This Old House

As many of you know, in addition to designing projects for clients I also buy properties to renovate and resell.  For the past few months, I’ve been looking at one house in particular.  Just the other day I checked it out again and realized that I truly loves the architecture and would like to give the house a new lease on life.

After speaking with the realtor I was surprised to find out that the house had been vacant for 10 years. 10 years? I immediately put in an offer for much lower than the asking price. There’s a ton of work that needs to be done and the market is more than a bit scary for developers but I figured if I could get it at the price I wanted I would feel comfortable moving forward. The house is “calling out” for someone to pay attention to it.

As it turns out, the house is owned by three brothers; the same siblings who grew up there in the 1940s.  Now in their 70s, they’ve been holding onto the property all these years after the death of their parents. They didn’t initially accept my offer but they told the realtor that they wanted to meet me so they could see my house and the quality of the work that I do.

So I had them over this past weekend with their wives and we all had a really great connection.  It turns out that their father was the architect of their home and he died when he was 40 and they were all very young.  We spent our time together talking about the house and discussing different ways to structure a deal.

After they left, I understood what was really going on. On the surface we were talking about a real estate transaction but underneath that conversation was the real conversation. It was the greater purpose of our get-together and another reason that I was to be the buyer.

I realized that they are still holding on to the memory of their father through this house.  They’re at an age where it’s essential that they begin to release whatever is holding them back in any way as they come to terms with the aging process and their own mortality.

My role is clear:

I am the facilitator to assist them in letting go. In allowing them to be an active part of the renovation process they’ll be able to see the rebirth of the property and their father’s creativity. In this way their childhood home will live another 70 years and carry on the memory of their father.

The SoulSpace process reminds us that whether we’re 17 or 70 we need to release those emotional attachments that become obstacles to our forward progression. It’s about holding onto cherished memories like a perfume while understanding that all things eventually change.

So a business transaction lead to making 3 new friends and I look forward to having them over as we restore and renovate their childhood home, secure in the knowledge that their father’s legacy will live on, even after they themselves are no longer here.

Happy August.

Your friend,

XB