Curveballs Almost Took Out This Client’s Dream Home Renovation

A few years back, I helped Jenny and Pat McGuinness get through the thorny process of buying a Mid-Century Modern diva that required a total renovation, and sell their Lakeview cottage that was suddenly too small for their growing family.

The story starts post-Hurricane Katrina, when Jenny was single and rebuilding her home in Lakeview. She’d always adored Mid-Century Modern architecture, but felt obligated to recreate what was there before Katrina. I helped her sell the downtown condo she lived in while rebuilding, and she moved into her new home that was perfectly suited for one. A few years later, she added a husband to the mix, as well as two stepchildren. And on the heels of that, two more children, two dogs, and all the strollers, bikes, swing sets and toys that accompany them. Soon enough, that cute Lakeview cottage couldn’t handle the crazy, busy life of a family that big. They loved the house, but it wasn’t right for them anymore.

Knowing that Jenny was still secretly enamored with Mid-Century Modern homes, I found one at the Lakefront before it hit the market and had Jenny check it out. Built in 1961 by Saputo & Rowe, the house was untouched and hadn’t been updated at all. After seeing it, she told Pat, “It’s a HUGE project, but somebody’s going to make it really cool.” Pat was intrigued and went to see it for himself. They were attracted to the idea of what it could be, but the price was high and they had trouble getting past the “we’re not even house-shopping yet” mentality. They decided not to pursue it, but I kept running into Jenny at restaurants and Saints games, and each time, we’d talk about the house – and I think Jenny took that as a sign. I suggested that they make an offer at a price that worked for them, and fortunately, after a little back and forth, their offer was accepted.

From roof damage to complicated A/C issues, there were so many problems and eccentricities found during the inspection process, that I sourced all the experts they needed to assess the situation as best as possible. From a contractor, an architect, and a roofing guy, to a brick guy and someone who specializes in the particular kind of windows the house featured – all consulted and offered valuable insight. Unfortunately, it was going to take a considerable amount of money to fix all the house’s issues. As Jenny reflects back on it now, “We wondered, is this even going to work? Will the structure of the house actually let us do what we want to do? It was nerve racking, but we got as much good information as we could without actually owning the house.” They decided to ask the seller for an allowance to cover the problems, but they were turned down. Dejected, but with my urging, Jenny wrote a sincere letter to the seller explaining they just couldn’t make it work at their original offer price. The next morning, the seller had a change of heart and accepted their lower price. “We had let the house go again, and it came back to us. Again.”

In order to live in their current house while renovating the other, they carried two mortgages and efficiently renovated the new house from top to bottom in less than five months. When it was close to being finished, I listed and sold their Lakeview cottage, and they moved into their dream home. There were hiccups along the way, but I appreciate that Jenny had this to say:

“Whatever curveball came up, Tracey always figured out a way to get around it. She and I had so many conversations about every little thing. I was anxious about the whole process, but she’s calm, assertive, direct and quick to act. She never lets anything sit. She expertly helped us navigate this complicated purchase that involved several hurdles, as well as the sale of our own home, which also had some challenges. She’s extremely responsive and always puts the interests of her clients above her own.”

Jenny continues, “I think people sometimes don’t realize when you’re buying and selling real estate that there are challenges that come up, that you really need someone experienced to help you navigate them. If you don’t, you’re either going to make a mistake, or a deal is going to fall through because you don’t know how to get past it. The purchase of this house should have fallen through like 10 times!”

And of course, I did everything I could to make sure it didn’t.

Jenny and Pat did an amazing job on their renovation, staying true to the original style while making it their own. Check out the photos below – before, during and after their renovation!

Before:

During:

After: