My Crush!

When was the last time that you had a crush on someone? It's been a while for me but I have one now! Are you surprised? Are you thinking this blog is getting juicy? Are you worried that Curtis will find out? Are you wondering if he reads my blog? Yes, he does and he already knows about my crush. He's not worried. He knows I love him. He also knows that I have never met this man and most likely I never will. It's a crush from afar. It's also totally innocent. It's not the physical attraction kind of crush. He's not ugly or anything but it's a different kind of crush. It's hard for me to explain but I seriously have a crush on this man! I feel kind of silly about it but none the less, it is real. It all started a couple of seasons ago. I was flipping channels on the television and came across a program on "A & E" called "Flip This House." In season one a camera crew followed around Trademark Properties in Charleston, South Carolina while they bought properties, renovated them and then sold them for a profit....thus the name "Flip This House." The man behind Trademark Properties is Richard C. Davis...a.k.a...my crush. He is founder, president and CEO of Trademark Properties. If you are still with me here, you are probably thinking that he is just another business man. No, he is not. He is a business man with a heart. I know that editing in reality shows can manipulate how someone is presented and perceived but my gut feeling is that he really is a business man with a heart.

First of all, I admire the boss that he is to his team. He himself is a hard worker and gets right in and gets his hands dirty and leads by example. I'm not saying that he does the renovations himself but he has been seen helping get the job done. He also stands behind his people and let them do what he has hired them to do. He lets them think for themselves. If they are headed for a mistake, he councils and guides them and if the mistake still happens, he handles it with respect for his employee's dignity. However, he doesn't come off as an easy boss. He has high standards and demands that from his team. Even though he has a great desire for excellence, he also posses a great sense of humor which we all know is a necessity for sanity. If I lived in the Charleston, SC area, I would be knocking on his door every day with my resume until he found something in his company for me to do.

Second, another evidence that he is a business man with a heart is some of the "flips" that he has done. Just to highlight a few:

• He did one where they bought a house, I believe, was foreclosed on but when they went to check it out. They found the previous owners were still living in it. He didn't feel right about throwing these people out of their home so he came up with a solution. He put them up in a hotel while the renovated it and then made a deal with them to rent it back from him all for an amount which they could afford. He is not in the rental business so I believe this was a first for him. I should also mention that the former owner had a car in the carport that he had always dreamt of restoring. Richard took that car and had it restored and presented it to him at the end. I think the man cried. I know I would have.


• Another property that he flipped was a house that had been empty since the woman died. It was in horrible shape. The daughter hadn't been in it or cleaned it out. It was just too difficult for her. He went in with his crew, cleaned it out and renovated it. In doing the flip, it was important to him that the daughter was proud of what he had done. It wasn't just about the money but also about the daughter being able to move on from losing her Mother.


• One last example is when he flipped a restaurant. Richard and a couple members of his team, went to lunch at a local restaurant and noticed it wasn't very busy anymore and decided they wanted to flip it as a favor to the owner to help his business. Richard used to make his deals as a young businessman in one of the booths there so there was a sentimental attachment for him. They did it in just 4 days. Truly amazing!

Lastly, I think the main reason that I have this "crush" on Richard is that he takes properties that are usually the eyesores of the neighborhood and turns them into gems. He restores beauty to once beautiful homes. Homes for one reason or another have been neglected. Homes that hold memories that are long forgotten to everyone except those who have lived in them. Some may tear them down and build new but not Richard. He breathes new life into them. If you know me, you know that I love anything old and that includes houses. They have such character. If you read my "100 Things About Me" posts a few posts ago, you know that it is my dream to move my family to an old farmhouse one day and renovate it little by little. The only difference is that I don't want to flip it but to live in with my family and create beautiful memories in it for Allison. In all honesty, there is one just down the road that has been sitting for sale for a while. It needs a lot of work and is everything I've always dreamt of owning. Unfortunately, it's not going to work out for us right now. I wish it would but I don't see it happening. So for now, I continue to try to make our townhouse a place of good memories for Allison. Thankfully we have a great landlord who lets us make it our own. Allison will always remember her pink bedroom as I remember my purple bedroom when I was a child. I just wish we had our own backyard, a garage and another bedroom. Oh, and a bigger kitchen would be awesome!

Okay, I've gotten off of subject so let's get back to my crush. I was disappointed when season one of "Flip This House" was over. There would be no more flips and no more Richard until season two. Could I wait? Of course, because there is always reruns. However, when season two was to start, I found out there would definitely be no more Richard and Trademark Properties! A & E has different people on this year. SHAME ON THEM! I was sad. Very sad...until last week. I was watching TLC and saw and advertisement for "The Real Deal" and yes, you guessed it! It's Richard C. Davis and Trademark Properties! Woooooo Hoooooo! They are back! All of them. Ginger, Dawn and the gang! It premiered on Saturday, April 21st at 9:00 pm. I am in total bliss! It also replays through the week, so you'll have to check it out! Here is the schedule.

Have Fun!

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