Day: August 23, 2023

The Steinbridge Group: Tawan Davis Brings Social Responsibility to Urban Real Estate

Suzette

Thinking about purchasing a new home? Keep reading how this investment company in building socially resposbile homes!

The Steinbridge Group is a leading property development, investment and asset management company that takes a long-term approach to the neighborhoods and cities it works and invests in, providing attainable, high-quality housing to promote wellbeing and long-term growth.

In recent years, the Steinbridge Group has initiated an investment strategy focusing on acquiring and rebuilding attainable homes to lease to working-class families across major US cities. The company’s ultimate goal is to invest more than $2 billion, assembling a portfolio of several thousand homes.

Supported by a team of seasoned real estate professionals with billions of dollars of acquisitions, construction, development, asset management, investing, and leasing experience, the Steinbridge Group invests heavily in its staff and is always on the lookout for professionals with a passion for excellence.

Over the decades, it has become increasingly challenging for working-class families to secure quality, attainable housing options in cities across the United States. Years of gentrification is forcing many out of the area, with skyrocketing rents, rising inflation and spiraling energy bills stretching working-class families to the limit.

Leveraging Tawan Davis’s innovative new model, the Steinbridge Group presents a solution to shortages of family-friendly, attainable properties in gentrifying cities across the United States. After all, these cities could not function without millions of workers to support them, and as Tawan Davis asserts, the people who work there should be able to live there too. Teachers, postal workers, and firefighters are all hard hit by housing price increases. However, the Steinbridge Group presents a sustainable solution, offering attainable and high-quality homes to ease the strain for working-class families.

Responding to the lingering effects of the 2008 economic downturn, Tawan Davis, founder and CEO of the Steinbridge Group, crafted a $425 million strategy geared towards providing single-family rental and small multi-family residences in major transitioning cities.

For Tawan Davis, the math behind this move is simple. As he points out, US home ownership has dropped by 17%, with the average couple renting for 6.6 years before buying, compared with 2.2 years in the 1980s. For investors and developers, venturing into the rental space presented a lucrative yet short-lived focus on high-end apartments, with construction competition driving up costs and lowering returns. For far too long now, developers have failed to invest in creating attainable homes for average American families. While others were slow to grasp the opportunities, shortsightedly focusing on profits alone, the Steinbridge Group responds to core needs in thoughtful and humanizing ways.

Relocating to Philadelphia from New York, CEO Tawan Davis operated with the ethos of ‘well done is better than well said’, a phrase coined by Philadelphia’s beloved Benjamin Franklin.

As Tawan Davis pointed out when embarking on his ambitious project in real estate, less than 2% of US rental homes were owned by institutional lenders. Instead, the vast majority were owned by private individuals, many of whom lacked the resources to properly maintain their properties. The Steinbridge Group set about acquiring houses, improving them and investing resources to keep them in top condition for families.

Fueled by his upbringing, Tawan Davis’s ‘latent asset theory’ centers around recognizing the deeper value in people and communities. Behind the Steinbridge Group lies a business proposition rooted in preserving pride and investing in hidden talent rather than displacing and uprooting untapped American dreams. As Tawan Davis himself concedes, without similar grounding and good fortune, his own story would be quite different.

The Steinbridge Group not only provides working-class families with high-quality, attainable homes but also creates hundreds of jobs, fueling growth in communities as well as the businesses it partners with.

How to Properly Prepare a Room for Painting

Suzette

Whether you’re a seasoned DIY enthusiast or a first-time painter, one thing remains true: proper preparation is the key to a flawless painting project!

Taking the time to prep your room may seem tedious, but it is just as crucial to the result as the actual painting. In this blog post provided by expert painters and decorators working with Fantastic Services, we’ll guide you through the crucial steps and expert tips on how to achieve a smooth and professional finish that will leave you with a masterpiece on your walls.

Protection and Painting Tools You’ll Need

What painting tools do you need to prepare the area? It is quite simple actually, and you may even have most of those in your home already!

