Project Spotlight
Our project spotlight page provides us with an opportunity to showcase some of the excellent work that we've done with customers over the past year. We invite you to take the opportunity to browse some of the impressive and awe-inspiring projects that we've been a part of recently.
JOE AND LORI LOPEZ
Building on a Foundation of Faith and Family
Spring 2022
Realtor Partner Spotlight
Lopez Team Building
Lopez Team
How Joe and Lori Lopez Work to Make The Lopez Team at EXIT Realty Crutcher your Realtors of Choice
How did EXIT Realty International grow to become one of the 10 largest realty companies in America? Well, if you’re real estate agents Joe and Lori Lopez, the answer is simple.
Build your business on faith and family – one client at a time.
On Family
“Our Team services a very large area, including Louisville and all the surrounding counties as well as Southern Indiana,” said Joe Lopez, Lopez Team member and Director of Growth at EXIT Realty Crutcher. “It’s a blessing to get to meet so many people through our work. We love what we do.”
“This business is about relationships,” said Lori. “Once you buy or sell a home with us, you become part of our family.”
EXIT Realty Crutcher and The Lopez Team are family oriented in more ways than one. Joe and Lori enjoy the fact that both their daughters, Amanda and Emily, as well as their nephew Aaron, are members of The Lopez Team. Joe and Lori make it a priority to pour into their team regularly, through weekly meetings, regular team building outings and annual retreats to reflect on the team’s WHY, discuss their goals, and focus on the team’s mission.
Joe and Lori have also set very specific goals they hope to achieve each year through their work at EXIT Realty Crutcher. “One of our goal numbers is 110 – that’s the number of families we hope to serve in the coming year,” said Joe. “It feels good to help folks get into a new home.”
Another goal of The Lopez Team is to promote local businesses and charities through partnerships and co-marketing opportunities on social media outlets such as Facebook. “Our team has partnered with Orphan Care Alliance (OCA), and we are going to be highlighting their work helping families impacted by adoption and foster care in Kentucky and Southern Indiana,” said Joe. “In addition to giving a portion of our sales to OCA, we are looking for ways we can participate in their ministry to children and families.”
The Lopez journey with EXIT Realty Crutcher began in 2014, when Lori obtained her real estate license and began working for the Brokerage. In March of 2018, both Joe and daughter Amanda obtained their real estate licenses and joined Lori at EXIT. Emily and Aaron joined in 2020, and in the past 2 years, The Lopez Team has proudly helped over 150 families find their new home. This volume in sales has helped The Lopez Team obtain several distinctions within the company, including achieving the “Gold Team” designation (based on gross sales) and being ranked 4th in the “Super Region” of Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.
Prior to working in real estate, both Joe and Lori were physical therapists. They met at Frazier Rehab, where Lori was a supervisor while Joe was volunteering to get hours needed for his PT license. The couple will be celebrating their 29th wedding anniversary in 2022.
On Faith
Joe and Lori’s commitment to Christ is at the core of how they conduct business. In addition to giving back to the community through charity support, they have also served in various ministries at their local church, St. Bernard. Joe was commissioned a Stephen Minister and Stephen Leader, and both Joe and Lori have worked in the Foccus Ministry, which helps engaged couples prepare for marriage. Both Joe and Lori have been involved in leading and serving on Koinonia retreats, which allow parishioners to get away, take a break from the world, and focus on their walk with God.
It was on a Koinonia retreat that Joe and Lori met Keith Jones, who was manager of Carpet Mart at the time. “Keith was truly an amazing, one-of-a-kind person,” said Joe. “He was always trying to bless others he came in contact with. We found that Carpet Mart values really aligned with ours, so we began recommending Carpet Mart to every client we had that needed flooring,” said Joe. “They carpeted our home as well. We would not do any flooring without Carpet Mart.”
If you’d like help finding or selling a home, call Joe at (502)727-9298 or Lori at (502)727-9296. Real Estate is what they do. Families are why they do it.
Trevor Searcy
Four Things Every Property Investor Needs to Remember
Summer 2021
Project Spotlight
Property:
4-Plex Rental Unit in the Moreland Neighborhood
Renovations:
$60,000
Product:
New kitchens, bathrooms, flooring in all four units
Selling Price:
$2,800/month for all four units
(all currently rented)
Purchase Price:
$125,000
Timeframe:
24 Months
Trevor Searcy has made a living renting property, investing and renovating properties for resale, and working as a licensed realtor. When asked how he manages to turn a profit in the real estate market, Trevor Searcy doesn’t take much credit. “I’m always looking for advice, I usually don’t give it,” said Trevor. “But there are a few things that make up my business philosophy.”
