Deutschmann Lane Holdings’ Post

My dad’s warehouse was in a not-so-great part of the city. To expand his business, he would need to buy several adjacent homes. Dad was able to buy most of the houses for $15,000 each. These homes were very run down—windows boarded up, no AC. One gentleman refused to sell his house. Some local advisors suggested that my dad use eminent domain as a legal route to force the sale of this house without the owner’s consent. My dad had another idea. He bought the house across the street and gut-rehabbed it. New interior, new appliances, new finishes.   Nothing fancy, but functional. My dad then knocked on that homeowner's door and offered to trade homes— the old house for the newly renovated one across the street. It was Friday, so my dad left the homeowner the keys to the new house and told him to think about it over the weekend. When my dad pulled in Monday, the gentleman had already moved into the new home across the street. My dad has always done the “right” thing, even when it wasn’t the easy thing.   It's a lesson I aspire to emulate.