Sweaty Equity in Dudley: A Project in Review

If you know me, then you know I’m a huge fan of women in business and women in real estate! I’m ALL about women supporting women and I believe we should be building each other up and supporting one another as we take risks in business and real estate in order to become more financially independent!

I meet most of my clients through Instagram and Holly was no exception! We connected in April and Holly shared she was JUST about to close on her VERY FIRST FLIP!

I was immediately proud and extremely excited for Holly! I literally became her cheerleader. She was tackling her first flip as a single woman (she has a boyfriend and more importantly an adorable dog named Jack but that’s beside the point) and planning to do a good amount of the labor herself. (In case you didn’t know, women can do hard things!)

Projects like these are always exciting… And terrifying! Like ALL flippers, she had shared her concerns about budget and the cost of materials. BUT doubting yourself is normal - letting it stop you is a choice. No risk, no reward! I met Holly and quickly learned she’s an all-in kind of girl and she doesn’t mind sweating and doing the WORK! My kind of girl!

Holly, with her budget in mind, was hopeful she’d be able to afford staging. I told her I’d touch base after closing to schedule a property view so I could provide her with an accurate quote… My philosophy: Everyone can afford a piece of staging!

Holly closed on the property as expected (because she’s also a bad ass realtor) and I viewed the property at the end of May…

AND let’s just say the property was rough! I recall the landscape looking unruly in the front, there were teal carpet squares covering some of the windows in the front entry (along with some matching glow-in-the-dark teal stars… remember those 90’s babies!?), there were wooden light switch covers with trees and eagles on them which completely distracted me and I recall the smell of urine. I suspect lots of cats and not enough litter boxes. (Poor cats!)

But Holly saw potential! (And honestly, so did I!) The property had a garage, two sheds, backyard space and Holly had a vision for two baths, a laundry room, an office, play room… I mean, this really was a great starter home for a family! And why not forever home!?

Holly, being the go-getter she is, had already pretty much gutted the property. The kitchen was gone, she had removed doors and was filling holes in the walls. She was SO ready to paint and already debating grays versus whites. She had a timeline in her head and was determined not to fall behind. I recall her telling me she already had her kitchen cabinets in the cart and was just waiting to click “order.”

By early August I had returned for a progress visit and the floors were in! Tile looked amazing and just needed grout! The foyer was no longer teal… Phew! The primary bedroom had a large closet! Good call!

My last progress visit was the first weekend in September! Oh, look! A kitchen WITH countertops. The walls were painted. The floors upstairs were refinished. The bathrooms had tubs, showers and vanities. The place was completely transformed. I mean, I’ve seen this happen before but a good before-and-after always gets me! I live for it!

Staging was scheduled for the following week and Holly worked quite literally up to the final hours! She put down her paint brush and took off for a friend’s wedding! (Enjoy! You deserve it!)

And here we are… Staging day! As scheduled!

I keep up with my home staging blog but I’ve never taken the time to review a project… But Holly’s install was exciting and inspiring to me! (To the point where I was bugging her to install early! I just wanted to get in there!)

What I appreciate about Holly as a client is how she involved me in the process from day one!

I frequently get last minute staging requests…

“Can you stage this over the next few days?”

“Do you have any availability early next week?”

I typically require two-weeks notice. I like what I do and I simply don’t like being rushed to do it. Of course, there are times I have last minute availability… Projects get pushed out or inventory is readily available. And these last minute requests come with the territory! I usually say “Yes! I can squeeze you in!” but I’m convincing myself it’s time to start saying, “No, quality work takes time!”

The best work is planned work! The more time I have to plan a project, the better the result!

I love what I do SO much that I day dream about floor plans and layout, art, rug size, color… And the best part, I don’t charge for day dreaming! The sooner I know about your project, the more time I day dream about it!

The best thing Holly did (in my eyes, at least) was reach out as soon as she thought she may want to stage the property and included me throughout the process!

The result is a cohesive, well-thought out stage.

I cannot WAIT to see professional photos and hear ALL about the offers Holly receives… I am confident her flip will be a huge success!

Congrats to Holly on her first flip! Here’s to women in business and women on real estate. We can do hard things!