Transforming Tragedy into Opportunity: How We Help Restore Homes with Challenging Histories

Welcome to Flip Happens, the podcast where we dive deep into the realities of home renovations and the stories behind each property. In today's episode, hosts explore various challenging circumstances that can lead homeowners to seek assistance with their properties.

Joined by Lauren, our media expert, and Jennifer, our on-site administrative assistant, we discuss a poignant case involving a hoarding situation that garnered media attention due to the overwhelming challenges faced by the homeowner. We emphasize the delicate balance of sharing these circumstances with potential buyers while maintaining transparency.

The episode also touches on the emotional weight of homes with troubled pasts, from animal hoarding to tragic events, and how we strive to transform these properties into new beginnings for families. We highlight the importance of communication when dealing with sensitive histories, helping families navigate their options while ensuring they feel supported throughout the process.

Listeners will gain insight into the complexities of homeownership and renovation, along with practical advice on managing anxiety and stress associated with challenging home situations. If you or someone you know is facing difficulties with their property, reach out for help.

Join us for this enlightening discussion, and remember: There is freedom in options. Flip Happens dives into the heart of real estate, where every home tells a story and every challenge can lead to a new adventure. Tune in and subscribe for more captivating insights!

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Transcript

Hey everybody, welcome to Flip Happens, where we actually talk about the flip stuff that does happen. Today we're going to talk about some of the circumstances that people have been in that have allowed us to help give people options.



 Specifically, we're going to go over a little bit of some of the things that can happen in these homes that will have another person contact us, sometimes on your behalf or that might ask you to contact us.



 Welcome to Flip Happens. Now today I have Lauren with me. She is my media person, and Jennifer, who is our administrative assistant, she is on site right now at one of the flips we're going to talk about. Natalie has been able to assist another person today with some things that were very concerning for them.



 We made the decision for it to just be Lauren and I so that we could talk to you a little bit about those kinds of circumstances.



 One of those that we're doing is one of our flips right now.



 Lauren, later, you're going to be able to see some of the pictures of some of the houses that we're working on. This particular house has been troublesome for me because I've had to try to make a decision about how much to let people know.



 How much is too much? How much would turn someone off of even buying a house after you find out the circumstances? I know we've had some conversations about that struggle of how much is too much. People want to hear the circumstances. People want to know what's going on. They like these stories,



 but I do get concerned about how do I find that balance in letting people know these stories? No names given, no addresses given. How do I let others know that this is what we do? If you're facing anything like this, this is why you want to contact us or let a loved one contact us.



 I have struggled with that. We have one that's going to be ready in about a month, anywhere from two weeks to a month. It was in the news, the local news. We are considering contacting the news team to do the follow-up story because of the circumstances of this particular house.



 That would be your role to help contact whoever you needed to because of the story.



 I love networking.



 I absolutely love it. It is something that jazz is me to do.



 I think you have been on the receiving end of when I've got done networking and I've talked to someone. I think I talk faster.



 I don't think you talk faster. I think I can talk faster.

 Do you even feel?



 I feel like I have to hold my language back. I have to hold my excitement back.

 You can definitely tell that you're thinking about what you say before you say it. It's just a good skill to have.



 I get jazzed when I do this. This particular person I was able to talk with. He is from a biohazard type of a thing. When I talk to you about how one of the things that we do to help people is literally for the circumstances of the traumatic, the tragedies, the brokenness that can happen in a home that will lead us to having a conversation about you in relationship to your home.



 I got a phone call and this person had to do the biohazard from this home that hit the news.



 The homeowner was just overwhelmed and pretty much over his head with the circumstances going on. This was a hoarding situation. He has expressed this on the news. I'm not sharing anything that he himself hasn't shared. The family members were also there to help and intervene. He was a hoarder. When we think of hoarding, we think of what? Objects.

 Dishes, newspapers.



 Receipts.



 Magazines,



 stacks, boxes of things.



 In this particular case, it was about an animal hoarding.



 We probably heard about the people that have hundreds of cats or dogs. That is animal hoarding.



 In this particular case, it was for long-eared rabbits.



 It was the Humane Society of America, MCAME. Thank you to all those agencies that were able to help this person.



 Highly encourage, if you are having a situation like this, please reach out to any one of these agencies for help.



 His was about 19 years ago. He got his first long-eared bunny.



 It was literally his saving grace for being an alcoholic.



