For several decades I have been buying, fixing up, and selling real estate in East Texas, mostly rural land and older houses that deserve a second chance.
Most weeks are a blur of job sites, back roads, and phone calls, and the projects start to run together. For years I have wanted to keep a record of the work I do and the places I see around East Texas, something for me and my family to look back on. I never made the time, and I was never a fan of Facebook. Now AI does the work and makes it very easy, so here it is.
You will find house projects, land work, small towns, good food, what I am seeing in the market, and maybe an old Chevy truck or two. The Journal is the running log. Thanks for stopping by.
Getting older has its perks, too. Some of my favorite moments these days have nothing to do with work, like a slow walk down the road pushing a stroller, or a quiet afternoon on the porch with the newest member of the family.
This house in Hopkins County was the most overgrown house we have ever taken on. The brush was so thick you could barely see it. The remodel was long and hard, but it was worth it in the end. Everything in it is new. At about 2,750 square feet in a quiet rural setting, it will make a nice large home for someone. Here is what it looked like before and after.
The photos above showcase a home that underwent a dramatic transformation during our remodeling project. The property had been uninhabited for many years, and required extensive work to restore it to its former glory. We faced numerous challenges, including replacing the roof, windows, and rewiring the entire house. We also tackled exterior issues such as rotten wood and overgrown brush that obscured the house from view. Our team of approximately 10 skilled workers worked tirelessly for three months to achieve the remarkable results you see in the photos at the top of this page. With new cabinets, flooring, HVAC system, and fresh coats of paint both inside and out, the home now exudes charm and character. We are proud to have breathed new life into this property and helped restore it to its full potential. Greg McKinney, Mineola, TXThis house had been a rental for years and needed a deep cleaning before anything else. It had also been through foreclosure, so nothing had been updated or repaired in a long time. What drew me in was the roof line and the front porch. Inside, it had 9 foot ceilings and trim work you just do not see in newer homes. We kept the exterior trim close to its original color, but getting the old, flaking green paint off took hours of scraping and prep. Seeing it finished made every hour worth it. Old, well built houses like this one are my favorite kind to work on, because there is something special about bringing them back. Greg McKinney, Mineola, TexasThis two story house sits on three acres in Mineola. When we found it, it had been through foreclosure and sat empty for two years. The inside was filthy, and the walls were still covered in early 1990s wallpaper, which took a lot of patience to strip. Outside, the lot was so overgrown you could not see the house from the road, and it took weeks just to clear the brush. Start to finish, the project took four months. Once it was done, the house and the land around it finally showed what they were worth, and it sold quickly. Greg McKinney, Mineola, TexasThis Mineola house had been left to decay for years, but it was still in great shape structurally. The biggest change was the pool. We spent days draining it and clearing out the moss by hand, then power washed it, sanded it, and painted the walls with a paint made for swimming pools. It turned out great. Greg McKinney, Mineola, Texas
Mortgage rates hit a three year high, lumber stays cheap, and a big new plant is going up in Longview.
