Medusa Properties
Current Properties

The following is a complete inventory of the properties that I currently own (or, in a few cases, previously owned).

There is a short synopsis by each property and a link that will take you to the details of that property. There is also a separate email address for each property which will route you to the person who manages that property.

ALL OF THE UNITS ON THIS PAGE ARE OBVIOUSLY NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE. CLICK THE "VACANCIES" TAB ABOVE TO SEE WHAT IS CURRENTLY AVAILABLE--OR COMING AVAILABLE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

I own properties in both Houston and Salt Lake City so please note the location of each property to make sure it is in the city that you are searching for.

Currently I have properties in Montrose, the Heights, Oak Forest, Afton Oaks, Eastwood, Upper Kirby, Midtown, and the Museum District (in Houston) and in the Avenues, Liberty Park, and the 9th & 9th area (in Salt Lake City).





View Unit Details		 Classic 1920s Montrose 4-Plex (Houston, TX)
wgray3@medusaproperties.com

Classic red brick 4plex in the ever popular Montrose area of Houston. Circa 1920s. Built like a Sherman tank but with looks like Marlene Dietrich.

Easy walking distance to Whole Foods (@ W Dallas & Waugh) and a host of other great shops, restaurants, pubs, art galleries, etc.

Tall ceilings, original hardwood floors, original Art Deco hex-tile in the bathrooms, original cast iron sinks and cast iron tubs... this property has all the details that make these old buildings classics.

Additionally, every unit has been fully outfitted to modern standards underneath the skin of the building--with central air and heat, full-size appliances, big laundry room with new equipment, new water heaters, etc.

There is also ample off-street, gated, covered parking--a MUST inside the loop.

This is a clean, quiet, peaceful building with great vintage architecture & detailing; the antithesis of "big box" apartment living. If you are looking for a home inside the loop and you love pure vintage but don't want to make the sacrifices that it often entails--this might be the perfect place for you.

I'm pet friendly in general but in these units I prefer no dogs upstairs (units #3 & #4). That's not iron clad but in the 14 yrs I've owned this building, I think I've had maybe one or two tenants with dogs in those upstairs units. So, never hurts to ask but don't be mad if I say no. :) Most dogs not a problem in the downstairs units (#1 & #2).

See pics below for more visuals. Click on any thumbnail to enlarge.

(Project Resources)

  • M&M Lighting: fixtures
  • Thorntree: stone flooring & backsplash materials
  • Yellowstone Marble & Granite: stone countertops
  • The Detering Company: trim, moulding, doors
  • Custom Precision Stainless: custom sinks, misc. stainless detailing
  • Montalbano Lumber: misc. building materials
  • Trinity & Klassic Hardwood Floors: new & recycled hardwood flooring
  • DalTile & Emser Tile: ceramic & stone
  • Custom Cabinets & Trim Carpentry: vintage cabinets, closets & built-ins
  • Emmanuel del Angel: drywall, paint, & tile



View Unit Details

W. Gray St
HOUSTON, TX 77019
(map)

 


 


View Unit Details		 Mid-Century Modern in Galleria / Highland Village (Houston, TX)
oakshire3@medusaproperties.com

Bored with doing the same "Turn-of-the-Century" restoration projects for the previous five years, in 2002 I decided to mix things up bit with a little Mid-Century Modern.

This classic 1950s 8-plex is one of only a few remaining, original, small complexes built in Afton Oaks in the 1950s (before the Galleria was even a twinkle in Gerald Hines' visionary eye. (http://www.aftonoaks.org/)

Because of its excellent in-town location, unusually large lots, and strictly enforced deed restrictions, the prevailing model in Afton Oaks is to tear down the existing 1950s "ranch-style" houses (@ $500K a pop) and replace them with faux French McMansions and falso Italianate Villas (@ $2 million + a pop). Most of the original, smaller, vintage 4plex, 6plex, and 8plexes like this one have been laid low by that same paradigm shift in recent years.

As tempting as that might be to me financially, I kinda liked Afton Oaks the way it was--quaint and unpretentious--so I decided to recycle this classic building instead of sacrificing it to the gods of consumption.

