Author Archives: Patrick StCin

In the Path of a Storm

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Alert: Harvey, Irma, Rita, Katrina

Don’t worry, it is not hurricane season yet. However, there are things you need to know now, before the storms approach.

I was just looking at reasons a real-estate investor might lose money on a fix-n-flip project or a vacation rental property deal and stumbled upon natural disasters as a possible cause of investment loss. After reading several articles and searching the real estate websites, I ran into tips for real estate investors facing an approaching natural disaster at yourflipcoach.com, Your Virtual Real Estate Coach. Be sure to visit Ryan’s site if you have a minute.

Insurance Binding
First, as a practical matter, it is very important to know that insurance companies will not bind a new policy or add additional coverage to an existing policy if a hurricane or large storm is headed for Texas. This is important for you to know if you are planning to invest in a property in Texas.

Make sure a hurricane is not on its way. Buy insurance that covers flood and wind damage and replacement costs, and don’t buy the property or the insurance if you can’t bind an insurance policy. Both you and your lender will want insurance on the property. Buy flood and wind insurance on your new property and make sure insurance binders are active well before the next storm.

Closings Disrupted
Second, when you have found a buyer and a storm is approaching, time the closing of the deal so that closing is complete well before the storm event. The storm can get in the way of your closing in so many ways. Following a storm, roads and properties may be damaged and inaccessible. Even if you are dry, routes in and out of your area might be blocked or flooded. You could lose your buyer because they cannot get to you or to the property, or because the property is damaged.

A study performed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas concludes that the “typical hurricane raises real house prices and, to a lesser extent, reduces real incomes for a few years.”

New Business Opportunity 5 Years Out
Third, be ready for new business opportunities following a storm. Damaging natural disasters and the insurance money that comes into the market after they pass can create new opportunities for real estate investors. Some property owners may want to sell, particularly if they did not have insurance. Even if they are insured, many home owners will take their insurance check and sell the property for whatever they can get. Some lots are sold at land value after the home was removed; but once a house is rebuilt, it can be resold again at near the same price in future years (about 5 years).

aerial view atmosphere clouds cold front

Residential Prices Rise Because Housing is Needed
The value of property that is high and dry after a hurricane will increase because homes are lost or uninhabitable. Housing will be needed. And, buyers and investors will be seeking solutions.

An article in Forbes by Jordan Lulich points out that right after a storm, home sales go down because property owners are too busy cleaning up. According to his article, two months after Hurricane Harvey, 31% of residential neighborhoods saw an increase in median house prices here in Texas.

It is still smart to invest in real estate in hurricane prone areas because residential property values increase over time. Repair costs associated with storms are certainly worrisome. Just be sure to buy insurance that covers wind and water damage to protect your asset.

Please give me a call when you find that perfect investment, and I can help you fund the project.

Patrick St.Cin
512-213-2271
Patrick@REICapital.cash

 

 
References
Ryan Kuhlman, January 8, 2018, Natural Disasters and Real Estate Investing, https://yourflipcoach.com/natural-disasters-and-real-estate-investing/

Jordan Lulich, June 28, 2018, Does Hurricane Damage Negatively Impact Your Real Estate Value/
Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordanlulich/2018/06/25/does-hurricane-damage-negatively-impact-your-real-estate-value/#381ca6d5107b

Murphy, Anthony and Stroble, Eric, October 2010, The Impact of Hurricanes on Housing Prices: Evidence from US Coastal Cities. Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Research Department, Working Paper 1009, https://www.dallasfed.org/

 

ILS is Now REI Capital Resources

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“Focused on Funding Your Success”

Formerly Investor’s Lending Source. New name, new products, same management

Hard Money Lending

REI Capital Resources is a funding source for SFR Fix-n-Flip, Fix-to-Rent, and Refinance projects as well as larger commercial projects such as office buildings, 5-40 door multi-family buildings, and many others.  These programs vary wide and far throughout the gamut of lending. Call or e-mail for more information.

