Haunted House Flipper

Chapter 26

I drove toward downtown but didn't know what Claire wanted for dinner yet. I guessed she wasn't into the fancy stuff, but you never know with people.

"So what are you in the mood for Claire?" I asked.

"Oh just a burger sounds good."

"Just a burger? Have you ever been out to Thompson's on the river?" I asked.

"Can't say that I have. They have good burgers?"

"The chef there makes the best burger I've ever had anywhere. He puts maple syrup in the beef patty. I know, it sounds gross, but trust me it is amazing. He puts a ton of other stuff in there too. It's so good."

"Maple syrup? That's pretty strange, but I'll give it a try. Is this some fancy kind of restaurant?" she said looking down at her coveralls.

"Yeah everything else on the menu is pretty swanky, but I'm telling you their burgers are the best!"

"Don't you think we're a little underdressed?"

I wasn't in my usual slick suit. I had on jeans and a t-shirt to work on the house earlier that day.

"You make a good point Claire, but I have brought a lot of clients there to sign paperwork and celebrate. They've had a lot of business from me over the years. They won't care how we're dressed."

"If you say so. I'm used to getting looks."

"I'm sure you are."

"I was going to say because most people don't expect to see a woman contractor. Now about that roof. It's going to be a lot more expensive than you might think," Claire said.

"I'm sure you're right. Replacing a roof on a small house is pretty expensive. Don't you think we can save a ton of money by doing it ourselves though? Or at least by hiring out some help instead of a roofing company?"

"Listen man. Even with me hiring a roofing crew, I think that roof is going to cost way more to fix than you think," Claire said.

"We have a decent budget. I don't want to spend it all on the roof, but I guess it's a pretty important thing to get fixed. We'll figure it out. We have to get this house in great shape so buyers won't be able to resist it. If I have to sell my car to pay for the roof, I'll do it." I said.

"That'll be a shame. This is a nice car, but I'm pretty sure you're going to have to," Claire said.

"So be it," I said. "And another thing. I need to find a way to cut the legs out from under that Bill Baldock guy. I need to do some research and go find the places he is trying to buy from. I've got to find a way to convince homeowners not to sell to him. It makes me sick thinking of him destroying beautiful old homes to build apartments."

"Yeah I'm with you," Claire said nodding as she looked out the window.

"Maybe I can convince one of them to sell to me instead so they can see their properties renovated instead of demolished."

"Why don't you offer to rid their house of demons?" Claire said.

"That does not sound fun, but I've seen the tools work."

I drummed my fingers on my leather wrapped steering wheel. Claire made a really good point. The more I thought about it, the more I realized just how good of an idea it was.

"Claire you're a genius!" I said. "If I could prove to them that the evil spirits were no longer haunting their houses, maybe I could convince them to at least try and sell to someone else that won't destroy their house. I could even offer to be a realtor for them and help them sell it! Man! You just helped me come up with a new business model that doesn't involve having to buy a house in the first place!"