Dressers on the Brain

I always get these grand plans for how much I will get accomplished in between flips, yet it always ends up that I play catch-up, organize, clean, then wonder where all my time went for DIY or home projects.  I won't bore you with my to do list- mainly because looking at it will stress me out.  Vacations are great, but I'm pretty sure to do lists double when they see "vacation" on the calendar. I'm lucky enough to have a Hubby who works for a big travel company.  Wine tour through Bordeaux?  Ok, if you insist.  The only bad part is that I'm scrambling to get stuff set before we leave.  I would rather not be trying to buy one house and sell another with limited wifi 3500 miles away.  I can't be the only one that finds the lead up to a vacation very stressful.  Assuming I don't drive myself completely crazy in the next few days, next week posts might be looking a bit more European and influenced by wine.

As you can probably guess by the post's title, in addition to scrambling for vacation, I've got dressers on the brain.  In the midst of buying and selling houses, I'm also apparently buying and selling dressers.  I feel like the Oprah of dressers- You get a dresser, you get a dresser, YOU get a dresser!  Everybody gets a dresser!

Ok, maybe not everybody... just Hubby and Me, whoever buys our old dresser on craigslist, and our future niece.

This large black dresser that matches the entire bedroom set is on it's way out- fast.  After having it on craigslist for only a few hours, a buyer has checked it out and given me 1/2 the money until he can come back tomorrow and move it.  Why am I selling it??  If you follow me on social media, you may have an inkling.

A week and a half ago I picked up this guy for a whopping $60.  I love estate sales.  Since it was the second day, everything was 50% off, making this $75.  Still a deal at $75, but I ALWAYS ask if they can do any better and BAM $60.  Aside from one broken pull, this dresser is in amazing condition.  Like better-than-the-condition-of-the-dresser-that-I'm-replacing-and-50-years-older amazing condition.  Luckily I noticed the broken pull before taking it home and asked if the sellers minded me taking an unbroken one from the unsold matching night stand.  You don't get what you don't ask for!  So for a week and a half, although the drawers have made it up the stairs, this has been the view from the couch in the living room.

These are the times where a garage would come in really handy.  The new dresser doesn't fit in the bedroom until we clear out the old one.  Tomorrow, pretty new dresser.  Tomorrow! I can't wait.  This dresser's so much prettier in person.  The cat's agree.

Gratuitous cat shot? sure, but just take a gander at that dresser leg and the faceted detail!

I'm also heading out this afternoon to go and pick up a dresser for my future niece.  After Monday's post, I decided on one of the 3 options:

The shape mesmerizes me.  It'll be fun and girly without being cutesy or too girly.  Fingers crossed that it only needs a new paint job!

After this week, I think I'm going to put an embargo on moving any more dressers.

CL Mission: Dresser

I had been afraid it would take us a while to find our next flip since the summer real estate market is pretty hot, but apparently that was an unfound fear.  I'll share all the details Friday, but this one'll be a totally different type of project and I'm super excited! Another project I'm super excited about is designing my soon-to-be-neice's room!  Cutest Nephew Ever is going to be a big brother right around Halloween and it's Auntie Karen's job to make sure she has a beautiful room to come home to.  It's not a very spacious room, so a big part of the design is the dresser/changing table.  If you've been around here long enough to remember my nephew's nursery you may recall that I refinished 2 mid-century pieces for him (2 years later they're still going strong!)

The crib and the rocker will be making their way into my niece's room, but that's all she has currently!  Her room will be directly across the hall from my nephew's and will practically mirror his lay-out wise.  Lucky for her, though, it's just a smidge bigger, so I'll be able to fit a full-size dresser/changing table.  The craigslist hunt is ON!

Since the rest of the room has yet to be designed, I'm open to any style of dresser that I can get a good deal on.  As you might be able to guess, I'm partial to antique.  I've got my head stuck on painting a piece gray and white which will compliment the soon-to-be sunny yellow walls perfectly, but if I find a piece in the right condition stained, that plan could certainly be revised.

This first dresser would look delightful painted, but I have a feeling it's just a bit too large for the room.

This next one caught my eye.  I can't quite tell how damaged it is, but I am intrigued for $50.  This one might be a partial-paint to cover blemishes, but that graining is just so pretty!  Another thing about this one is that I can't tell the age.  If it's newer, it might not have the best construction and not be worth refinishing, but if it is antique I'll bet it's solid as a rock.  With an e-mail out to the seller, we shall see.

I love the shape of this one.  It has a fresh coat of black which looks nice but would be WAY too dark for the room.  The good news here is that it's already painted so I wouldn't have to worry about ruining beautiful wood!

I'm also keeping my eye out for a more mid-century piece.  Might be nice for it to relate to her brother's room a bit?  It'll all come down to finding something in solid condition at the right price (aka cheap).  Which one would you pick?

Flip Potentials

It's Friday and I don't have a flip progress update to share.  I don't know what to do with myself!  Hopefully you saw the big Grover news hidden in Wednesday's DIY post- WE ACCEPTED AN OFFER!  YAY!  And the big cherry on top of this week is that we're closing on Frankie today.  Finally feeling like a professional flipper! So on to finding #4!  We didn't have the next lined up yet since Frankie was still lingering.  There's only so many mortgages we can handle at once and it turns out that 3 is our limit (counting the house that we actually live in).  BUT with Frankie closing today, the flip hunt begins!!!  I'm actually headed out this AM with our realtor to check out the potential.

The current short sale front-runner I've already checked out and we've already put in a lowball offer that was rejected, so I'll be meeting with my contractor, analyzing the numbers and putting in another offer.  Me likes this one.  But it does have one gigantic red flag- basement fire damage from 50+ years ago.  You know what that translates to?  50+ years of structural damage.  Yay!  or not.  BUT if the price is right here, he could be a gem.  This one's all about location location location- less than a mile from our own humble abode in a very desirable neighborhood.  The listing photos almost hide the fact that the kitchen's a complete gut and the entire dining room is experiencing a fun-house tilt (just look at the built-in's drawer for illustration).

I'm off to see quite a few today, and according to the listing pictures, this should be interesting.  I'll be looking at (not all in one house thankfully)

PINK trim

paneling paradise

charming and not at all dated wallpaper/carpet pairings

and bathrooms straight out of the spa

My sledgehammer is just itching with anticipation.  Fingers crossed that we find one that the numbers make sense on!  With Grover's success, I'm excited to jump into the next!