This project was fun mainly because we got to work and re-work the same basic floor-plan eight times. This allowed me to tweak the scope & look of each unit, improving the functionality and aesthetics of each as we moved through the building. (My own mini Case Study project.) My goal was to end up with eight unique units--and I think I achieved that goal. No two units in the building are exactly alike. Some lean more toward the Vintage and some more toward the Modern--but they are all Vintage Modern.

Aside from the common floor plan of two bedrooms and one bath--and some shared color schemes--every unit has its own personality. Sometimes the differences are subtle. Sometimes they are drastic. But each has its own individual character.

The tenants are generally an eclectic mix of young professionals (25-45). Probably owing to the central courtyard, this property has more of a community feel to it than any other property that I have owned--which I like--and which is why certain types of people prefer a small complex like this over 200, 300, 400 unit complex.

If you work or play inside the loop, this location is hard to beat. "Galleria" is an oft abused reference point in Houston real estate--especially in apartment listings. This property is literally three blocks due east of the Galleria shopping centers--tucked just inside the 610 loop. You could walk out your front door & be trying on shoes at Neimans in about five minutes. There is also a Central Market, Best Buy, Target, Spec's (my favorite!), and three Starbucks within easy walking distance. (damn those $5 iced chai lattes w/double shots of espresso!)

There is also great freeway access to 59, 610, and I-10. And the shopping is the best in the state. (Where else in Houston can you live close enough to walk to Crate & Barrel, Central Market, Pottery Barn, Restoration Hardware, Nordstrom, and Anthropologie?) http://www.shophighlandvillage.com/center.html

For what they are (700 to 800 s.f., Mid-Century, two bed / one bath flats) these are about the nicest units in this price range that you are going to find anywhere near this location--possibly anywhere inside the loop. They are what they are. If you are looking for shiny new pennies, you'll have to live in a 400 unit property and park in a parking garage. This is eight units. Killer location. Two bedrooms. $1145-1195/mo. Tough to beat that.

See unit details below for pics & info on each individual unit. Click any thumbnail to enlarge.

(Project Resources)
Thorntree (quartz & slate), DalTile, ICI Paints, K&N (appliance), the Detering Company (trim & moulding), Custom Precision Stainless (custom kitchen sinks & other stainless details), Ferguson (misc. plumbing fixtures), Trinity Hardwoods, Klassic Hardwoods (recycled flooring), Custom Cabinets & Trim (www.custom-cabinets-houston.com), M&M Lighting, Bobbitt Glass, Emmanuel del Angel (sheetrock, paint, tile), Morales HVAC, St Charles Electric.

For more info about renting one of these units (policies, procedures, showing dates & times, etc.) send and email to the address listed at the end of each unit description below.

View Unit Details

Oakshire Drive
HOUSTON, TX 77027
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 Turn-of-the-Century Mansion (now 6-plex) - (Avenues - Salt Lake City - UT)
Built in 1905 as an enormous single family residence, this classic Avenues mansion was converted into 6 large units at some point over the past 100 years.

My aim when taking on these projects is not to "remodel" these old buildings but to restore them. This may seem like the same thing to a layman but if you have ever sunk your teeth into a 100 yr old building, you understand the difference. (And if you have been looking at apartments in the Aves for very long you will definitely SEE the difference in these units.)

Restoration involves stripping off years of cheap, ill conceived & trendy "updates", poorly done repairs ("handy man" specials), pulling off the old doors, moulding & hardware, stripping off the many, many coats of paint & flooring--the tacky finishes du jour that have been grafted onto the building over the years, upgrading the infrastructure (plumbing, electrical, HVAC)--then put the old doors, fixtures, moulding, and hardware back on.

Invariably some of the original fixtures have been damaged or lost. So that takes me to places like Georges Architectural Salvage to track down replacement doors, knobs, and fixtures.

As you can imagine, this process takes a LOT of time and energy--and of course, plenty of cash money. But the end result is the essence of what makes these old buildings so much more liveable than most of what's been built after the 1940s: original hardwood floors from old growth forests, tall ceilings, big windows with the original art glass, subway tile & mosaic floors, cast iron fixtures, claw tubs. In a word: Vintage.