Long-Term Rental Financing

REI Capital Resources is instrumental in finding conventional non-conforming lenders for investors using their business entities and, also non-entity, personal holdings, as a method to purchase, refinance, and cash-out of rental properties.  These loans are geared toward single-family residence properties with up to 4 doors for a given property.  Portfolio loans are also available. Earn money continually from your rental property. You can get there from here with a fix-to-rent loan.

Short-Term Rental (Vacation or AirBnB) Lending

As the lending industry adapts to the market place, REI Capital Resources is adapting too and is now able to provide funding for the short-term vacation rental market.

You Can Get There From Here

REI Capital Resources built its reputation on finding private funding for investors for quick turn purchases and difficult situations.  This is still true today.

Give me a call or send an e-mail and share with me your plans and needs, and I’ll see what lending solution I can generate for you.

Patrick St.Cin

W – 512-213-2271
Patrick@REICapital.cash

Taxes: Buy/Flip or Buy/Hold

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There is no way around it, when you consider investing in real estate, or anything else for that matter, you need to do your homework to keep your investment safe and avoid surprises.

First, spend time with yourself to define your goals and then, spend time with the math to estimate the costs carefully before you invest. Everything costs something, but somethings are worth the cost.

First your goals: Ask Yourself:

“Do I want to get my hands dirty?”
“How involved do I want to be?”
“Do I want a single pay out of profit”
“Do I want a steady stream of income?

The buy-n-flip model of buying a distressed house at a low price, renovating it, and reselling it for a profit within 12 months is usually pretty hands on. If you don’t actually do the remodeling yourself, you will be supervising your contractors, so you get quality work, on time, and within budget. The Fix-n-Flip model will give you a one-time pay out, and if you did your preliminary market research properly, it will give it to you quickly, in less than a year.

The buy-and-hold model of buying houses, fixing them up or not, and renting them out will give you steady income. In this model, an investor can choose to rent the property out or occupy the property. There are varying levels of involvement for the investor to consider. Landlords are investors who own one to three properties and manage them themselves. This is the hands-on level. Portfolio Investors own four to ten rental properties and hire property management companies to manage them. This level of involvement is less hands on. Turnkey investors are the least involved personally with their investment, they purchase a property that already has a tenant and management company in place. Basically, only their money is involved.

Different Taxes

One of the cost differences between investing in fix-n-flipping and investing in fix-n-holding is the income taxes that you will have to pay on the profits. According to FitSmallBusiness.com, flipping houses is generally not considered passive investing by the IRS. Most real estate fix-n-flippers are considered dealers by the IRS. A real estate dealer is defined as someone who purchases real estate and sells it to customers “in the ordinary course of business.”

Ordinary Income. Profits on flipped houses are treated as ordinary income with tax rates between 10% and 37%. The profits you make are not considered capital gains with the lower tax rate of 0% to 20%. Taxes for flipping also usually include self-employment tax, which is 15.3%, double what you typically pay as a W2 employee.

Capital Gains. On the other hand, according to FitSmallBusiness.com, profits made from properties held more than 12 months are typically subject to more favorable long-term capital gain tax rates ranging from 0% to 20%. This profit is also subject to self-employment tax .

Keep Your Receipts

The answer to handling the tax expense for a fix-n-flipper or the fix-n-holder is to think like a business; budget for the taxes in your expense calculations and take them out of your expected profits so the return you expect is realistic. And, keep excellent books. You will want to itemize your deductions and income in either type of investment so when it comes time to calculate your profit for tax purposes, you can determine your profit by subtracting your expenses from the final sales price. Keep your receipts. If you keep no records, you might have to pay taxes on the entire amount of the sale, not just on the profit.

white graphing paper

REI Capital Resources is a direct lender as well as a broker of funding solutions. We offer short and long-term financing options that are perfect for buy-n-flip projects or buy-n-hold projects.

Please give me a call when you have the perfect investment in mind and know how much money you need.

