Medusa Properties
Current Properties

The following is a complete inventory of the properties that I currently own and manage--plus a few other sweet properties owned by friends of mine to round things out a bit. There is a short synopsis of each property and a link by each that will take you to the details of that property.

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

Not every property below has availability. Use the Vacancies tab above to narrow the properties down to those with upcoming vacancies.




Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details		 Classic 1920s 4-Plex in Montrose (Houston, TX)
Classic red brick 4plex, circa 1920, in the ever popular Montrose area of Houston.

Tall ceilings, hardwoods, hex-tile floors, cast iron sinks and cast iron tubs in the baths... this property has all the details that make these old buildings classics.

Additionally, every unit has been fully outfitted to modern standards underneath with central air and heat, full-size appliances, new water heaters, etc. ***

The building also has off-street, gated, covered parking--a must-have 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 inside the inner loop for something very nice and very vintage this could be just the place.

See pics and info on each unit below... click on any thumbnail to enlarge...

(Project Resources)
- M&M Lighting
- Thorntree - natural stone
- Yellowstone Marble & Granite
- The Detering Company
- Klassic Hardwood Floors
- Custom Precision Stainless
- Montalbano Lumber
- Trinity Hardwoods
- DalTile / Emser Tile & Stone
- Che Ma Carpentry - cabinets
- Eddie Figueroa - flooring
- Victor Andrade - electrical

*** Unit 1, being an efficiency / studio apartment, has window a/c and heat, not centrals.

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W GRAY @ EBERHARD
HOUSTON, TX 77019
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Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details		 50s Modern Near Galleria (Afton Oaks - Houston, TX)
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 small complexes originally built in Afton Oaks (http://www.aftonoaks.org/). Because of its unusually large lots and strictly enforced deed restrictions, the prevailing model in Afton Oaks is to tear down the existing 1950s "ranch-style" homes (@ $500K a pop) and replace them with McMansions (@ $2 million a pop).

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 it has the same basic floor-plan, repeated eight times. (I called it "Project: Mid-Century Rehab".) This allowed me to tweak the restoration a bit after each unit and to keep improving the functionality of the units from first to last. (My own mini Case Study project.) My goal was to end up with eight unique units.

Aside from the common floor plan of two beds 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 as the photos below show.

The tenants are generally an eclectic mix of young professionals (25-35) + one dog & two cats. This property has more of a community feel to it than any other property that I have owned--and I like that about it.

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 right inside Loop 610. You could walk out your front door & be trying on shoes at Neimans in about five minutes. There is also a 24 Hr Fitness, a Kinkos/FedEx, and three Starbucks within easy walking distance. (damn those $5 iced chai lattes w/double shots of espresso!)

There is also great access to every major freeway. 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

Project Resources:
Thorntree, DalTile, ICI Paints, K&N Appliance, Detering, Custom Precision Stainless, Ferguson, Trinity Hardwoods, Expo, M&M Lighting, Bobbitt Glass

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

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OAKSHIRE DRIVE
HOUSTON, TX 77027
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Enlarge Photo | 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 goal 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 superior to anything built since 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" porch in the front--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 get rid of. (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 glass.

I have also installed a high speed internet connection in the building for the tenants to share (Ethernet & WiFi)--which saves everyone about $50/month--which is nice. Everyone can 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 just end up looking like cheap Home Depot displays. But the sad reality is that it is cheaper, faster, and easier to go to Home Depot and buy junk fixtures & plastic "laminate" floors than it is to spend a week on your hands and knees scraping and sanding on the real wood floors that are already there. 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)
- Jean Flesher Construction - (801) 259-1364
- LeDel Pace Plumbing (801) 589-5822
- Renovation Innovation
- Daltile & American Olean
- Kingdon Sheet Metal
- ICI Dulux Paints
- Georges Architectural Salvage

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

* More local info: http://www.slc-avenues.org/

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3RD AVE @ N ST
SLC, UT 84103
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Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details		 SOLD! Craftsman Bungalow in the Heights (Houston)
Classic 1920s Bungalow in Woodland Heights. (Sold in May of 2006)

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... Eddy Figueroa (floors), Victor Andrade (lighting & home theater), Jose Martinez (trim & cabinets), Spencer Elliot & Jayson Morgan (steel fabrication), Emmanuel del Angel (pretty much everything else). In any creative endeavor you are only as good as your crew (a blessing and a curse). Fortunately, in this case, it was a blessing.