Another great feature of this building is the original wrap-around front porch--great for chilling out and watching the world go by, studying, surfing the web, or just practicing your bongos or guitar (as a former tenant, Josh, was fond of doing).

There is also plenty of extra storage space in the basement for bikes, kayaks, ski & snowboard stuff, camping gear, suitcases, boxes, seasonal items, or that ugly lamp that you just cannot seem to part with. (Each tenant gets their own dedicated area in the basement and we have never run out of space--it is a BIG basement.)

For the eco friendly tenant the city bus stops right out in front for easy access to the U of U, TRAX, the hospitals, and downtown SLC. And we have a pretty comprehensive recycling center set up on site--including bins for paper, plastic, & glass.

I have also installed a high speed internet connection in the building for the tenants to share (Ethernet & WiFi)--which saves everyone about $60/month--which is nice. We can all use a little extra coin in the pocket these days!

When I see what else is out there for rent in the Aves it kind of makes me sad. So many landlords buy these great old buildings and "remodel" the history and charm right out of them. They end up looking like the latest Home Depot displays. But the sad reality is that it is easier, faster, and a lot cheaper to go to Home Depot and buy junk fixtures & plastic "laminate" floors than it is to spend a month on your hands and knees stripping off paint, and scraping and sanding on the orignal hardwood floors. But man, once you get through the four layers of linoleum and tar paper, and you smell that virgin fir that was hand felled and hand milled by the Pioneers... and a big drop of sweat slips off your brow and hits the floor and soaks in and you know it is gonna be there for another 100 years... man, that's something.

(Project Resources)

- LeDel Pace Plumbing
- Jean Flesher Construction
- Daltile & Contempo Tile
- Kingdon Sheet Metal
- Glidden Professional Paints
- Georges Architectural Salvage
- Rich Heating & Air

So, click on any thumbnail below to see the full sized pic and shoot me an email if you like what you see.

See individual units below for appropriate contact email for that unit.

View Unit Details

3RD AVE @ N ST
SLC, UT 84103
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 SOLD! Craftsman Bungalow in the Heights (Houston)
Classic 1920s Bungalow in Woodland Heights.

This sweet Arts & Crafts Bungalow was my home off & on for about five years while I restored it. I spent enough on this project to build an entire house from the ground up--$23,000 in paint alone. (What? Is that a lot?) But in the end I made a few bucks & made a very cool couple from Colorado very, very happy.

My thanks to the many great craftsmen that helped on this project... Eddie Figueroa (floors), Custom Cabinets Houston (http://www.custom-cabinets-houston.com/), Spencer Elliot & Jayson Morgan (steel fabrication), Emmanuel del Angel (drywall, paint & tile). In any creative endeavor you are only as good as your crew (a blessing and a curse). And I'm fortunate to have some great guys to collaborate with.

Other resources: ICI/Dulux (paints), Thorntree (stone), John Pfister (pier & beam leveling), The Detering Company (moulding & doors), M&M Lighting (fixtures), K&N Builder sales (appliances), Hewitt Airtex (HVAC).

View Unit Details

811 Ridge
Houston, TX 77009
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 Liberty Park * Victorian Duplex (SLC, UT)
1372s300e@medusaproperties.com

This duplex was originally built as a single family home back in the late 1800s by the city's first fire chief. It was subsequently split into TWO units sometime around the 1940s.

The upstairs is one unit. The downstairs is another unit. Both units have:

- Tall ceilings.
- Original fir hardwood floors.
- Lots of large windows.
- 1/4 acre lot (twice the size of a normal city lot).
- Large rose & vegetable gardens + fruit trees (plum, apple, pear, peach, apricot, cherry).

Old houses like this have a ton of charm and character... but they may also be a little drafty in the winter and the floors may creak a bit. Nothing in life is perfect. For me the trade-offs have always been worth it: aged wood floors, wavy window glass, rich soil under your feet. Some folks get it. Others are better suited for shiny, happy, econobox living with carpet, vinyl, and plastic. Such is life.

Pet policy for this building: Cat(s) or small to medium dog allowed in the downstairs unit. Cat(s) only in upstairs unit.

The two tenants in this building split the utilities. Gas+Electric+Water+Internet run about $135/month/person (averaged over 12 months). That's pretty darn cheap.