 He had to care-give this rabbit rather than go to the bars and drink. That's what started his sobriety. He realized that saving these rabbits was saving himself. He started on this mission over the course of the years of rescuing these rabbits.



 When the Humane Society and MCAME got involved,



 according to records and family, there was over 120 long-eared rabbits that were needing homes. That's not counting the babies and young adults that also needed to also find homes. They were living in an over 3,000-square-foot home from top to bottom.



 You can imagine what that would look like. No, we are not going to show you pictures. You can always look that up on the news.



 It was a scary situation for him and family members. He totally worked with family to get this resolved.



 When my hazmat person called me, it was because the family didn't know what to do with the home. The home was going to need to be completely renovated. They were already over $100,000 in debt. I'm not going to say the exact amount, but let's just say it was over $100,000 in debt from this home.



 In talking with the family and being able to reach out to this family to really get a handle on what was going on, we were able to help them get their money back and a little bit else. They were able to feel like they got reimbursed for everything they had spent.



 One of the things we make a commitment to is,



 no matter what profit I make, I want the family to make more.



 Our goal has always been to make sure that you make more than I do. This house has needed a complete renovation. There were walls that needed to be taken out, some flooring that needed to be taken out, things that had to be gutted and taken care of because of the circumstances of this home.



 As wonderful of a story that sounds for us to come in and say we were able to help this family,



 I struggle with how do I let the new homeowners know the circumstances of this home.



 Do I tell them these are what they're walking into? Because if I don't tell them, their neighbors are.



 I'd much rather, to some degree, have them hear it from me rather than their neighbors.



 Have you ever struggled with how much information to share or how much and not feel like you are being deceptive?



 I certainly share too much and then I think about it later. It's probably unnecessary, but in this situation, I would want to know because I think if I found out from the neighbors,



 I would just immediately think you were trying to hide something. That's valid.



 I would think that even if you didn't necessarily have the realtor make this commentary every time.



 They don't have to. They said they don't have to disclose. But there could be some kind of, oh, did you know information piece on the kitchen counter? And that way it comes up. They know about it. They don't have to hear about it. Because it could easily turn into a horror story that people just dramatize it.



 Again, like you said, it's on the news. Of course, the address isn't on the news.



 But I think if coming out and a lot of people do also like the before and after story. Everybody loves HGTV and seeing what it was and what it's become. So I think it's a positive story for both the family and for you as well.



 You weren't intimidated and overwhelmed. You were able to just knock off the checklist of what--

 You know, Natalie said too once that this kind of thing has been happening for generations. People have died in homes that people never even knew.

 Yes, yes. And then there's always that curiosity. OK, well, even the house that we live in,



 it was the home of the previous neighbors purchased it for his mother. And so he and his wife and son, they lived next door. And then the mother lived the house that we're living in. So then you're just thinking, OK, well, where-- I know she passed away. Did she pass away? Where did she stand?



 We didn't know until it was clarified later that she did pass. Not that it mattered, but it was just-- OK, why didn't it matter?



 I would still want to be in that home, but I also would like to have known beforehand if it had happened.

 Would it have changed your mind about getting the home, do you think?

 No, but I think it would have been a little uneasy for a little bit.



 But I was glad--



 was saying that I was glad that it was not in the home.



 OK, yeah, so there is that.



 And it's funny, because when people own a home, what--



 I mean, I'm even looking at the home that we live in. And pets are a big deal with a lot of families. I mean, I can't tell you how many times we see somebody out walking their dog. I've never seen anybody walk a cat.



 I walked a bunny. I used to have a bunny, and I walked the bunny.

 So walking the dogs and things like that, what do we do when our pet passes?



 Fish, we tend to just down the little swirly world that goes.



 Whereas with pets, what do we do? We tend to bury them in our backyard. So I sit back and go, I wonder how many pets are buried in my backyard. I'm not going to go dig it up and find out. But that is a common practice. So I don't think I've ever asked the homeowner, are there any pets in the backyard that you've buried? I've never thought about that.

 Yeah, I haven't either.

 And of course, it's good soil and so forth. It does a lot of good things for the-- apparently, for the lawn and stuff. But we all have pets. We all have these things, and we're doing these things with our pets.



