! There's more!! After the engineered wood, French doors, and granite countertops became victims of the red pen, I reconciled myself to the fact that this was a rent house and it was up to the new inhabitants to make it a home. Bring your own scented candles for crying out loud. I was pretty satisfied with myself for giving up the dream when my smugness was handed a reality check. We had no pipes!! I remember one of the contractors saying, "Well, this is a game changer." I believe the color was leaving my face while my eyes had that deer in the headlight look. The copper from the a/c unit as well as the pipes in the attic were gone. I guess that explains the holes in the sheetrock. And the ceiling. And the hardiplank. And so Act II begins. I will continue to sub at Kinkaid (I now bleed purple and gold) and mentor my precious Jackie. Jack and I will create a lifestyle that will enable us to travel, go on mission trips, and spend time with family and friends. I am so excited!!