See details below for availability. Click on any thumbnail to enlarge.

Reply to 1372s300e@medusaproperties.com with any questions not covered here on in the postings (Craigslist / KSL).

View Unit Details

1372 south 300 east
Salt Lake City, UT 84115
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 SOLD! Historic Avondale - Houston, TX (Montrose)
IT IS OFFICIAL: As of 26 April, 505 Avondale has a new owner. Congrats Elena & Andre!

One of the original Montrose houses circa 1910, in one of the oldest Montrose neighborhoods--Avondale.

The original 2700 s.f. house was converted a commercial space in the early 1970s by Gary Alan BeBout, who produced Southwest Art Magazine out of this building until the mid-70s. Sometime after that it was leased by Mike Rezoffi, who ran "Rezoffi's" a hair salon, out of the downstairs--while living in the upstairs--for the 20 yrs prior to my purchasing the property in 1999 and converting it back to a single family residence.

The house has been completely updated mechanically, with all new copper water lines (from the meter to every fixture in the house), new gas lines, new drains, new wiring and a 200 amp electrical service, 9 tons of new central air (split system; 4 up 5 down), and new hot water systems.

The house has also been wired with coax cable & cat-5 to all the rooms, surround sound, and a tricked out alarm system with keypads on both floors, motion sensors, glass break detectors, etc.

The "look" of the space is a fusion of early 1900s with some elements of a more modern style, reminiscent of clean, geometric Art Deco lines in the trim and cabinetry, with some definite Craftsman inspiration. I certainly didn't reinvent the wheel here but I think I created something original but that is still derivative of the original architecture.

The floor plan on the main floor is now totally open and very loft-like with the kitchen, living room and dining room all connected in a big L shaped space that takes up about 3/4 of the main floor. The upstairs is pretty traditional in plan. Big master bedroom with a big master bath (with large walk-in shower + claw tub), smallish walk-in master closet with laundry built in, plus a nice sunroom off the master bedroom that has been converted to a kind of dressing room / with additional hanging space by the new owner. There are also two more bedrooms plus a large Jack & Jill or "Hollywood" bath between them.

There are a lot of custom stainless details in the baths & kitchen. The floors are all hardwood up and down, except in the wet areas, which feature period correct hex-tile + custom basketweave & checkerboard patterns in Empress (black) and Carrera (white) marble.

Too many features to list here. I had five years to agonize over the details--and believe me, I did.

Major shout out to Andre and Elena for being even more detailed with their finishes and selections than I am... love the new $2500+ front door! And to Scott Hogue for executing those plans in a way so that the new porch and other details look completely original to the house. Great job one & all.

Historic Avondale Association Vintage Houses Houston

View Unit Details

505 Avondale Street
Houston, TX 77006
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 SOLD! Vintage Avenues Four Square (SLC, UT)
O.K. So I sold this house a couple of years ago... but I am leaving it up because I love it so much and am extremely proud of the work we did there.

Talk about your international team of experts... My uncle Keith and two cousins helped me out a lot ("Um... I think you can back off with the phone and cable, Nick... I dont need Cat-5 & ethernet in the bathrooms...")

Emmanuel del Angel and various other crew members flew up from Houston four times over a two year period to rip the roof off and re-build it, strip off the many, many layers of paint, repair and refloat the plaster walls, and install the tile and stone work, re-wire, re-plumb, etc.

Brian Joseph (The Joseph Company) contributed the super tricked out, plush, velvety, reversible, extra comfy window seat cushion for the 9 foot bay window. Jean Flescher (Heber) made the glass doors for the cabinets in the entry. Corey at Elegant Hardwoods (Draper) did a truly amazing job on the floors. And Jose dug up the foundation and re-pointed the 100 yr old sandstone.

And Victor, my Venezuelan electrician flew up to finish the wiring and hang all the fixtures. (It was his first (and only) time on a snowboard--his first time ever in the snow period.)

The only subs that get bad marks are good old GUS LAZARAKIS, the Greek bandit, who has to have the WORST painting crew ever assembled! :) Thank God I only let him paint the outside (which I subsequently had to repaint myself)--thanks a lot GUS! I want my $2500 back!!!) Talk about a bunch of crooked gypsies.

