The availability date is indicated by each unit below--along with a contact email for that property. Just click the "View Unit Details" link by any property that you are interested in and then send an email to the address indicated if you'd like to find out about showing dates and times.

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. View Unit Details OAKSHIRE DRIVE HOUSTON, TX 77027 (map)
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/ View Unit Details 3RD AVE @ N ST SLC, UT 84103 (map)
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 . View Unit Details Algerian Way Houston, TX 77098 (map)
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. View Unit Details Saxon @ Rosslyn Houston, TX 77018 (map)
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. View Unit Details 705 N 200 W Salt Lake City, UT 84103 (map)
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. View Unit Details Linwood Houston, TX 77011 (map)
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. View Unit Details Herbert Ave Salt Lake City, UT 84105 (map)