Other resources: ICI/Dulux, Thorntree, Pfister Leveling, The Detering Company, M&M Lighting, Trinity Hardwoods.

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(Woodland Heights)
Houston, TX 77009
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Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details		 Victorian Duplex near Liberty Park (SLC, UT)
Great old Victorian near Salt Lake's Liberty Park.

Built as a single family home in the late 1800s by the city's first fire chief. Split into two units sometime around the 1940s. Upstairs & downstairs are divided in a way that they can be rented separately or combined as one large two story house.

-Tall ceilings.
-Original fir hardwood floors.
-Large windows.
-1/4 acre lot (2x normal city lot).
-Large rose & vegetable gardens + fruit trees.

Two separate units-- one upstairs & one downstairs

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


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LIBERTY PARK AREA
SLC, UT 84115
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Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details		 SOLD! Historic Avondale - Houston, TX (Montrose)
IT IS OFFICIAL: As of 26 April 2006, 505 Avondale has a new owner! Congrats Elena & Andre on the purchase of one helluva house!

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

The original 2700 s.f. house was converted to a duplex sometime in what appeared to be the 1950s or 60s. "Rezoffis" a hair salon, was located downstairs for 20 yrs prior to my purchase of the property. I converted it back to a single family residence.

MASTER: The upstairs--which was a two bed two bath apartment when I purchased the house--now has a large master suite (about 700 sq.ft., including a large master bath with a large double shower + claw tub, walk-in closet w/laundry, + a sunroom/porch). There are also two other nice sized bedrooms & a jack & jill or "Hollywood" bath upstairs.

Downstairs is pretty much all entertaining & living space... huge kitchen with built-in & commercial appliances, an office, a dining room, a living room, and a 2nd study / sunroom.

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 didnt reinvent the wheel here but I think I created something original but still derivative.

The floor plan is now totally open very loft-like. 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!

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505 AVONDALE
HOUSTON, TX 77006
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Enlarge Photo | 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 & 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.

Brian Joseph (Houston) 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. Jose (Mexico) dug up the foundation and re-pointed the 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 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!!!

Next, Manwill Heating & Air Conditioning--probably the sloppiest, most apathetic HVAC crew that has ever worked for me. 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 it 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 friends stayed in that house over that two week period.)

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

$585,000

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1165 3rd Avenue
Salt Lake City, UT 84103
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Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details		 EAST SUNSET HEIGHTS COMMUNITY METHADONE CLINIC - Coming Fall 2008!
It’s time to give back something to the communities that have given so much to me over the years.

This little project is near and dear to my heart and I am glad to hear that their is so much community support behind it! More details and plans coming soon.

(Of course, everyone with a brain knew that the whole "Methadone Clinic", strip bar, "halfway house for recently released pedophiles" things was a just a joke! Like I care enough about these East Sunset Heights jokers to actually go out of my way to try and harm them.... totally not my style! (But hey, Betty--it sells newspapers, right?)

Actually, as I was taking a shower this morning I was thinking that a community center with a neighborhood garden might be a good use for that piece of land... convert the old building into a place for the HOA to meet and hold events, potluck dinners, and fundraisers... do some composting out in the back and raise organic veggies for the whole neighborhood... maybe have a couple of chickens to produce fresh organic eggs, a recycling center... how sweet would that be??? :)

Too bad the HOA didnt come up with a proposal like that before they pissed me off... but that would have required some initiative and creativity on their part--and the reality is that HOAs are only "against" things, never "for" anything. They are reactionary groups with without any creativity or forethought. They never put forward any proposals for anything--they simple try to block everyone elses projects--not in MY backyard... So, in the end, everyone loses. Because they cant stop progress--they can only piss it off a little bit. :) (I have been a member of at least four different HOAs in my short life--and have found the above to be true about all of them. I am currently a member of the Oak Forest HOA, where I reside.)