Number 1: Be Prepared for Anything
If you’d like help selling your property or you are considering property investments and would like some advice, give Trevor Searcy a call at 502-386-8000.
Jack May
Keeping It Real
Fall 2021
Project Spotlight
Property:
1,100 square foot home in Jeffersontown
Product:
New kitchen, lights, knocked out one wall, carpeting and paint throughout home
Purchase Price:
$142,000
Renovations
$20,000
Selling Price:
$190,000
Timeframe:
Between 45-60 days
Before
Dining Room
After
Dining Room
Before
Dining Room
After
Dining Room
When it comes to real estate, Jack May of May Team Realtors has done it all: renting (last year he managed 70 properties), selling (sold 100 homes in 2020), and renovating (remodeled 25 homes last year alone). And, to top it off, he still manages to travel about 12,000 miles a year with wife Cindy of 31 years in their 43-foot Class A Mountaineer motorcoach. So, how does he manage to get so much out of his career and still make time for life?
“I subscribe to the mantra ‘Work hard, play hard,’” said Jack. “I’ve been reading a book entitled The 4-Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris. Life’s too short not to enjoy it with the people you love.”
Jack’s career in real estate actually began in 1992, when his wife became a licensed realtor. He joined her five years later, and they worked as a team at RE/MAX for a little over a decade. In 2008 they decided to start their own business, May Team Realtors. Eventually Jack expanded his activity to include managing rental properties and “flipping” houses.
“I belong to a group called KREIA – the Kentucky Real Estate Investors Association,” said Jack. “We are a group that helps other people get into this business of buying houses, remodeling them and reselling them for profit. People think they can’t do it, but they really can.”
In fact, Jack was so successful, his father John decided to follow suit and began flipping houses as well. He and his wife Joan work together to remodel homes and stage them for new buyers. Last year, John and Joan flipped 7 houses. They are both in their 80s.
“My mom really enjoys helping stage the homes,” said Jack. “She’ll hand-sew curtains for every home they flip. They probably net $5 to $6 thousand more just by paying extra attention to detail.”
“What’s neat about that story is that my dad got me into his line of work – professional photography – years before we ever got into real estate,” said Jack. “I’ve enjoyed seeing them stay active and become so successful at home remodeling.”
A typical home remodel for Jack involves buying homes priced around $100,000; investing $30,000 in renovations like a new kitchen, new bathroom, carpeting and painting; and then reselling the home for around $160,000.
“It’s exciting to see people fight over my homes,” said Jack. “People really like NEW – so the renovations make all the difference. We often get three to six offers on the homes we list.”
Jack credits much of his success to following the leads of others. “I read a lot and attend several seminars,” said Jack. “I found out successful realtors offer free moving trucks, so I was the first in Louisville to offer the use of a free moving van for my customers. Clients sometimes call me 5, 10 years later and ask ‘Hey, you still got that van?’ So it’s been a unique service that I offer.”
Jack manages to do much of his work on the phone, which allows him time for travel. He and his wife Cindy enjoy mountain biking, attending concerts and watching UK football games. “We love to do stuff on a whim,” said Jack. “One time we said, ‘Hey, want to go to New Orleans for the weekend?’ And we did!”
If you’re thinking about buying a new home or need some ideas for remodeling or selling yours, give Jack May a call at 502-419-0817.
Bruce Jones
Getting MORE From Your Home:
Customer Transformation
Summer 2021
Project Spotlight
Property:
1,500 square foot condo
Product:
Laminate flooring, plush carpeting, quartz top vanities, kitchen island, appliances, ceiling fans, paint on all rooms and cabinets, plumbing hardware
Renovations:
$30,000
Before
Dining Room/ Kitchen
After
Dining Room/ Kitchen
Before
Bathroom
After
Bathroom
Ever wish you could transform your home into an “HGTV-style” living space – without spending $100,000 to do it? Bruce Jones proved it possible to make significant lifestyle changes to get the home you want. But it meant thinking about life differently. So, instead of trying to remodel their family home, Bruce and his wife Jill decided to sell the home, purchase a 1,500-square-foot condo and remodel it to meet their needs.
Doing Things Differently
“Sometimes we try to hold on to too much,” said Bruce. “Traditions, the home you raised your family in, and, of course, lots of stuff. We had an opportunity to do something different. Life is about the people you are with, not the home you are in – and we had the opportunity to convey that message to our kids.”