Next, Manwill Heating & Air Conditioning--probably the sloppiest, most apathetic HVAC crew that has ever worked for me or anyone else. They cut holes in my (new) roof about 3x larger than they needed to be--then never even bothered to flash or foam up those holes (big enough to put your arm through). Then, the chucklehead installer hooked up 220v to a 110v air handler... duh! How stupid can you be??? Fried my brand new Trane blower motor--which, after replacing it, left the original burned up motor in the attic, along with a trash bag full of other installation materials and garbage. Oh, and did I mention that they pulled large sections of insulation out of place and did not put them back--and then refused to come back & fix any of the above? But, hey, I am not bitter! :)

And, of course, there were the many, many, many good parties that were thrown in this house along the way... especially during the 2002 Winter Olympics when just about every country was represented at one party alone! (22 different friends stayed in the house over that two week period.)

So, for now, bittersweetly, 1165 Third Ave maintains its place in Medusa Properties history...

(Sold for about $585,000.)

View Unit Details

1165 3rd Avenue
Salt Lake City, UT 84103
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 VINTAGE COMMERCIAL SPACE IN EAST SUNSET HEIGHTS (Houston)
I bought this space a couple of years ago with the intention of dozing it to build three nice Craftsman style houses on the corner lot but I got shanghaied by the City and my "neighbors" and the zoning got changed on the lot between the time I bought it and the time I applied for a replat. Doh! Shit happens.

The building was originally a commercial space of some kind--probably a corner / general store type set up. Some people have suggested that it might have been a post office but the location doesn't seem to support that theory. It's too far off the beaten path to be a post office from that era.

Right now she's got quite a roof leak that is gonna have to be addressed. And I've gutted out a lot of the interior since I was going to renovate the building when I first bought it and I was doing some exploratory surgery to see how bad the structure & mechanical systems of the building were.

When I purchased the property in 2005 it was a functioning duplex. If I restore the building I'll probably add a story to the main structure and build a 3-car garage with a 900 s.f. apartment above it--which I can do without going through the variance process again. (Though I always enjoy that game of charades.)

Right now I've got my hands full with other projects so I'm just letting it sit. Demolition is still on the table as well. I have several different plans for big, single-family houses that I've developed for that lot with my architectural collaborator, Albert Gamboa.

Another option would be to convert the space back to some kind of commercial use--perhaps use it as my main office... build a big, metal workshop out back... something like that.

View Unit Details

Baylor St
Houston, TX 77009
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 Mid-Century Lofts & Flats (Upper Kirby - Houston - TX)
upperkirby3@medusaproperties.com

I rescued this little gem from the chopping block in August of 2006. The tenants had all been evicted... the gas meters had pulled out of the ground & the main lines terminated... and the water to the property had been shut off at the main by the city: the wrecking ball was on its way. :(

But I felt like she had a lot of life left in her. So I got out the pencil & pad and started sketching. Then I got out the sledgehammer and starting demo-ing. And then I got out my checkbook and started writing checks... very big checks... :)

14 months later the first new tenants started moving in... and I've barely had a single day of vacancy since.

Before I bought the property the building had been owned by the same family since it was built in the late 1940s. The entire street used to have many similar properties on it; all but this one had been torn down over the years. (Well, actually Twin Peaks down the street is actually two fourplexes like this one--combined into one big building--then wrapped in a commercial facade. So, technically, it is an original structure.)

The 67 yr old woman who sold me the property had lived there with her family when she was a child. Fortunately for me she had no interest in restoring the building. Getting on in years, she had been living off the rents & letting the property run down for the past few decades... the classic "slumlord" scenario.

This property is just off Kirby, between 59 & Richmond--making it one of the shortest commutes you will find to just about anywhere in the city. 10-15 minutes from every university and college in town; 5 minutes from the Medical Center; walking distance to River Oaks, Greenway Plaza, movie theaters, shopping, and many great restaurants. (Japon & Miyako are both across the street... mmm... sushi!) (Haven, a new, mulit-million $$$, "green" / "farm to table" restaurant went in next door a couple of years ago.

The property has six units total: four larger one bedrooms in the main building (two lofts and two flats) and two smaller one bedroom apartments over the garages.

