Ranch 42 aka Lawsuit House, SOLD
It's been awhile since I've been dragged into a completely pointless exercise like I went through at Ranch 42. If I can be immodest for a second, that house is awesome. Great spot, great design, the sun it gets is world-class, and it appreciated $150k+ while I was building it.
When we sold it on Friday, none of the lawsuit threats resulted in a lower price, a retraction of a change order, better quality or a mitigation of some issue. Literally not one single thing was different than if we cooperated and were sending each other gift baskets, other than the waste of time, the cost of attorneys, the loss of good will, and the perversion of the mental and emotional respite that is the goal of these homes for our talented and hardworking clients. Not a single thing was achieved, literally. Maybe the thought was since I was holding onto a $600k I'd be motivated to act in a manner that solved the 'problem' regardless, but that wasn't the position I was in. I could have waited until 2099. Literally up until after business hours the day before closing we are addressing nonsense. And it should be said, there was literally NOTHING different about this house, deal, or product or process than the other 265 we've built.
And that brings me to my point of this post - other than a final vent, and the genuine hope that these clients settle in and enjoy their home since ultimately I play no part in overall life happiness- the point of my post is to reflect on how most situations have silver linings. Many successful people attribute their greatest failure, or their string of greatest failures, directly to their greatest successes. It's the effort, the perseverance, the overcoming of doubt, the ability to rally after defeat, dig deeper, try harder, be more creative. Solve The Problem.
(Yesterday we loaded up all the vanities, plumbing/lighting fixtures, etc... for 2 homes up in Saugerties)
Because I started out with few identifiable skills other than misplaced ambition and good writing skills, most of life has been a journey of lessons, hard lessons, embarrassing lessons, disastrous lessons - and in business, all the lessons come with a monetary cost. None are free. They can be crushing in their severity. But you get up, take a step forward, and move.
In this case, I learned a bunch. I'll spare you more of the above reflection, but one thing I did learn is how great our homes are. So seldom do I get to spend time in a finished home. This one sat around for a month after we were done, so I would stop by when I was in the area checking out other houses, I held an open house so I spent 3 hours there, and I did multiple inspections with my team and the client's home inspector. We build an extraordinary home - it's top quality, it's cool, it has great vibes and architectural feedback is loud, clear and warm. It's clear the team cares, and we are good at what we do. When you step back, out of the day to day operational muck, and you see what you are producing, and you know that it will be there for generations, and you've done it for 2 decades and 265 homes, and you are surrounded by the talent that can pull this off, talent that was scouted, hired, mentored, coached- that's cool. And that's the silver lining of this tale - I was able to see it, dispassionately, as I waited for the home to close.
I have a hike planned through the Gunks today. About 10 miles with my friend Brian who is the Editor of the Chronogram, 2 dogs. Gonna start out at 8 degress then move up into the 20's. I was thinking as I stirred on this clear, crisp Saturday morning, that the host of problems I had to solve in 2020 that were over and above my typical call of duty - pandemic, head employee medical leave, getting screwed by one of my real estate agents, losing my website, pandemic schooling, a dysfunctional hire in Phoenixville PA where I was building 3 modular homes that caused me a lot of heartburn, a bad hire or two in the office that I had to correct, serious stress on the cash flow as we doubled in size, and the general stress of a rapidly spinning wheel that you are worried is going to come off the hub - all of that and more, all behind me, with the accumulated and enhanced skill set each of those exercises demanded and created.