During the pandemic, Bruce and Jill had seven adults living in their home, including Bruce’s brother, a married daughter and her husband, a son who recently graduated college and a daughter just starting college as a freshman. In typical lightning-speed fashion, Bruce and his family managed to sell a 3,500-square-foot-home, purchase one house and three new condos, remodel one of those condos and get everyone moved out and into their new respective digs in about 6 months.
"Our big home was wonderful for the kids growing up, but we did not want to hold on to it for sentimental reasons,” said Bruce. “We wanted to put ourselves in a position to take care of other priorities in life. Buying the condo allows us the freedom to be closer to work and church and to pick up and go whenever we want.”
Of course, moving from a 3,500-square-foot house to a 1,500-square-foot condo meant passing on a lot of “stuff” to others. “My wife kept a small box of toys from each of our kids, but we purged a lot,” said Bruce. “It feels good to pass things on to people who can use it instead of storing it up.”
Investing Where it Makes Sense
Bruce and Jill wanted to make sure the condo would not just meet their need to downsize, but also offer ongoing value to them as well. “We had the mindset of moving into a brand-new condo, so we were willing to make a lot of changes before we moved in. It has helped us enjoy the space so much more.”
In addition to installing new flooring, Bruce and Jill also revamped plumbing, installed an island in the kitchen, covered existing countertops with quartz, replaced dated appliances and ceiling fans, and painted rooms and cabinets throughout the condo.
“There were so many little things we did to modernize the condo and make it our own,” said Bruce. “We really didn’t look at it as spending money, we viewed it as an investment in our property – making it something we would enjoy so much more on a day-to-day basis in addition to raising its overall value.”
Floor-to-Ceiling Design
Bruce spent some time thinking about how they wanted to use the space in their condo before beginning the remodel. “As the owner of a flooring store, my choices were unlimited,” said Bruce. “I’m a huge carpet fan, but my wife insisted on hard surface in most of our home, and she was right. It is gorgeous and easy. We selected a dark Revwood laminate throughout the main areas, including the kitchen and bathrooms. This provided a stunning contrast to the freshly painted white cabinets in those areas. We also installed super plush carpeting in the bedrooms, a fun pattern for the game room, and a custom area rug in the living room. We are thrilled with our entire home.”
If you’d like to learn more about Bruce’s remodel or get some ideas about a remodeling project of your own, give Bruce a call at 502-425-3022.
Brent Shaw
Old Home + New Flooring = Investment Property With (Re)Purpose!
Spring 2021
Project Spotlight
Property:
2,650 square - foot home, including basement
Product:
Combination of Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP), plush carpeting and repurposed original tile in bathroom
Renovations:
$10,000
Before
Dining Room
After
Dining Room
Want to know one of the best ways to take an existing investment property and dramatically increase its value within a matter of days? It starts by working from the ground up. Just ask Brent Shaw of Rick Shaw Realtors. He successfully completed a massive renovation of a rental property on Linn Station Road with the help of Carpet Mart.
“We purchased a 1,650-square foot ranch home with an additional 1,000 square-foot basement that was built in the early ‘80s, but the previous owner had not done much in the way of updates,” said Brent. “The flooring was a mess. We knew we had to get it done quickly and get it done right.”
Using a product called Luxury Vinyl Plank (LVP), Carpet Mart provided a waterproof, durable solution that was ideal for a rental property. “We ended up replacing 90 to 95% of the flooring throughout the house. We used LVP in all the common areas, plush carpet in the bedrooms, and we kept the original tile in one of the bathrooms.”
Brent was especially pleased with how quickly the project came together. “We finished the flooring in about 4 to 5 days, stayed well within our budget for the renovation, and we already have the property rented.”
Brent Shaw knows what it’s like to be part of a family business. His father, Rick Shaw, has been a licensed Realtor for more than 43 years serving the Louisville market. Rick opened Rick Shaw Realtors 25 years ago. Brent has been a licensed Realtor with them for 13 years. He enjoys offering personalized service to customers who want to buy, sell and renovate residential properties. For much of that time, Brent has continued to recommend Carpet Mart for clients who have flooring needs.
“When one of our clients needs help getting a property ready to sell or rent, flooring is often a major factor,” said Brent. “Carpet Mart is really at the top of our vendor list. They’re quick, they get measurements done accurately and efficiently, and they know their product. I personally have recommended Carpet Mart to more than 100 of my clients, and they always take good care of them.”
If you’re looking to renovate or wondering how you can add value to a rental property, give us a call at 502-425-3022. We’ll be happy to come alongside you and recommend the best flooring options to meet your needs.
Hunting for a home? Give Brent Shaw a call at Rick Shaw Realtors at 502-245-0525.
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