And now for something completely different...

I had indicated before that I was going to be out of pocket on Thursday.  I had to travel to the Oklahoma Panhandle and ended up staying over on Friday so no updated photos of 26th Street today.

Trying to combine business with pleasure, I did check out a house...

Some renovations are needed...

Next week is going to be a busy one, you'll see lots of activity on the stone house and I really will post updated pictures on 26th Street.

Deborah

Update on Available Houses

I am continuing to receive requests for information on the 3/2 on 29th Street.  That property is rented and thus no longer available.  Thanks to all for your interest.

The 2/1 on 26th Street is having the interior painted and remains available at this time.  The painting will be completed in time for a March move-in.

I will be a bit out of pocket tomorrow but will provide updated photos for 26th Street on Friday.

Thanks for all the interest and activity on the site, it's a pleasure 'talking' to folks.

Deborah

Utility Services

Since everyone who moves into or out of a rent house has to arrange to turn the utilities either on or off, I though it would be useful to group that information in one location.  If you look at the left-hand column, you will see a new page that has both phone numbers and web links to the core utilities in Oklahoma City and in Bethany.

If you think of other numbers and links that would be useful on this page, feel free to share and we'll see about adding them.

Deborah

Open Today 2/21/2010

Just a reminder of today's Open House

The doorknobs are in and working and they look great.

 

Scroll down for more detail but in brief, this is a 2/1 with detached garage and a fenced yard.

blcllc@yahoo.com

Tooooo Far...

As in, it might be possible to go too far on a simple repair job...

The house on 26th has the original glass door knobs...

 

This is one of my favorite features of the older homes in this part of Oklahoma City.  However, over time, the glass portion of the knob will break out of the base.  That's much less attractive.   Fortunately, I was able to locate replacement knob sets that matched the original.

I was very happy until I went to install the knobs and the inner shaft of each one was approximately 3/8ths of an inch too long to mesh with the door.  The rods are made of hardened steel which is great for the durability of the handle assembly but not so great for the person who has to trim 3/8ths of an inch off of each rod.

That's how I found myself hunkered over a bench vise tonight, with an air compressor and cutting tool, ear protection, safety glasses and leather gloves, carefully trimming 3/8ths of an inch off each one.  

Plain door knobs anyone?

Open Sunday 2/21/2010

Just in time for a March move-in...

A sweet 2/1 located at 26th and Independence 

 

It has two beds and one bathroom with charming vintage built-ins

... and  a bright kitchen that includes stove, refrigerator and dishwasher as well as tons of cabinet space

There are mini-blinds throughout, celing fans, a large fenced yard and a detached garage.

Come and check it out at our Open House 
on Sunday, February 21, 2010 from 2-5pm

Pets OK, no Section 8

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at blcllc@yahoo.com

Available Houses

Just a quick note to let readers coming over from the Daily Oklahoman know that the 3/2 on 29th is no longer available.  This weekend we will be showing a 2/1 on 26th St.  Watch for details in a post later today.

If you would like that update to come to you automatically, you can become a "follower" by clicking on the link in the left column.

A little help from my friends... Update on the stone house

This house still has the original hardwood floors.  They have a lush amber patina and while they are well worn, they look restorable to me.  The house, like many we see, has a big space where the floor furnace originally was.  Typically, when the floor furnace is removed, people cover the original hole with some kind of board and that's what was done here.  I do all the sanding and refinishing myself but I count on a little help from my friends to fill the floor furnace hole with hardwood strips that in the end will match and blend with the original hardwood floors...

Here, Dennis is removing the plywood that was laid in and re-setting 2x4s to make a base for a new sub-floor which he will then use to inset hardwood into the existing floor. It's a job that requires patience and meticulous attention to detail and it will be just beautiful when he's done. The dog, of course, is ensuring that the work is up to snuff.

This restoration and repair is the biggest task before us now.  The paint should start to go on this week then I'll start sanding and refinishing about 700 square feet of flooring.  Because of some other projects, I am now moving my projected completion date to mid-March but you can stay tuned here.

OPEN SUNDAY, February 14 - Happy Valentine's Day

Make your heart happy by finding your next home...

This is a terrific three bed, two bath, with central heat and air,

located on NW 29th Street near Independence

 

It has two large living areas, the back living area has an open floor plan that ties to a custom kitchen with dishwasher and washer/dryer hookups.  

We have installed laminate flooring in the kitchen and back living area, it is beautiful and cleans up easily.

There are three bedrooms with nice windows, mini blinds and the original hardwood flooring.  Two of the bedrooms have ceiling fans, all have large closets.

  Open Sunday February 14 from 2-5 pm.  ... the house is available now.   This house is rented, thank you for your interest!

Contact us at blcllc@yahoo.com or just come and visit.

Back to work on the Stone House

The bathroom is coming along nicely, got all the wallpaper off, patched and primed the walls and now it's waiting for the big day when the house is ready to paint - could be as early as Monday.