  • Soap – Dirt, grime, and oil can prevent paint from adhering properly to any surface. Make sure to thoroughly clean the area with soap to remove all contaminants before you commence.
  • Sponge, gloves, and a bucket – This one is self-explanatory. A skilled handyman always wears gloves to protect his hands, and so should you. Get yourself a bucket to mix in the soap with water and, of course, a sponge to better prepare the surface.
  • Protective sheets – You can use protective sheets or drop cloths. Both will allow you to protect the floors, furniture, and other objects you can not remove before you begin.
  • Sandpaper – Uneven or damaged areas can cause the new paint to crack or peel. Use sandpaper to smooth rough surfaces, remove old paint or wallpaper, and create a nice, even surface for your DIY painting project.
  • Painter’s tape – You can mask off areas you do not want to paint or achieve certain forms. Make sure to properly stick it to the wall so that it stays put once you start the paint job.

Preparing a Room for DIY Painting

Now that you have your tools ready let’s look at what steps you need to take to ensure the best possible results.

Clear the Space

The most important piece of advice that any professional painter will offer you is to make sure you have adequate area in the room. Once you start painting, it will feel like everything gets in your way.

Remove the furniture pieces and wall decorations. If a particular furniture piece is too heavy or big to get out of the room, move it to its centre and cover it up with the protective sheets you got.

Inspect the Walls for Damage

After you’ve prepared your workspace, the following step is to check the area you’ll be painting over. Make sure you complete a thorough examination since this will have an impact on the final outcome of your project. If you spot any holes, cracks, or other damages, fill them in. Once done, use the sandpaper to even out the wall’s surface.

Clean the Walls

Now that you have fixed any minor or major damages you may have had, it is time to get the soap, sponge, and bucket! Mix in the soap with some warm water, put on your gloves, and go through the walls carefully, making sure you clean every inch of them. It is important to note that you should not be using sugar soap.

Protect the Floors and Other Areas

Use protective sheets or drop cloths to carefully cover the entire floor and any remaining items. Ensure you have covered everything, as you don’t want to move sheets around once you start.

Preparing Different Wall Surfaces for DIY Painting

If you have followed through up until now, that is great! You need to cover one final step before starting your project’s fun part! There are a few things to consider depending on the current state of the wall you want to paint.

Plaster Walls

What is important to know about plaster walls is that they have a high absorbance level. What does that mean? Simply put, the first coat of paint you place will get heavily, potentially unevenly, absorbed. This will not only impact the overall appearance of the output but will also significantly increase the expense of the entire procedure. When it comes to plaster walls, professional painters recommend using a primer before you begin the paint job. It will provide the smooth surface you need and protect your colours.

Gloss Wall Surface

We are not going to lie. This is probably the most challenging surface to paint. To get a gloss wall ready for painting, you need to ensure that the paint will actually adhere. To do that, you must thoroughly sand the wall, removing all the sheen/gloss. Once done, carefully clean the wall again using a warm damp cloth, and leave it to dry. Apply a primer once the surface has dried fully. Now your gloss wall surface is ready to be painted!

Wallpaper Walls

Have you decided to change the wallpapers and apply fresh new paint? If you previously opted for peelable wallpapers, you should pat yourself on the back. However, if you hang them with paste, it may be slightly trickier to get rid of them.

In such a situation, you should reach out for your tools for painting and get your stripping knife. It will be a lengthy procedure, but be certain that the wallpaper is thoroughly removed from the wall. Of course, be careful not to damage the plaster underneath. If scraps of wallpaper do not wish to come off, try soaking them with a sponge and hot water. That should soften it and make it easier to strip.

Brick Walls

Brick walls allow you to be more creative with the paint. You can use both interior, as well as exterior shades to achieve the desired result. Similar to plastered walls, you should expect the first coat to be primarily absorbed. You should apply a mist coat. To prepare a mist coat, you should take some water and mix it with the paint. It should be a seven-to-three ratio, with 70% water and 30% paint. Apply the coat, let it dry and go wild the paint afterwards.

Consider Hiring Professional Painters

If this is your first DIY project, then perhaps it is a good idea to reach out to some professional painters and companies. Even if you know all the tips and tricks, painting is challenging, especially if you plan to renovate more than one wall. Not only will the handyman company send out people who will get the job done quickly and efficiently, but you will also be able to “steal” some painting techniques from them, which you can further apply when you are ready to paint by yourself.

Conclusion

Regardless of what paint job you plan on doing, always remember that preparation is vital. The better and more detailed the prep job, the easier the rest will be. Ensure that your walls are thoroughly cleaned. Fix any damage and apply the necessary undercoat. Place enough protective sheets to protect everything in the area, and you are good to go!