The look is 50/50 vintage/modern--but definitely not "traditional", "contemporary", or cookie cutter in any way. I guarantee that you will not find ANY units at ANY property, in ANY price range that have the kinds of fixtures and finishes that I have in these units. I did not have a budget when I restored these units. I just did what I thought would look killer--and what would last a lifetime. Steel. Wood. Glass. Brick. Stone. The basic elements.

The two lower units in the main building (#1 & #2) have stained concrete floors & large private patios in the front. The two upper units are all hardwoods with private decks off the back. Kitchens & baths are completely custom & high-end with all stainless steel appliances from Bosch (dishwashers), Siemens (dual fuel ranges), GE (microwaves fridges & washers & dryers) + natural stone counters, and built-in laundry. Very modern but with a shout out to the building's 1940s heritage.

*****

(Project Resources)
- M&M Lighting - fixtures & fans
- Thorntree - natural stone (counters)
- Detering Company - trim, moulding, doors, & windows
- Custom Precision Stainless - custom stainless sinks & shelves
- Montalbano Lumber - building materials
- DalTile - subway tile, etc.
- West End Roofing
- Ferguson Plumbing Supply
- Emmanuel del Angel (framing, sheetrock, tile, paint)
- Custom Cabinets & Trim Carpentry (www.custom-cabinets-houston.com)
- EnergyGuard - expanding foam insulation

For more details about these units send an email to:

upperkirby3@medusaproperties.com

View Unit Details

Algerian Way
Houston, TX 77098
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 1940s Bungalow In Oak Forest (Houston, TX)
saxon@medusaproperties.com

Clean lines and a very human scale are the hallmarks of this 1940s bungalow in the historic Oak Forest neighborhood of Houston.

I know "BIGGER is better" in today's world but I lived in this 1100 s.f. two bedroom one-and-a-half bath house for nearly five years and loved every minute of it. (My previous two houses were 2500+ s.f. projects from the 1920s in Montrose and the Heights.)

Great location. Close to schools and shopping. Large fenced lot with big detached two-car garage + (my version) of a "dacha" in the back yard.

$10,000 in new driveways and sidewalks--including a big turn-in / circular drive in the front. (off-street parking for 5+ cars)

Great starter home for young professional or small family. Lots of schools and parks close by. Deed restricted neighborhood with very active association keeps the area looking great.

Oak Forest is being called "the new Bellaire" due to the large lots & new houses going up all over the area. But there are plenty of well-kept and thoughtfully restored original houses in the area as well. (For example, on by block every single house is original to the 1940s.)

Click on thumbnails below to enlarge and scroll through the pics.

http://www.ofha.org/index.html

View Unit Details

Saxon
Houston, TX 77018
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 1930s 5-PLEX * INNERLOOP (Houston, TX)
linwood3@medusaproperties.com

Meticulously restored 1930s fourplex + garage apartment near the Eastwood area of downtown Houston, inside the 610 loop.

All units are 1 bed / 1 bath flats with hardwood floors, central air & heat, vintage style kitchens with high-end, full-size appliances, and vintage style baths with pedestal sinks, subway tile, overhead rainshowers, etc.

This property recently underwent a $230,000 restoration from the foundation to the roof. Though the "look" is vintage and period correct, the mechanicals (plumbing, electrical, hvac) are all new.

The Eastwood area is an up-and-coming vintage neighborhood just east / southeast of downtown Houston with many original properties built from the early 1900s thru the 1940s. Super short commute times to downtown Houston, both University of Houston campuses, the Medical Center, Rice University, etc--but about 15-20% lower rents than my properties in Montrose, the Heights, Upper Kirby, etc. Same era architecture, same quality restoration... just cheaper dirt (and therefore, more affordable rents).

The city is currently working on a new light rail line connecting the East End to downtown (and thus, the Medical Center & Rice University). This property is two short blocks from this new line. (More info & maps of line here: http://www.gometrorail.org/go/doc/2491/406635/ )

More info about the area:
http://eastwoodcivicassociation.org/
http://www.greatereastend.com/

Project Resources: Olshan (framing, roofing, & sheetrock materials), Bison (doors, trim, moulding), Chesley (plumbing supplies), Crawford (electrical supplies), Custom Cabinets & Trim Carpentry http://www.custom-cabinets-houston.com/ (all interior cabinetry & trim work), Houston Hardwood Floors, Thorntree http://www.thorntreeslate.com/(slate countertops), Custom Precision http://www.cpsminc.com/ (custom stainless sinks)

Click on thumbnails below to see full size images.