Patrick St.Cin
512-213-2271
Patrick@REICapital.cash

REI Capital Resources: Your Funding Solution

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“Focused on Funding Your Success”

Formerly Investor’s Lending Source. New name, new products, same management.

REI Capital Resources is a direct lender as well as a broker of funding solutions. We offer funding solutions in the following areas:

  • Direct Lending
  • Private Money Lending
  • Hard Money Lending
  • Long-Term Rental Financing
  • Short-Term Rental (Vacation properties) Financing

Direct Lender

REI Capital Resources is a loan originator for select investor single-family residential projects. Our goal is to provide fast closing loans to fund your investment projects so you don’t lose a good deal.

Acquisition of Property

  • Bridge Loans
  • Buy-to-Rent
  • Fix-n-Flip
  • Fix-to-Rent

Cash Out Refinancing

  • Buy-to-Rent
  • Fix-n-Flip
  • Fix-to-Rent
  • Refinancing

Private Money Lending
REI Capital Resources built its reputation when it was ILS on finding private funding for investors for quick turn purchases and difficult situations.  This is still true today. Private money loans are primarily for single-family residential projects:

Acquisition of Property

  • Bridge Loans
  • Buy-to-Rent
  • Fix-n-Flip
  • Fix-to-Rent

These are REI Capital Resources more standard real estate project funding solutions. If your situation is unusual or commercial, stay tuned for information on our non-standard real estate programs, those that run the gamut of lending solutions.

Give me a call or send an e-mail for assistance.

Formerly Investor’s Lending Source. New name, new products, same management.

Patrick St.Cin
512-213-2271
Patrick@REICapital.cash  or info@REICapital.cash

Thinking Like Your Buyer: Restrictions

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As a real estate investor, contemplating houses to buy and remodel, or to fix-n-flip, you need to think like the house buyer you hope to sell to. It is important to do this before you buy an investment property to protect your profits from withering away while the house languishes on the market. Of course, deals come when and where deals come, and you often have to move quickly to snap up the bargain. Under this pressure, it a very good idea to take a breath and research the neighborhood before you commit.

I was actually thinking about real estate sales and roads when I found this tutorial on buying your first home in the online journal Investopedia.com.  But Amy Fontinelle’s tutorial caught my attention with her discussion on neighborhood associations and deed restrictions. The tutorial offers first-time buyers a sensible and interesting mix of things to look at when purchasing a house. As real estate investors planning to buy houses to resell, you need to think like your buyer too.

Neighborhoods Have Rules: Some are Written Down

First, she tells first-time home buyers that different neighborhoods have different characteristics and that you want to pick one that is “the closest fit to your lifestyle and personality.” One of the items she recommends first-time buyers think about is whether there are restrictive covenants in the neighborhood. I hope as I write this that you will not be able to tell whether I am a free-wheeling renegade or a neatnik appreciative of boundaries and rules. Here goes.

Neighborhood associations can be a friend or a nemesis to your buyer. They can impose maintenance requirements on the home owner or forbid certain adornments. As Ms. Fontinelle says, “You might not be able to leave trash cans out past a certain hour on trash day, paint your house blue, or let your grass grow too tall.”

Get the Whole Story

Facts and statistics about the neighborhood are available on real estate websites, but to get the whole story, you may need to talk to the current residents, walk the neighborhood, and visit local Facebook groups. Once you have found out about the neighborhood, ask yourself, who do I think is going to buy this house I am investing in. You need to use your imagination because your buyer may be very different from yourself and have different tastes. Can you picture them and sell a house to them with genuine enthusiasm?

Backyard Chickens and Pit Bulls

When you look at the property you are about to invest in do you picture a buyer who is a bit of an urban farmer who likes freedom and won’t mind a community garden next door and may want to raise backyard chickens, walk a pit bull on a leash, and grow wheat in their front yard?

