Purposeful Content:
Each day we are blessed with opportunities to, not only add value to agents and homeowners but to observe how stucco repairs can help or impact in some way a homeowner and/or a potential sale. These case studies are absolutely true but we have changed the names to avoid anything but positive learning for all of us. Please enjoy!
Feeling the Relief:
As Jim hung up the phone, he smiled that relieved smile that results from finally unearthing a solution to a nagging problem that has, up until that point, been an unexpected challenge to solve for. ICE Stucco Repair had come highly recommended, and it almost seemed too good to be true. Their website reflected the quality of work he expected for a home of his home’s price point, the google reviews weren’t just 5-stars but offered the kind of authentic feedback he needed to see, his market-leading realtor immediately confirmed their excellence, and now Harrison from ICE had patiently and thoroughly walked him through a process that would put and keep his home in the best place possible.
How it Started:
Homeownership is that peculiar blessing and curse all bundled together. When you’re just starting in life, it is an integral part of the classic American dream. It represents that safe place where memories are made, life is lived, holidays happen, and wealth is preserved, if not built. However, along with that gift comes responsibility in the form of maintenance, repairs, and general upkeep. And with time, come bigger homes to host bigger families and gatherings and more memories… and of course more house to maintain. And for Jim, in many ways, at the tail end of a storied corporate career, this home in this neighborhood, captured the essence of the more successful climb up the house upgrade ladder.
The kids were all grown at this point, and unfortunately his wife too had left several years ago, a casualty of the corporate success. The home was his retreat, but he was often out of it during a given month more than he was in it. His schedule still had him traveling quite a bit and he also found himself getting away for fun more and more. He had people who could check on the house, but the truth is it had been too long since he had spent much time even wanting to think about what he should be doing in Houston to properly keep his beautiful stucco home in the new condition it was in 15 years ago when he bought it new directly from his builder buddy.
But after one particular trip, Jim couldn’t ignore the evidence of water he saw for the first time on an inside wall. “I guess it did rain while I was gone,” he thought, realizing it was time to figure this out. All of those unique angles, amazing outdoor spaces, and exposed areas, left untended to, he had to admit , now left him needing to likely play a lot of catch up.
Decision Point:
But where to start was the big and scary question, even for a seasoned homeowner like him. He started where we all nervously start when it comes to finding a new contractor to do new repairs on our homes. He dialed a friend, checked in with Mr. Google, and read some reviews. For Jim, it wasn’t about the money anymore. It was about finding a responsive group he could trust to do the work well. One name just kept coming up in conversations and searches: ICE Stucco Repair.
Jim eased into it, testing this “cool” stucco group by simply submitting a request online with some general information about his best guess of his issue. It did not take long for him to realize ICE’s reputation was earned. In less than a day, Harrison called him and left Jim with that smile by the end of their conversation.
How It Ended:
As Chris and Joe, ICE’s Project Manager and one of their crew leads, finished doing their final walk through of the job and job site with Jim, he felt relieved once again. It was embarrassing to see how much damage was lurking behind the walls that Joe and his crew methodically opened up. But it was equally reassuring to see how well it was all reassembled. The stucco inspection company ICE had recommended was as detailed and excellent as ICE and from that resulting report, it became the playbook by which ICE did their magic… nothing less or more than was required. Jim had opted to take advantage of the moment and have ICE repaint his entire home while they were there and standing here at the end, he was so glad he did. It really did look like new, and he really did feel like he was living in a new home. And while he had no immediate plans to sell, he recognized that he now had a plan through ICE to maintain his home - one that would be much more sellable whenever that time came.
Take aways:
- Never a Wrong Time to do the Right Thing: It’s easy to ignore and hope problems disappear, but at least in homes, they never do. Yesterday is ancient history, tomorrow isn’t here yet, so today is the day to get busy figuring out a plan to fix and maintain your stucco home’s beauty and functionality.
- Trust But Verify: We love customers that do their homework, talk to friends, study reviews, and then commit to getting to work with us. We actually do study and evaluate customers as well – we’re as interested in a great experience as customers and want to feel confident in our ability to meet and exceed expectations.
- Develop & Stick with a Plan: Jim’s repair bill was not small, but it doesn’t need to be that big again. If he follows best practices for stucco maintenance, gets reinspected by the same firm, and has ICE maintain sealants and little repairs, it becomes manageable without being burdensome.