 And I am thinking about whether to talk to the news now and say, here's the follow-up story with this. Now, thankfully, the people that are coming into this home already know the story. So they already know. So I'm not sitting back and saying that if they decide to purchase it, they already know the story kind of thing. But if they didn't, I do feel like they should know. But I think it needs to be said that when we are helping someone with the situation of their home, when we are taking a look at what's going on with this tragedy and the things that we have to help them have options for,



 it's kind of like-- I think it's kind of like that puppy that you find abandoned that's in some dumpster and you hear it yelping and crying out for help. And somebody comes along, and they pick up the puppy, and they realize that it needs not just, here you go, you're on your own.



 Oftentimes, it needs either veterinary care. It needs a bath. It needs to be cleaned up. And I can't tell you how many TikTok things I've seen of animals that have had a bath, and they go from what they looked like to this beautiful thing. So they go from this quite injured, tragic looking thing.



 And they take that puppy, they clean it up, they fix it up, they give it the shots, they give it to the people that know what they're doing to take care of the puppy and get it to health. And then they turn that puppy over to an agency that tries to find a new home for it. And then somebody else comes along, and they see that puppy the way it is now.



 Even if they hear the history of what happened with that puppy, it's like it doesn't really matter, because look at what they have now.



 And so, although they want the history, as long as the puppy isn't that way now is what seems to matter. And so what do they do? They take that puppy home. They give it a home. They love on it. And that growth in history for that puppy changes. And I feel like that's what we do with our houses, that we find the tragic home. We try the tragedy. And it's turned over to the right people to clean it up and fix it up and make the changes. We turn it over to people like Natalie to say, let's get this out on the market for another family. And then another family moves in, and they now get to start up brand new history that wasn't there before, but there was an old history. But it's not there now.



 And so I kind of feel like that's what we do.



 And when somebody buys one of our homes,



 because we've had to help like that puppy, we've had to help someone, they become a part of that cycle of helping. So they just bought a home that literally allowed them to be part of a solution, not part of a problem. Sure. And that's what I think we do. But there are horror stories. There are things that will even for me go, do I want to tackle this? For the safety of us, I think I called you the other day. I got a phone call from something that also hit the news, a man who had killed his wife and decapitated her. And they don't want the home.



 They're trying to get rid of that home because of the circumstances. And he is out on bond. And if he was going to do that,



 do I have to think about the safety of everybody else? If we were to have that home, is there a possibility that that could backfire around us?

 Yeah, that's certainly a situation that I wouldn't even-- I wouldn't think about the next steps.



 And when you say that, it--



 yeah, of course. Sure. People, that's-- but

 let's say I did do that home. Let's say I did shake it. And we did change it and so forth. That's still the history that was in that home. How many of the listeners, how many of the people watching this would say, I don't want that home just because of the story? Or how many would say, I don't care because it's like that puppy. It's got a new--



 it's new. It's newer. It's not the same.

 And it's also interesting what story is acceptable and what isn't. That's valid. That's the story of animals overrunning a home versus--



 A murder, a suicide. In the home. So it's what story do you want? And even though you're doing, again, the same remediation process in each of the homes,



 it's not as-- I don't want to say that rabbit story is a light story, but it's certainly-- It's definitely not

 as bad as the-- one I just said. Yes. Yeah. Yes.

 Yeah.

 And you being able to share having a home where somebody may or may not have passed away in it, finding out that that wasn't the case, so that was a little bit of a relief, but that would have been OK.

 Yes. And again, the story is different. This is just an old age passing, not a news--



 Worthy.



 That's been going on for generations. People want to pass away in their own homes. They want to do those things. So I guess the challenge that I think I want to put out there to people, and that I want to say, for our benefit as well as the people that we're trying to help is, can you put aside those--



 I don't know if I want to live in a home where somebody died. I don't know if I want to live at home when-- you name it, fill in the blank.



 Can you put aside that to recognize that you're kind of doing something like bringing a new puppy in? You're doing something where it says you're being part of the solution of these homes. So can you put those things aside and allow yourselves to put your own story in the home? Because now it's yours. It's not the same story. It's not the same history.



 It's totally different. Absolutely. I don't think I would be doing this if I couldn't do it for myself. And having been someone who has been there to help take care of people who are passing,



 because in the mental health field, you come across that. And I did have an opportunity to be a part of someone passing, and be there for the family, and be there for that person, and know that it happened in that home. Absolutely what I say.



 Do it. Yeah.