Are you finding that the neighborhood is so exclusive and restrictive that you are having trouble imagining who would want to live there? As Ms. Fontinelle reminds us, many people appreciate the restrictions and like the tidier appearance that may boost property values.” Others she says, “Find them obnoxious.” Here are a few things to consider:

Are sheds and outbuildings forbidden?

Are you allowed to pasture a cow or a horse?

Are the yards meticulously manicured?

Do the neighbors have extensive gardens?

Is curb appeal a big deal or do the neighbors find the house with a big garden intimidating?

Are pets allowed?

Resales and Loan Request: Why it Matters

As the fix-n-flip investor, these restrictions matter to you in two ways: (1) will you be able to sell the house eventually, and (2) how will these restrictions impact my project’s expenses and loan request?

Let me know if you have found any deals this month that you know you can turn around and resell with enthusiasm. I hope that I can be of help to you this month.

I can be reached at
Patrick@REICapital.cash
512-213-2271
Austin, Texas

References:
Investopedia.com How to Buy Your First Home: A Step-by-Step tutorial. Amy Fontinelle

 

Thinking Like Your Buyer: Roads

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Real Estate and Roads

As a real estate investor, contemplating houses to buy and remodel, or to fix-n-flip, you need to think like the house buyer you hope to sell to eventually. But, you want to do this before you buy an investment property to protect your profits from the fatal sink holes that can literally eat up all of your investment dollars and leave the house you want to sell on the market forever.

Of course, deals come where deals come, and they are not always in the greatest neighborhoods, or at the right time of year, or under ideal conditions.

I was thinking about real estate sales and roads when I found a great tutorial on buying your first home in the online journal Investopedia.com. The tutorial was written by Amy Fontinelle. It offers first-time buyers an interesting mix of things to look at when purchasing a house, they may live in for years.

Ask yourself, who do I think is going to buy this house I am investing in. If you cannot picture anyone, or the bird is so rare you haven’t seen one like it lately, you might want to walk away from the deal.

Picture Your Buyers

When you think about your buyer, do you think of someone who was last seen in a truck that looked like chocolate, mud from roof to wheels, because they like off-road racing?  Even if they do like to race on the dirt hills, do they want to travel over them several weeks of every year to get to work?

Do you think your buyer will likely be a young working professional who will want to arrive at work quickly, with a clean car and a clean coat?

Do you think your buyer drives a car with heavy duty tires that can take the wear and tear of a gravel road?  Will they be driving a 4-wheel drive with high clearance? Or, will they be driving a small vehicle with two-wheel drive and low clearance.

Mud on the Running Boards

No matter who you are picturing, always consider the quality of the roads or your buyer is likely to be in a conversation like the one I heard this week.

“The boss here,” says a man, nodding his head at his wife who is seated at the same table, “is the one who made me pick a house on the black top.”

“Ah, I wish, I had thought that out,” says their friend shrugging into his coat as he signs his bill that is laid out on the table next to them. “Have you seen all those gravel trucks going by lately.”

“I’ve been replacing a lot of wheels lately,” snickers the local car mechanic leaning out of a nearby booth to join in the conversation while his family snacks on nachos before dinner.

As she swings by with a loaded tray, the waitress adds, “I had to back up and leave my car at home today because I could not make it over a washed-out part of the road. I’m glad I did, or I’d be in your repair shop right now.”

“I had to catch a ride with my neighbor who drives a jeep,” she finishes.

Washboards and Potholes

You may not often find yourself in small towns on the edge of  open country, but even in the city, roads are very important and in the Spring the potholes can easily eat axles and wheel rims. Take a good look at the roads yourself and ask yourself, are the ditches and gutters cleaned out, does the water pool on the crown, are there washboards and pot holes that have just been covered with gravel or tar and not cut out. Is the road gravel?

Talk to the neighbors. A good question to ask is “Was the road passable in the Spring?” “In the winter is this hill icy?” “Has anyone you know of ever slid down this driveway into that creek?”

The house buying advisors tell house buyers that they need to pick a neighborhood that is the closest fit to your lifestyle and personality. Their list of things to consider is quite extensive, and it definitely includes the quality of the roads.