Got a call from the Houston Press yesterday... what a moron that guy was. I mean, come on dude, if you are going to CALL someone for COMMENT--at least take 45 seconds before you dial the number and write down a few coherent, relevant QUESTIONS. Talk about a day late and a dollar short--the story is OVER--you missed it--search the Chronicle and Fox 26 news for the details, bro--and set your alarm clock a little earlier next time. (I literally had to finally ask the guy, "Dude, what the fuck are you calling me about??? What is your question? What is your story about? What can you possibly say that hasn’t already been said???" He just mealy-mouthed something (did I mention he was a low-talker?) so I just hung up on the guy.)

I mean, come on--who REALLY cares about this story aside from me and a few other people in Sunset Heights? I guess the war in Iraq, global warming, pollution, traffic, starvation & HIV in Africa, globalization of trade, the budget deficit, the trade deficit, weak dollar, the credit crisis, and the color of Barack Obamas underwear just dont provide enough topics for these muckrakers... :) Yeah, lets talk about whats relevant to 20 people instead of whats relevant to 20,000,000 people--thats smart--thats an intelligent use of ink and paper.

Anyway! The latest on the Sunset Heights debacle is that I have spent the time and money to put together two new site plan proposals with two units instead of three (I have two lots currently) and have forwarded those on to Mary Ellen Arbuckle--who is the one and only person who has EVER contacted me from the opposition group (HOA) on this deal--and only AFTER he last variance hearing. Better late than never I guess.

So, new plan 1 is a "shotgun shack" design--the same boring, long skinny houses that all of the builders are doing over there--since the lots are 25 ft wide and 120 ft deep. New plan 2 splits the lot in two facing Baylor instead of 26th (which would require a variance) but maintains the 1 house per lot spirit of the prevailing lot size ordinance.

Personally, I think #2 would result in a more livable, functional, flexible--"honest"--house. But they will probably not go for that plan. In fact, they will probably reject both plans since what they really want in their heart of hearts--regardless of reality or the financial impact on me (since they do not have to write the check) is for me to not tear down the existing structure. So, I will end up building a big single family monster on the lot with a huge garage and garage apartment and so they will not get what they want and I will not get what I want--and the neighborhood will not get what is best for IT--so, thanks to the HOA, everyone will lose. But, I will still make my money and they will end up with a huge house on that lot--so, I guess they will lose a bit more than I will....

Oh, did I mention that I just won Top 10 Boutique Apartments in Houston for my entire portfolio??? Pretty cool! (Check it out here: http://www.apartmentwiz.com/awards/top_houston_boutique_apartments.php

OK, off to New Zealand for the next six weeks...

More later!
Jared

a.k.a. The Evil Developer

*** Update - OK, so it has been about six weeks since I sent the latest version of the site plans over to the Sunset Heights HOA people--and nothing... not a word... hardly surprising! So, it looks like we just knock it down and build whatever the fuck we feel like building--regardless of any consideration whatsoever for the neighbors....

* Update - June 24 ’08 - So, FINALLY, a response from the cardboard cutouts of the E Sunset Heights Association... get this:

"I have emailed your plans to the neighborhood association membership. While I have not received responses from everybody, I have from many. Thus far none of the responses are in support of, or even indifferent to your plans. From what I can tell, you will receive at least as many, if not more people protesting your variance request as last time.

Again, we are a neighborhood association, not a homeowners association. We simply work together towards common interests and goals. Speaking for those that have responded to the association, we would completely support the construction of a single family home and garage with garage apartment that fits within the parameters and allowances of the lot size protection as it stands. We chose to live in East Sunset Heights because we like the existing character of the neighborhood. We are simply trying to protect the integrity of that character in the only way we can.

We truly believe that you can make a reasonable return on your investment while staying within the allowances of the existing lot size protection. If that was not possible, we would probably not see as many new single family cottages and bungalows being built as we have seen over the past years."

I love it! What a completely useless, mindless group of fucking human beings. :) Thanks for nothing Mary Ellen Arbuckle! It took you guys two months to come up with THAT? That’s the same line you’ve been regurgitating from day one. So typical--and so expected. It must suck being a cliche. ;)

I can’t WAIT to see their asses pucker up when I start building what I have in store over there! Ironically, my original plans were for cute, warm, fuzzy Bungalows just like they want... but that aint what’s going up on that lot now... :)

More to come.

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Baylor St
Houston, TX 77009
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Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details		 Mid-Century Modern Lofts & Flats! (Upper Kirby - Houston - TX)
I rescued this little gem from the chopping block in August of 2006. With all the tenants evicted, gas meters pulled & terminated, and the water shut off at the main--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...

Before I bought the property the building had been owned by the same family since it was built in the 1940s. The entire street used to have many similar properties on it; all but this one had been torn down over the years. The 67 yr old woman who sold me the building 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.

This property is just off Kirby, between 59 & Richmond--making it one of the shortest commutes 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!)

The property has six units total: four larger one bedrooms in the main building and two apartments over the garages.

The look is 50/50 vintage/modern--but definitely not "traditional", "contemporary", or cookie cutter.

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 a private deck off the back. Kitchens & baths are completely custom & high-end with all stainless steel appliances from Bosch (d/w), Siemens (dual fuel ranges), GE (microwaves & washers & dryers) + natural stone counters, and built-in laundry. Very modern but with a shout out to the buildings 1940s heritage.

(Project Resources)
- M&M Lighting
- Thorntree - natural stone
- The Detering Company
- Custom Precision Stainless
- Montalbano Lumber
- Trinity Hardwoods
- DalTile / Emser Tile & Stone
- West End Roofing
- Ferguson Plumbing Supply
- Rivas A/C & Heating
- Che Ma Carpentry - cabinets
- Eddie Figueroa - flooring
- Victor Andrade - electrical
- James Davis - expanding spray foam insulation

For more details about leasing one of these units send an email to upperkirby@medusaproperties.com .


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Algerian Way
Houston, TX 77098
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Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details		 1940s Bungalow - FOR SALE OR LEASE! (Oak Forest - Houston - TX)
Clean lines and a very human scale are the hallmarks of this 1940s bungalow in the historic Oak Forest neighborhood of Houston.

Great location. Close to schools and shopping. Large fenced lot with detached garage / workshop in back.

Hardwood & stained concrete floors. Two beds + 1 1/2 baths. New kitchen & baths. New central a/c, lighting, plumbing, water heater, appliances, etc.

Restoration is 95% complete. We took the house down to the studs in many areas, moved some walls to better configure the space, put in a completely new retro kitchen and bath, refinished the wood floors and stripped and sealed the concrete.

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.

* For lease at $1,795.00/month for 12 month lease.
* For Sale at $265,000.

See below for more details.

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Saxon @ Rosslyn
Houston, TX 77018
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Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details		 Lucy Bigelow-Young House in West Capitol / Marmalade area - circa 1893
Historic West Capitol home built in 1893 for Lucy Bigelow Young--one of Brigham Youngs (multiple) wives...
http://www.north705.com/history.txt

This property has a lot of super cool features that are detailed on the next page. Ongoing, frame-off restoration by John Webster nearly complete.

Click "View Unit Details" link below to find out more. Or send email directly to john@xmission.com.

