In late 2000, a small group of local rehabbers gathered at a neighborhood coffee house to talk about what had become for many of them, a passion. Up to this time, several of them had been doing some networking, but putting together a meeting was a real chance to become more connected. [for more on our story, go to the About Us page]

In an effort to help foster equally successful movements in other communities, we've looked back at our little group which has grown to well over 1,500 members, and tried to put a framework to it. We hope this helps and we wholeheartedly wish you good luck.

A. THE FOUNDATION
Community spirit and philosophy: A more holistic approach to redevelopment

1] It's not just about fixing up houses but about the whole community
This is really the meat [or tofu] of our group. From the beginning, we wanted to be so much more than just an avenue for folks to make money. We also knew that a deeper commitment to community would help us have more success in our rehabbing efforts. Focusing on an area and knowing it well helps a rehabber realize what features are saleable and will eventually help to market the property.

2] Supporting and promoting quality rehabbing
In the business world, a company’s reputation is everything. Likewise, as certain rehabbers become known for the integrity and quality they bring to their projects, that will directly affect their ability to acquire more city-owned property. If the various neighborhood organizations, city aldermen and other government officials see that a rehabber does good work, they will be more likely to help them get the desirable, lower priced real estate. These type of properties are where the greatest impact can be made, both in terms of neighborhood revitalization and many times, the biggest profit for the rehabber.

3] As much as possible, reach out to everyone
There will be areas in a city that are "sought after" and areas that are blighted, or at least, not sought after. We've discovered that this is often times a perception perpetuated by local media. This view can have a strong influence on the public and it will minimize a community’s ability to explore and renew areas which are struggling, even crumbling. We strongly urge you to visit the areas of your city previously ignored by those with money to rehab. It will allow you the opportunity to broaden your perspective and support the whole city. Most urban areas have wonderfully diverse communities, we strongly urge you to make sure your organization reflect the complete community.

4] Being a “super-rehabber”
Whenever possible, address racism, steering, predatory lending, access to information and environmentally-conscious issues. This is crucial for building and supporting a complete community. Successful urban revitalization depends on it!

5] Gentrification and Yuppification
How do you promote and support an urban renaissance without sensitivity to the people who will be impacted both positively and negatively? We often have open debate about the value of a diverse community. It would be helpful to allow such dialogue and consciousness raising in your group.

6] Necessary urban main streets
For a residential area to thrive, it needs a good retail base. Rehabbing commercial and dual-use buildings helps create and support walkable neighborhoods. Renovating these spaces for coffee houses, art galleries, boutiques, restaurants, and other retail is a huge part of the complete urban picture and another area to be seriously considered when creating your group.

B. TOOLS OF THE GROUP

1] Email listserve
Reputable and consumer-oriented contractors and lenders are a primary source of resource sharing through our listserve. Currently, we are learning how to track the better ones via member feedback. Ongoing Q&As for tax credits, problem solving, how-to's and many other rehab subjects are addressed. Often a question may receive multiple answers from our more experienced membership.
   a] Integrity: We've found that if businesses are always trying to sell something, it turns members off. We have a set of guidelines that we ask all members to respect, which includes a provision for vendors. This way, we retain the free flow of information, which is what people want, and at the same time, we are able to have a nearly commercial-free list.
   b] Positively supportive: We strive to keep the tone as supportive and positive as possible while minimizing the negative. This attitude lends itself to the best type of information sharing. Again, the listserve guidelines come into play here and if someone disrespects them, they are asked to leave the list.
   c] Gosh, we’re resourceful: Essentially, having knowledgeable professionals in the membership regarding such things as real estate, financing, tax credits, etc. allows for a focus on the issues and problem solving where expert advice or help may be needed. We have been able to do this, while still minimizing the commercial aspect.

2] Contractors list
This is one of the best resources of our group. At this point, we ask each contractor that goes on the list, be nominated by someone in the group who has used them and had a good experience. Currently, we are setting up a quality tracking system for use on the website which will allow reporting and possibly rating individual experiences.

3] Regular meetings
We have chosen to have monthly meetings. One of our missions has been to visit all of the 79 neighborhoods that make up our city. This allows us to become familiar with diverse areas in every corner of the city and discover what other rehabbers are doing and how they're doing it. When appropriate, we bring in special speakers to address various topics like rehabber’s insurance needs, state and Federal tax credits, and the challenges converting a 4-family to a 2-family to name a few.

4] Semi-annual tours
We do two city-wide tours of between seven and nine properties, one in spring, one in fall. We strive to show projects in various stages of rehabbing.Generally the homeowners are available to talk with us and they tell us how the property was acquired, the problems encountered while rehabbing and their future plans for the home.

5] Rehabber classes
We have sponsored a series of classes on how to rehab a property. The class is held one night a week for five weeks with a panel of experienced rehabbers available for a Q&A session on the last night. Subjects covered have included finding a property, financing, working with contractors, city government, neighborhood associations, and more.

6] Impromptu gatherings
Occasionally someone will announce to the listserve that they need help with something and another will chime in to say they happen to be working on just that problem and invite the other interest parties to stop by and watch or help.

7] Website
This is another wonderful resource for us. We have attempted to create a site that organizes and disseminates helpful information, circulate photographs from meetings and provide links on anything that falls under the subject of rehabbing.

8] Partnerships
There is no end to the community partnerships which can be forged in support of preservation and restoration. We have had both temporary and on-going relationships with neighborhood groups, state agencies, grass-roots political groups and organizations for social change.

C. PROGRAMS & SATELLITE PROJECTS
We have closely aligned ourselves with several local projects as we saw in them an opportunity to make a difference.