Although I just heard about some quirky houses that sold to quirky buyers who thought they were “cool,” I’d say if the house is on 13th street, next to a railroad, a sink hole, and a cemetery, was once owned by a mass murderer, and for sale cheap you want to walk away. Be careful with your money. IMG_00003829

Let me know if you have found any deals this month that you cannot walk away from. I hope that I can be of help to you this month.

I can be reached at
Patrick@REICapital.cash
512-213-2271
Austin, Texas

References:
Investopedia.com How to Buy Your First Home: A Step-by-Step tutorial. Amy Fontinelle

 

Monumental News

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Investors Lending Source (ILS) is changing its name to REI Capital Resources. And, I am proud to announce that I am now a direct hard money lender.

Why This matter?

REI Capital Resources works closely with its clients to determine the best path to take for an investment project that needs funding. As a lender originating loans myself, I have more and improved funding solutions at my fingertips.

We continue to offer private funds and now hard money Fix-n-Flip, Fix-to-Rent, and Refinance with Rehab loans. We have added a NEW 30-year long-term rental mortgage with 3- & 5-year interest-only options!

REI Capital Resources has funding sources for commercial projects as well as non-standard real estate projects such as church financing and oil & gas royalty programs, long-term rental financing for investors in the single-family residential market, and short-term financing for vacation or AirBnB lending.

What Has Not Changed?

Myself. My management. My focus. I am still focused on funding your success and I have more tools to work with. ILS built its reputation on finding private funding for investors for quick turn purchases and difficult situations. This is still true for REI Capital Resources.

Contact me

Patrick@REICapital.cash

http://www.REICapitalResources.cash

512-213-2271

 

How to Use a Hard Money Loan to Get Your Real Estate Property Ready to Sell

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How Much Money Do You Need?

There are some basic things you need to know before you can get a hard money loan. First, you need to know how much you need to borrow and how much collateral you have. You begin by finding out how much your real property (house or apartment complex) is worth as is.1 Note the words “as is.” You can get this information from a real estate appraiser. Then you ask them to make a second estimate about how much more the property will be worth if obvious repairs are made.

IMG_00003652Next, get a remodeling contractor to give you a bid on the repairs and a plan or time frame the repairs will take. You might want to get several bids and choose the one that looks best to you.

How Much Collateral Do You Have?

Second, find out how much you owe on the property. The difference between the amount you owe and the appraised value of the property is your equity. It is the equity that will determine how much the lender will lend you.2 Compare the amount of the cost of the repairs to your equity after the repair is make. If your equity is larger than the repairs, you might be able to make a profit after paying off the loan.

IMG_00003655

The amount of money you need to borrow is the amount the repairs will cost plus a cushion of maybe 15 percent. The amount of collateral you can offer the lender is the equity in the real property. If the equity value of the real property is larger than the amount it will take to fix the property up, you have collateral to get a hard money loan.

Who Are the Lenders?

Hard money loans are typically issued by private investors (individuals or groups) lending their own money to borrowers with real property. The real property is their protection for making the loan and will be taken if the loan is not repaid. The primary basis for making a hard money loan is the liquidation value of the collateral backing the note.3  While the bank on the street corner will check basically everything before issuing a loan, including your credit scores, your income, the stability of your income, any missed payments, the amount of outstanding credit you have, and how the internal revenue service feels about you, the hard money lender will be are more interested in the value of your collateral than in your credit history. The hard money lender will determine the value of the property by getting an independent appraisal.

How Much Will It Cost Me?

Interest rates on a hard money loan will start at about 7.7 percent.1 The rate will depend on several things, including the liquidity of the asset. If the house you are repairing is in a bad neighborhood, it might be hard to sell even after it is remodeled and thus the interest rate on the loan will be higher. Broker fees also apply if a broker helped you find the funding source.