Shoot email to linwood3@medusaproperties.com with questions or to find out about upcoming vacancy.

View Unit Details

Linwood
Houston, TX 77011
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 NEW ZEALAND / AUSTRALIA TRIP
A big, heartfelt "Word UP!" to all my tenants--whose steady rent checks make these six week trips possible...

I love you, man!

No. Really. I LOVE YOU MAN. ;)

View Unit Details

Auckland / Wellington / Queenstown / Christchurch
Sydney / Melbourne,
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 Classic 1940s Duplex in 9th & 9th area (Salt Lake City, UT)
herbert-ave@medusaproperties.com

Clean simple 1940s duplex in the super popular 9th & 9th area.

Super location. Close to shops and cafes and restaurants, a Smith's grocery store, Great Harvest, yoga, bike shop, the Tower Theater, etc.

Currently we just rent the downstairs apartment for short terms, furnished. So, if you're looking at an extended stay in SLC (2 months or more) and don't want to stay in a hotel, this might be a great option for you.

Send inquiries along with details about your situation to herbert-ave@medusaproperties.com

View Unit Details

Herbert Ave
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 Bungalow in the Heights (circa 1940) (Houston, TX)
28th@medusaproperties.com

Cute little Bungalow in the Heights. Built 1940.

When I bought this house it was the worst house on the street. My goal was to make it the best house on the street. And I think I've succeeded.

Highlights:

- 2 bedrooms + 1 bath
- 1 car garage
- 2 x 3000 s.f. lots (fully fenced)
- large back yard with alley access (great for a future big garage)
- original hardwood floors
- nice kitchen with Stickley style cabinets & high-end appliances
(Bosch stainless d/w + Jenn-air range w/convection baking and roasting; Jenn-air side by side counter depth fridge)
- fresh paint with great colors inside and out (no beige, no tan, no bone, no off-white)
- great Sunset Heights location
- new washer & dryer
- most pets OK with deposit

Did I mention that this place has big screened-in porches in the front AND the back?! (Back porch is 10x18--a huge space--great for grillin' & chillin' with friends or just hangin' out and reading a good book. Completely screened in so the skeeters can't get ya.)

New fences, pergola, custom wrought iron gate, & landscaping in the front as well.

Custom built-ins in the living room will accommodate up to 60" flat screen.

If you're looking for a solid, cute, affordable, original little house in the Heights, touch base with me at 28th@medusaproperties.com You won't see another vintage bungalow this tight anywhere in the Heights.

View Unit Details

28th St
Houston, TX 77008
(map)

 

 


View Unit Details		 MONTROSE DUTCH REVIVAL (Houston, TX)
We are a few months into a frame-off restoration of this 1930s Dutch Revival (a rare "Cape Ann" style) two-story house in the Montrose / Museum District of Houston.

Converted to a dark paneled / green shag office space back in the 1960s, we spent the better part of 2010 tearing out miles of phone wire, serial cable, and fluorescent lighting, uncovering original elliptical arched openings, converting closets into bathrooms and bathrooms into kitchens, adding wainscoting, crown moulding, ceiling detail, recessed lighting and sconces, removing fireplaces, restoring / re-hanging / re-counter-balancing the original double hung wood windows, restoring the original hardwood floors (long leaf pine (upstairs) and quarter sawn oak (downstairs)), etc.

Will be priced in the $550-600K range when we're done.

(The newer house next door just sold for about $700,000 and does not have the 1600 square foot concrete block & open steel truss warehouse / garage / art space that this house does.)

Final layout will include three bedroom (including very large master suite), two and half baths, large formal dining, large formal living, large eat-in kitchen with breakfast area, and a formal study with bay window. +/- 2400 s.f. of heating interior space + the 1600 s.f. workshop / garage (that has 3 phase power).