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705 N 200 W
Salt Lake City, UT 84103
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Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details		 NEW PROJECT! - EASTSIDE 4-PLEX WITH LOFT & GAR APT (Houston, Inner Loop)
I just closed on this sweet 1930s 4plex on the east side of downtown Houston. This is a big building with four existing units in the main structure, a 2/1 garage apt over the four parking stalls--plus a big attic on the 3rd floor that I hope to convert to a 950 s.f. loft.

*** These units will not start coming available until November / December 2008 at the earliest. I keep getting emails about this property though it is not on my Vacancies page yet... which is great! I'm compiling a list and when we start getting a little closer to go time I'll let everyone who's emailed me know about the first showing.

Right now the building is in "critical condition"--worse than my Upper Kirby property when I bought it (and that place totally sucked A$$). And, unfortunately, it is not in one of the shiny, happy, popular neighborhoods where my other properties are--it is on the east side of downtown, off Canal St. So, for me, the up side is limited (lower rents & lower appreciation). But, it is closer to downtown than the Galleria or Memorial Park and I honestly like the east side a lot. Reminds me of driving around La Paz with my uncle looking for good tequila & cold Pacificos!

I have been looking at property on the east side and making offers for almost 10 yrs. I have had warehouses under contract (for potential loft conversions) but never seemed to be able to find the right property in the right spot for the right price--until now.

It gets kind of boring just doing high end vintage apartments for the bourgeoisie, so I thought I would do something cool for a more blue collar / starving student / proletariat demographic. These will not be "low income" housing by strict definition, but the reality of the location is that most of my applicant pool will probably be working class folks or working students earning $400-500/wk. Which is cool. I embrace the challenge to design and rehab something for that group without excluding everyone else. I mean, these are going to be super nice units--but I can't pull a "DeMuri" and spent $900 on bathroom sinks.... :) (Sorry, Chris, I had to go there.) (To be fair, he did set that sink on a $40 steel cabinet he got from a salvage yard... so I guess it averaged out, right?)

The main restriction in this location is the potential rent. On Algerian the rents were $400-500/month when I bought the building and $1000-1100/month after the restoration. Here, the rents were probably in the $250-400 range (the building was bank owned and empty when I bought it) and will probably be $700-800/month after the rehab. So, sinking an additional $150,000 into this building (like I could if it were in Montrose or Upper Kirby) would just be foolish. I just can't get the rents to justify that kind of investment. It would take 10 yrs just to break even. So, I have to find a way to do cool stuff but on the cheap. But, honestly, I think a lot of great design originates from that imperative--the need for something cool, something interesting, something original--and not just something expensive.

Hopefully some of that Chris DeMuri movie magic will rub off on me and I can figure out how to make a $1,000,000 movie look like $10,000,000. (If I could just get Brent, Chad, Lane & the rest of the construction crew down here from SLC I know we could do it!) The good thing is that the building itself has a ton of potential and the floor plans are actually quite nice just the way they are. There are foundation issues that we are going to tackle right off the bat and obviously I will tweak every square inch to get the most bang for the buck. (I found a nickel when we pulled up the carpet the other day; I picked that sucker up and stuck it right in my pocket. On this project, I'm gonna need every nickel I can find.)

So if you are looking for a cool place around January / February 2009 and you want to be close to downtown, U of H, the Medical Center, the Museum District, midtown, etc.--shoot me an email and I'll keep you in the loop.

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Linwood
Houston, TX 77011
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Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details		 NEW ZEALAND TRIP - MAY/JUNE 2008
Thanks to all my tenants--who's rent checks make six week trips like these possible...

I love you, man!


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Auckland / Wellington / Queenstown / Christchurch
Sydney / Melbourne,
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Enlarge Photo | View Unit Details		 1940s Ranch in 9th & 9th area
Clean simple 1940s ranch style house typical of this era.

Two bedrooms and a a bath up + another two bedroom one bath mother-in-law apartment in the basement.

This property has a lot of the original features like solid wood 1-panel doors with vintage hardware, hardwood floors, and glass block window wall in the bathroom. Has a nice, clean vintage feel to it.

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Herbert Ave
Salt Lake City, UT 84105
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