IMG_00003705_edit

The broker offers personal service to the borrower and administrative service to the lender. They give advice, do the paperwork, and make the phone calls involved in the transaction. They will also have the day-to-day experience and contacts to find the best rates for you. They then pass on the completed application to the lender.

Summary

In summary, if you are in a bad credit situation, have equity in real property you own, anticipate a project that will not take too long, and need money quickly, the hard money loan is probably for you.

If you find a deal, give me a call for a quick closing fix-n-flip rehabilitation loan. You can e-mail too.

Patrick@InvestorsLendingSource.com

Austin, Texas

512-213-2271

References

1. Hard Money Loans: A Complete Guide. California Hard Money Direct. Available at https://californiahardmoneydirect.net/2017/04/21/hard-money-loans-guide/. Retrieved November 2018.

2. Justine Pritchard, Hard Money Basics, How Hard Money Loans Work. Available online at https://www.thebalance.com/hard-money-basics-315413. Updated October 31, 2018. Accessed November 2018.

3. Wikipedia. Hard Money Loan. Available online at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_money_loan/. Accessed November 16, 2018.

 

 

 

4 Most Common Mistakes that Slow Down the Loan Process

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Getting a property financed can be an overwhelming process. Sometimes borrowers don’t recognize the bumps in the road that will derail their project plans and loan schedule. Here is a list to help you see and remember the small, but important, details involved in getting a loan. These are the most common time sucking land mines that drag the loan process out (or even cause disqualification) along with tips to avoid them.

  1. Scheduling & Anticipating the Appraisal

Loans officially start when they are put into processing, which does not happen until appraisal reports are turned in or the application fee is paid. A loan will be delayed if there is an issue getting the appraisal. Sometimes a borrower will schedule an appraisal when the property is not available or repairs/rehab are incomplete. For example, someone may live in or on the property and will not allow the appraiser access to the property. The loan will be delayed if this happens. If the appraiser arrives and finds the home in the midst of rehab, the loan will also be delayed.

Another bump in the road related to the appraisal occurs when the value of the property is based on too little research. This usually leads to an inflated initial value. If the appraisal comes in lower than what the borrower expected, this will delay the loan process and can even halt it altogether.

Key: Be ready, careful, and deliberate about scheduling the appraisal. Coordinate with the current occupants and your contractor.

Key: Be really accurate from the start about the value of the property.

  1. Documentation

Procrastination, my favorite strategy, does not help when it comes to loan documentation; like taxes and even more than hearing protection, documentation is required. It is a terrible idea to wait to start gathering the documents necessary to move the loan process along until the appraisal comes in. Start by making a list of the documents you need as soon as you come up with your project and begin immediately, while the idea is hot, to gather them and check them off your list. Your goal is to have them ready as soon as your loan goes into processing.

Key: Gather the necessary documents when your idea is hot.

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  1. Hazard: Wrong Policy Type or Amount

You might not think of hazard insurance in connection with your loan but obtaining hazard insurance is a very important component to securing a loan. Carefully study the types of coverage available and don’t just buy a policy to say you have it. Buy hazard insurance that covers 100% of the replacement cost of the property and calculate the premium carefully. Often the wrong type or amount of coverage is purchased, which will not only slow the loan down but can also potentially change your loan parameters (up to and including disqualification).

Key: Know your numbers. Buy hazard insurance that covers 100% of the replacement cost of your property

  1. Title Clouds

Liens, judgments, delinquent taxes, and mortgage releases are all common things that show up on a title. These things take time to clean up and drag the loan process out. Be sure to check your title for these attachments before you start your loan. If you have any clouds on the title, you’ll want to clean them up asap to keep your loan on schedule.

Key: Start early, Clean up the title ASAP.

Patience may be a virtue, but it is one that is often tested when you are eager to close a loan and get on with your project. To save your dream and your nerves, follow these tips: coordinate the appraisal, be accurate on the value, gather the necessary documents, buy the right insurance, and clean up that title.

I would be pleased to give you a hand, and I have funds available for lending.