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Stanford
Houston, TX 77006
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View Unit Details		 PORTUGAL / SPAIN / FRANCE / ITALY / SWITZERLAND
We work hard. We play hard.

Is six weeks of solid European adventure too much to ask in exchange for 46 weeks of hard labor???

Man, what a GREAT trip. Flew in to Lisbon with my ace boon coon, Chris Walker. Flew solo out of Zurich six weeks later.

We followed the Mediterranean coast from Portugal, through Spain, met up with Florence Vergano in her hometown of St. Paul de Vence in Côte d'Azur, then drove south down the western side of Italy, all the way down the Amalfi Coast, then back up through the heartlands of Campagna, Abruzzo, Umbria, Tuscany, Emila-Romagna... then finally through Piemonte--to Vergani (birthplace of the Vergano clan), where we conveniently just missed the backbreaking labor of the Nebbiolo harvest (but still got to enjoy the fruits of that labor--namely the delicious Barolo and Barbaresco wines of that region).

Chris jumped off at Napoli, Flo jumped back off in Nice, but I continued on another 10 days, hanging out in Nothern Italy and Switzerland. Booked the Swiss portion of my trip just to meet up with an old college friend in Zurich but she flaked on me at the very last minute (yes, I AM calling you OUT, Reta Hall), so I gave her the verbal finger and just packed around the Alps by myself for a week.

It's never any fun running a sewer machine through fifty feet of gook and muck--or unstopping toilets--or climbing around under a 100 yr old house... but sometimes being a landlord does have an upside.

(Next trip?! Vietnam & Japan... )

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View Unit Details		 SOUTH AFRICA 2011
Spent five amazing weeks road tripping around South Africa in November / December 2011.

It always amazes me how powerful a book can be. The idea for this trip was planted simply by reading The Long Walk to Freedom, by Nelson Mandela, a thoughtful and wrenching autobiography published shortly after his release from Robben Island and his subsequent election to the presidency of South Africa.

Before reading that book my main impressions of S. Africa revolved vaguely around Apartheid and great white sharks. Afterward, I had a completely different vision of the country and the people--and was inspired to plan a trip to see and experience both for myself.

And, I must say--that even with fairly high expectations going in--I was blown away on every level by South Africa's people, culture, and geography. Definitely a place I'll be going back to in the near future. Five weeks definitely wasn't enough!

As always, many thanks go out to the tenants and subs that make these extended annual trips around the world possible. When you are 10,000 miles away, on a dusty mountain top on the other side of the planet, it is a great feeling to know that back home the engines are still running smoothly, rent checks are being deposited, repairs are being made quickly, and upcoming vacancies are being leased as fast as they come available. Makes me want to stay on the road forever!

I also need to give a shout out to my good friend Al Martinez who did a lot of the pre-trip planning for this adventure--and kept nagging me to make sure that I did not blow off the trip to stay back in Houston or Salt Lake City to work on yet another rehab project. I have a seriously bad habit of putting work before fun and Al is good at reminding me of how backward that philosophy really is. "Eat, drink, and be merry... for tomorrow we die." Thanks, Al.

Jared Meadors
Medusa Properties

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Johannesburg to Cape Town & all points in between!
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View Unit Details		 NEW PROJECT: Midtown Bungalows (Houston, TX)
Two bungalows in Midtown--circa 1930s--for lease "as is".

Currently I own 1707 Holman (77004) so that is the bungalow that is currently for lease. I am waiting on clear title for the house on Francis so I can close on that house as well.

It will take a few months (at least) to figure out what I'm going to do with these lots... so the longest term I am willing to start with is a 3 to 6 month lease--with a month-to-month option thereafter. I would also consider a month to month tenant. See details and pics of each particular property below.

My plan is to ultimately tear these two bungalows down (they are back to back and span from one street (Francis) to the next (Holman). So, I'm not planning to do any major updates to these properties at this time.

However, I am getting them into good, basic, rentable condition. The kitchens and baths will all be functional, I will provide the appliances, heating, cooling, etc.

Reply to midtown@medusaproperties.com with any questions or to set up a time to see these houses in person. (Feel free to do a drive by to check them out beforehand.)

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Midtown
Houston, TX 77004
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