Thursday just flew by for me, I was working in the bedrooms, pulling nails, patching walls and removing a built-in bookcase.  While bookcases can be really nice for storage, in this case I decided to open up the room by removing the bookcase.  The people who sold me the house left me a picture which I am getting a big kick out of.

 

Porky is my new assistant, I smile every time I see him up on the wall. Still on track for March rental depending on how the floor work goes.

Tenant Requirements

I have been getting a ton of questions at OKCHouseSpot along the lines of "what are your requirements" to rent a house.  This is a brief summary of our process. 

We use an application which is then reviewed through our tenant screening service.  We do not charge an application fee. Once the application is complete, it's a pretty basic approach - we're verifying the information you have given us on the application and we're looking at both your tenant and your work history.  Some bumps on the credit report will not automatically disqualify you from one of our houses, we've all had bumps in our lives.

We review all applications in the order in which they are received.  If we have two equally qualified candidates, the one who applied first will be offered the property first.

Because we hope to have a long term relationship, it is important to us to meet all tenant candidates so you will have to get an application in person, after looking at the house you are interested in.

While we do advertise availability on Craigslist and OKCHouseSpot, our number one approach to meeting candidates and getting applications is through open houses.  You can watch this page to see what houses are available and what open houses are coming up.

You can also email me at any time through the comments section to see what else might be in the pipeline.  To protect the privacy of our tenants, we do not show properties until the prior tenant has moved or has given consent, therefore, I may know of something coming up that is not on the web site for public information.

I hope this helps, feel free to ask any other specific questions you would like to have addressed here.

Another House Coming

I did tell some folks about another house coming along and promised to keep them updated.  This is a sweet, stone,  two bed/one bath that we have just acquired and that I am in the process of renovating. The house is located in a very quiet neighborhood near 30th and May...  the first step was a new roof...

 

Then stripping out some truly classic wallpaper... 

 

Now I'm working on repairing and painting the interior walls...  I'm hoping to have the house available by March 1.

Watch here for more updates.  If you would like to be notified when this house is available, you can make a note in the comment section or email me and I will be sure to let you know.

Super Bowl Monday - Open House Updates

I confess to being a Colts fan but New Orleans played well and deserved to win.  A great game all the way around.  In spite of it being Super Sunday, a large number of folks did come out to see the houses we had open.  Thanks to all of you for making the effort.

We are currently processing applications on the 2/1 at 26th and Independence; the 3/2 on 29th  is still available at this time and I expect to be showing it on Wednesday.  If you would like to book a viewing, please let me know.  You can comment here or email me separately and I will respond as soon as possible.

Thanks again to the hardy souls that kept us company on Sunday!

Open on Sunday 2/7/2010

A terrific larger family home, three beds, two full baths, two large living areas, a great kitchen with dishwasher, beautiful hardwood floors and an attached garage. As with all Burian Land Company homes, we have mini blinds and ceiling fans throughout. This property also has a covered back patio and  a separate storage building with lights and electricity.  We will be showing this home on Sunday 2/7/2010  from 2-5pm, come see us before the Super Bowl!

Pets OK, No Section 8.  You can get more information be responding to this post or by emailing us at blcllc@yahoo.com.

Open House Sunday 2/7/2010

A great little two bed, one bath at the corner of Independence and 26th.  This charming family home has great storage and cabinets, kitchen appliances including a dishwasher, ceiling fans, mini blinds, fenced yard and large detached garage.

For more information, you can respond to this post or email us at blcllc@yahoo.com.

Filling Holes

We like tenants to be able to hang pictures, after all, we want the house to be their home.  But in the house I was working on today, the tenant got a little carried away and used wall anchors.   Dozens of wall anchors.  As I removed them, they left large holes, some of them as large as a penny.

That's too big to fill without some kind of backer.  I have tried many approaches to filling that type of hole but today I had a stroke of what felt almost like genius.  Backer Rod... it's a cylindrical foam that is used for back filling cracks that are too big to caulk without support.  I happened to have a package of 1/2 inch backer rod in the truck that I had purchased for another project.

A utility knife, little cylindrical slices of backer rod, and voila - backed, fill-able holes.  It's always a treat to find a simple solution.  Holes filled, walls touched up, life is good.  On to the next project.

Oklahoma City - Coming Soon

This 3 bed/two full bath is located near 29th and Independence in a quiet family neighborhood.  It has been recently updated and has new central heat and air, pergo flooring in a custom kitchen and a combination of newer carpeting and beautiful hardwood floors throughout.  Large windows help you enjoy a pleasant, fenced back yard.  The attached garage comes with automatic garage door opener.

Oklahoma City Homes for Rent - The Burian Land Company

A simple blog to give prospective tenants a place to visit their next home. I will be uploading house photographs as homes become available so you can get a better look at what we have to offer. Feel free to use this venue to ask questions or get additional information about any properties offered.

Deborah