Patrick@InvestorsLendingSource.com

512-213-2271

Austin, Texas

 

Photo credit: Niklas Bildhauer CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

Beautiful Fort Worth House in the News

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The home of LeAnn Behrens and David Montague in Fort Worth’s Park Hill neighborhood appears in the Wall Street Journal (wsj) three times, in film, in article, and in photos. I enjoyed all three mediums. The film was made by Rob Alcaraz. The article written by Alina Dizik, and the photos taken by Casey Woods Maddeaux.

Rebuilding After a Fire

David and LeeAnn completed their home in 2017 to replace the one that was lost in a fire when the fire in an outside grill on the deck spread to the house. This house is on the site of the old house. Out of this tragedy, the couple started from a clean slate, with the help of architect Michael Bennett, to build a home where they could display their collections and live and entertain.

A Video Tour

In the video, David leads viewers on a tour of the home from the front door with a welcoming, “Hello I’m David, welcome to our house,” as he opens the front door. The house he describes as a perfect combination for them, combines living areas, art galleries, a library, and museum in 6,000 square feet with 4 bathrooms and plenty of areas to entertain in.

David shows viewers some of the artwork displayed in the house, his collection of books, and some of the building techniques they used on the back deck, like the burned wood siding, a technique he says is from Japan. The burned wood is proper because it reminds them that the original house that stood there burned down. Also, inspired by their survival of the file are the designed-in multiple decks and multiple ways to get out of the house.

exemple_shou-sugi-ban.jpg

“It Makes Sense to Us”

The art and books are all things David and LeeAnn like and have purchased. “It makes sense to us, even if it may not to anyone else,” says David when pointing out some of the art that is paired with one another in the living room. The central gallery space includes more than 20 masks and two Day of the Dead-themed portraits by multimedia artist Dolan Geiman along with a commanding bird sculpture from Africa. Photos of the house can be found at
https://www.wsj.com/articles/a-fort-worth-home-built-around-a-couples-collections/

4,000 Books

Did I mention already that David Montague collects books? His collection of 4,000 books had to be rebuilt from scratch after the fire. The two-story library in his new home includes a fire place with a white plaster representation of the Continental Divide by a local artist and comfortable places to read. In the film tour, David explains that he is collecting some of the original works about the fur trade written by the original mountain men and how that inspired the Continental Divide plaster relief that extends from the first floor of the library to the second floor.

Some of the other interesting features of the house are glass walkways in the upper floor to foster a sense of connections throughout the home, a second-floor coffee bar outside the couple’s master bedroom that opens up to a second floor living room that overlooks the pool in the backyard.

A Red Stove & Day of the Dead Portraits

The pieces that really caught my eye were the red Bertazonni range that gives color to the modern grey-toned kitchen, the 4,000 books (did I say that already?), the two Day of the Dead portraits in the entry hall, and the African Ship sculpture in the living room that is just calling out to be touched.

Okay to Touch

The home does not have a “no touch” policy according to David like a museum would. David says that the art is “pretty much indestructible—they were built for a tribal setting.” As a tactile explorer myself, I am happy to hear that.

Take a look at this beautiful Texas home on the media you like best, or like me, watch, read, and view all three.

This rebuild was way more radical than a standard fix-n-flip, but don’t forget that you too can make a comfortable beautiful home out of a house, one that will hold and display your or your buyer’s treasures. I’m always on the look out for ways to make a fix and flip house stand out.

Let me know if I can be of help to you this month. I can be reached at

Patrick@InvestorsLendingSource.com

512-213-2271

Austin, Texas

 

References:

Dizik, Alina, 2019, A Texas Home That’s Part Library, Part Gallery, wsj

Maddeaux, Casy Woods, 2019, A Fort Worth home Built Around a Couple’s Collections, wsj photo article.

Alcaraz, Rob, 2019, A Home Built to Be a Live-In Museum and Expansive library, wsj video

Photo credit: Caroistda [CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)%5D