We are in the final stages of renovating a nice brick house. This home is on a cul-de-sac in a nice, established neighborhood in our city. I just wanted to pause and extol the virtues of this booth and many like it that we fix and sell.

Now get your minds out of the gutter: I’m singing the praises of the humble housecat and its fanatical owners and supporters everywhere.

I’m sure many of you have seen “Flip this House” and the glamor of buying and selling houses for a big profit. It’s what I do every day, but I want to tell you the rest of the story…

The owners of “Cathouse” had seven cats and three dogs and let them run the house. The litter box was a couple of piles of urine soaked towels on the floor. They were covered in old and new cat and dog droppings. The occupants moved out leaving us with enough stuff (trash) to fill three huge 20 yard construction dumpsters. We made everything from beds and bedding to sofas, a TV, and books. We also sweep and vacuum enough pet hair to fill a couple of garbage bags.

The house was in reasonably good condition inside (no major repairs), except for cat hair and the ever-present odor of cat urine. One of the things that television probably won’t tell you is that one of the main reasons to buy a cheap house is that the owners have let their pets ruin it on the inside.

People who will live in this kind of mess often have financial problems and then cannot afford to fix up the property and put it up for sale. When I walk into a prospective seller’s home and the stench of pets hits me, I know I’ll probably buy this home for 50-60% of its potential market value. In the case of the current cathouse, I calculated a low to medium finished market value and then offered 70% because no major repairs were needed.

Here’s the anatomy of the deal.

Finished value of the 1600 sf. ft house – $96,000 to $104,000.

My offer – accepted at $67,000.

Bank loan based on work to be done – $76,800.

We received funding for the renovation of $9800 at closing.

Renovation Needed – Exterior (house and garage) painted, soffits repaired, and some wood replaced. The roof was re-tiled; we spent 3 days cutting down trees and brush. Replaced front door light and light over stove. We installed new carpet in the living room. We mop the floors with soap twice, vinegar once, and bleach water once. We then professionally clean the house. It was at this point that we finally got rid of the pet odor. The entire interior of the house was repainted in antique white. The wooden floors have been sanded and stained and are waiting to be refinished. The large deck at the rear of the house had some bad wood, which has been replaced and will be painted as soon as the weather permits.

We also replaced the overhead garage door with a new steel one. The final piece of the puzzle is to install four foundation piers to stabilize the south end of the house in two places. One is inside and I’ll continue working on the rest when it stops raining.

Total renovation costs will be approximately $13,000, primarily for labor. The materials on this project cost around $3000.

The house will be listed for sale shortly at a price of $99,700. The sale creates a potential profit of almost $20,000.

The morals of the Cathouse??? – Pets in the house = profit in Steve and Jodi’s pocket.

Now, before you get a bunch of hate mail, let me say that I have nothing against pets. We have a dog and have had cats, chickens, guineas and even raised a couple of pigs. People who potty train their pets or let them live outside will not have a problem with pet odor.

There are some characteristics common to many houses that we buy from individuals. Here are a few:

Pet Smell: Owners are pet lovers who have let pets rule the house and bathroom anywhere and everywhere. Eventually, their noses become immune to the stench.

Coins and Change Everywhere: The same type of people who have no regard for their home and their possessions often have no regard for coins. It is not uncommon to pick up $2-$3 worth of pennies and coins left on the floor. We often find jars of change or pennies. The old saying watch out for your P (cents) and Q (twenty-five cents) and his dollars will take care of themselves is very true today. There is a reason these people are selling a house at 65% of its market value.

Lots of cleaning products and candles: The house is filthy and there is almost always a lot of cleaning products. We ship hundreds of dollars worth of household cleaner products from these locations.

Long live the humble domestic cat!