Home 2.0 Blog Archive

Monday, February 29, 2016

KITCHEN CRITICAL

The Heart of the Home

Whenever I design a home, one of the first things I focus on is the kitchen and its relationship to the living and dining areas. I am a big believer that it is critical from a social standpoint for the kitchen to have a direct connection to these spaces so that the person preparing a meal or cleaning up afterwards is always able to engage with others in the main living and dining spaces (kitchen counter seating is a nice bonus too). This is something that many older homes in Cincinnati's walkable urban neighborhoods like Pleasant Ridge and Oakley lack, which emphasizes the demand for more Starter Home 2.0 projects in these areas. Below are a couple perspectives from the kitchens of the SH2.0 Pleasant Ridge and Oakley houses that illustrate their immediate relationship to the living and dining areas.

Friday, February 26, 2016

DEED RECEIVED

Oakley Property Sheriff's Deed

Earlier this week, the Deed for the Oakley property arrived in the mail confirming the conveyance and recording of the real estate transfer to recognize me as the official owner of the lot. The legal jargon in the deed with regards to the court case between the Hamilton County Treasurer and the defendant that brought about the tax sale is somewhat confusing and quite different from the language in the Warranty Deed I received when acquiring my first lot in Pleasant Ridge. That said, one key line in the document sums everything up, reading 'The Sale, having been confirmed by the Court on October 13, 2015... do hereby GRANT, SELL, AND CONVEY TO: Michael Benkert all the rights, title and interest of the parties in Court of Common Pleas, Hamilton County, Ohio, Case Number A1404290,' which gives me free and clear ownership of the property unencumbered from any outside parties.

Tuesday, February 23, 2016

BUILDING IN MY OLD BACKYARD

Knowing the Market, Product & Location

One of the keys to successful development projects is understanding the market you are building for, the product you are building, and the location you are building in. As a Millennial building homes for other Millennials, I like to think I have the first two bases covered, and coincidentally, the Starter Home 2.0 Oakley lot is located within 300 feet of the apartment building I lived in for 3+ years from 2012-2015, so it is essentially like building in my old backyard, which is a nice perk for this specific project.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

NEW PROJECT, NEW CHALLENGES

SH2.0 OAKLEY ADJUSTMENTS

While the Starter Home 2.0 Pleasant Ridge project was a critical first step in my Architect as Developer career, the second SH2.0 project is presenting me with a whole new set of challenges that need to be addressed, most of which, are a result of me planning to sell (or rent), the Oakley project, rather than live in it. I'm currently in the process of working through each of these items, so I'll follow-up with more detailed blog posts as they get resolved, but in short, these new challenges include modifications to the following:
  • Project Financing
  • Business Structure (creating an LLC to own the project)
  • Insurance
  • Contracts

Thursday, February 18, 2016

TALKING TAXES

Oakley Tax Sale & Payment

Unlike the Starter Home 2.0 Pleasant Ridge lot that was purchased through a conventional buyer-seller agreement with property taxes being divided and paid through escrow, the SH2.0 Oakley lot was acquired at a Hamilton County Sheriffs' Tax Sale auction where properties that have been forfeited back to the county due to unpaid taxes, are put up for public bid with the opening price being the amount of unpaid taxes owed plus advertising costs. The properties are sold 'as-is' and the sale amount must be paid in full with a cashier's check within 24 hours of the auction.
As I expected with the Oakley lot being in such a prime location, the purchase price ended up being significantly higher than the amount of taxes owed after a bidding war broke out between myself and several other interested buyers. Fortunately, I came away the winning bidder and while the amount was more than what I was hoping to pay originally, it was still significantly lower than what the lot would have sold for on the open market.
That tax sale auction was held on October 1, 2015 (the day after I moved into the SH2.0 Pleasant Ridge house) and it wasn't until February 16, 2016 that everything was processed and I finally received the Sheriffs' Deed for the property. Unfortunately, real estate taxes were due on February 1, 2016 so my first act as the official owner of the lot was to make a call to the Hamilton County Treasurer's office, explain my situation, and work out the payment of the remaining taxes owed for the first half of 2015. The good news is that they agreed to waive the late fee due to the fact I couldn't pay taxes on a property I did not yet have a deed to and I mailed that check out this morning. 
The moral of the story here, which I have learned time and time again in my young development career, is that it is always best to pick-up the phone (or set-up a meeting) and actually talk to someone if there are any important questions that need answering or issues that need to get worked out. Follow-up emails can be sent as needed, but there is no substitution for real human interaction when it comes to getting things resolved.

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

OAKLEY LOT UPDATE

Property Transfer Complete

Yesterday, the Hamilton County's Auditor Site finally updated its records to recognize me as the official owner of the vacant lot I acquired at last October's Sheriff Sale. Below is a screenshot from the Auditor's website with some details as well as a Google Earth image showing the property's location relative to the Historic Oakley Business District. I'll post more details about the new site over the next few days, so stay tuned.


Monday, February 15, 2016

LAZY SUNDAY

Snow Problem? No Problem!

I've said this before, but one of the often overlooked aspects of successful architecture is the design and careful crafting of user experiences. Case and point, providing over-sized windows with framed views to give users the opportunity to relax on the couch while reading a book and watching the snow fall.

Sunday, February 14, 2016

LINKS I LIKE

Website Link Update

I recently re-worked the links on my website, mbenkert.com to better align with sites that compliment the Starter Home 2.0 Project vision. The table is now organized as follows:
  • Row 1: Residential Architecture and Construction Publications
  • Row 2: Urban Infill Architects, Developers, and Builders
  • Row 3: Cincinnati Related Development News
  • Row 4: Architect, Developer and Builder Organizations

Saturday, February 13, 2016

JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES

The Many Hats of Home Builders / Architect-Developers

There is a saying that 'Variety is the Spice of Life' and that is something I have found to be especially true in my own personal and professional life. My hobbies include playing sports, playing instruments, public speaking, volunteering, reading, learning new languages and making things, and I would really struggle to give up any of these pursuits to specialize in another. The same can be said for my professional life as an Architect and Developer, so when I came across this article on Builder Online about the many hats of Home Builders (which I would argue also applies to Architect-Developers), it was a nice validation that I'm in the right line of work. According to the article, Home Builders must be all of the following to effectively win in their marketplace.
Real estate buyers, Land developers, Consumer Marketers and Retailers, Data managers, Materials and labor sourcing experts, Operations managers, Logistics strategists, Technology and automation Managers, Designers, Building scientists, Critical chain project supervisors, Financial managers, Customer care specialists, Economics forecasters, Human relations experts, Environmental scientists, Local politicians, Regulatory experts, Team builders, and Sales representatives
That is quite a lengthy list for sure, but I'm happy to wear whatever hat I need to in order to ensure the successful design, development and construction of buildings that make a positive contribution to the communities in which they are located.

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

VISUAL AID UPGRADE

Starter Home 2.0 Story Video Update


Yesterday I finalized my 2-minute video submission for the 2016 Architecture Business Plan Competition by adding text and images to compliment my verbal description of why I initiated the Starter Home 2.0 project. Below is the finished product.




Monday, February 8, 2016

NEW PERSPECTIVE

Early Rendering Update

In my last blog entry I posted the latest floor plans of the Starter Home 2.0 Oakley project, so here is the matching exterior rendering. There is still a lot of work to be done in terms of applying materials and coordinating the design with the existing site conditions, but I'm pretty happy with where things are at in terms of form and function.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

OAKLEY PLAN DEVELOPMENT

SH2.0 Oakley Floor Plan Update

This weekend I was able to make some significant strides on the development of the floor plans for the Starter Home 2.0 Oakley project, which included an initial furniture layout. Below is a progress print of the 3-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom plan.

Thursday, February 4, 2016

REAL ESTATE ON THE RUN

Lessons Learned from Running Around Town

Outside of architecture and real estate development, one of my favorite pursuits is running marathons with the goal of completing a Spring and Fall marathon every year until my knees give out (which, hopefully, never happens). In the months of training leading up to these 26.2 mile races, I will log hundreds of miles running through numerous Cincinnati neighborhoods, which not only increases my stamina, but betters my understanding of local architecture and real estate as well.
The reason for this is that in running through neighborhoods, you get the chance to experience them more effectively as a collective whole, gaining a feel for how well the homes, storefronts and streets are maintained, as well as how people interact and socialize in different environments, and to what extent the different architectural styles of a community mesh together. It's a great measure for how well buildings and street scapes relate to the human scale, which largely determines whether or not they are comfortable places for people to congregate. 
Maybe this helps explain why 'Running with a Realtor' is a thing now. 

Tuesday, February 2, 2016

THE STARTER HOME 2.0 STORY

Architecture Business Plan Video

One of the submission requirements for registrants in the 2016 Architecture Business Plan Competition is a 2-minute video explaining why you have chosen to start your own business. Below is my video describing why I initiated the Starter Home 2.0 project.