 The only factors that I think will contribute to saying that a home may not be the place that you go is you have to consider schooling. We're talking about life. How do you consider your life now? Forget the history. Put it on the back burner at least. Just not let that be something that makes you say,



 this is my standard. I will never live in a house. Ever live in a house where somebody died. Well, you probably have and don't even know it.



 I'll never live in a house where they buried animals in the backyard. You probably already do and don't even know it. So to give this all or nothing statement,



 so if you can get past that, and recognize you probably already have or are,



 then really what's the problem?



 That's what we do. We look at people's tragedies, whether it is a suicide, whether it is a murder, whether it is a hoarding situation of both boxes and receipts and things like that, or animals.



 Whether it is anything that maybe it's just a home you don't know what to do with. It's just sitting there. Or maybe it's a home that you know it needs to be sold, but you can't even afford to fix it.



 That's where we come in, because our goal is to make it as profitable for you as possible. And we have a whole team of people to do that, you know, and advertise that and bring that out. So if you want to hear about some of the things we do and you want to continue hearing about our podcasts, and you want to hear about some of these things,



 Lauren has a QR code that she's going to be putting up. And it's probably on your screen as I'm talking. And please tune in to that. You'll not only be able to take a look at some of our podcasts, but you might even be able to want to go further and see what kinds of houses are we doing? What does this look like? What does the experiences that we're having, how is it coming across to you? So follow us, you know, subscribe.



 Thank you. I didn't know that was the word subscribe, you know, and be a part of that for us. And allow us to educate you, to present you with information that will help you in making a decision about what to do with your home.



 If you are facing a tragedy, if you are facing a circumstance and you do need help, remember, sometimes that tragedy, that anxiety that comes with the brokenness in relationship to you in your home,



 sometimes it's hard for you to reach out. But allow a trusted friend, a family member, even a neighbor to contact us. And Lauren will put that phone number up on the screen for you. But for those of you who are listening, the number is 423-827-2418. So again, it's the we of me flips at 423-827-2418. Have them give us a call. Let's see what we can do to give you options because that truly is, there truly is freedom in options.



 And for our next podcast, we're going to be talking a little bit about the anxiety and things that come with home. We're going to talk about the stressors and the burnout that you can feel just in living life and having anxiety. We're all going to talk about what it means to help avoid burnout and some of the ways that you can get back to getting your energy back.



 Thank you for joining us on Flip Happens.



 That's it.



 Do you want to talk about, I assume that there's, is there more time, Justin?



 Do you want to talk about the woman that you got a phone call with her husband passed away?



 The one about the,



 you guys had five of those in the last month. So which one are you referring to?

 So you had a phone call with her and you were- Are you talking with one just recently? Yes, you just recently talked with her. Okay. So maybe- Yeah.

 Um, you know, I don't know. I mean, because I don't want her, let me, yeah, let me just say that. I can add that real quick. And you can figure out how to splice it in. Okay.



 We did get a, I did get a, I had a meeting with a lady who, um,



 in talking over some things, we, uh, she was able to share that her husband had committed suicide and she had to depend on so many people to take care of those circumstances. She had to have Hazmat come in. She had to have, uh, insurance. She had, I mean, there were just so many things that had to fall into line for her to be able to, uh, deal with this situation of, of a spouse. And in the process of talking with her, we talked about based on some of the circumstances she was facing, there were some other options that I don't think she considered and that she didn't know. So in the course of our conversation, being able to share that in a setting where it wasn't, she didn't call, we didn't have a meeting specifically for this. This was just in the communication of talking together. We were able to talk about some options and it was really cool. Cause she said that she exercises grace in talking with people and that grace is such a big part of her life, but she never really thought that for an agency like ours, for us to be able to say there really is freedom in options, that having options really does give you a sense of, uh, peace of mind. And so it was really cool to have that conversation with her and have her be able to just out of the blue for a circumstance that is nothing we need to do anything with just to say, guess what? Did you know this? Did you, did you know you could do it this way? Did you know these were options?

 Well, and just the fact that you're, you're making yourself available to anyone to just give you a call and there's no commitment. You're not requiring.

 That's true. There's no fee for talking about options.

 And you're, you're just available and willing to pass on these resources to people that need them.

 Just comes out of the woodwork, so to speak. Yeah, I agree. I agree. And that was really cool. You're right. That, that, that is another instance of, of a situation that, yeah, I agreed. Thank you.

 Yeah, you're welcome.

 That's a good idea.



 Okay.