For more than two decades Steve Shuler owned a full-service floor covering company that did design and installation. He also had a large showroom featuring cabinets, lighting, and finishes as well as flooring. He worked mostly for new-home builders. All that changed during the recent housing market downturn. Shuler’s contacts in and familiarity with the building industry led to a unique opportunity: working with banks to renovate and repair foreclosed homes, which are then put back on the market. What began in Arizona has spread to 26 states as of Jan. 1.

Juggling the different pieces can be a challenge, but Shuler has developed tight, replicable processes from his years in the flooring industry. He is working on using technology more to help improve efficiency in the field.

“Ultimately, our client is the bank who then assigns the home to a realtor. They are our judge and jury,” Shuler says. “The homes are sold as is.”

BEST PRACTICES

  • Hub, spoke, and wheel program: Phoenix is the central office. There are no other offices. 
  • Estimators develop a nine-page spreadsheet detailing what’s needed before generating a price for the bank.

- Stacey Freed