You may have noticed historical homes in Lewis County communities being given new life over the past few years. This is the work of Roland Haney Jr. and Windermere Centralia agents Melissa Wallace and Bryan Finch. They are passionate about cleaning up our neighborhoods, preserving our historical buildings and bringing home ownership to those who thought they would never achieve that dream.
Fixing up houses to sell is not new to Roland – it’s what his dad did too. He grew up helping his dad work on homes. But when Roland became an adult, he did not immediately follow in his father’s footsteps. He had a range of careers including teaching, marketing and advertising first. Then, in 2010, Roland became gravely ill and was in and out of the hospital for over two years. He did not think he was going to survive.
During that same time, his dad passed away and he left Roland some money. “I could sit on this money and watch it dribble away, or I could do what I always wanted to do and flip a house like my dad did,” he says. “I’ve always been a go-getter. I don’t sit around and wait. I make things happen. My wife Penny was totally against this idea. But I said, ‘I’m gonna buy a house and I’m gonna flip it.’ It kind of energized me again, like I had a future. Because before then it was like ‘What I am going to do with my life, just sit here and die?’”
He and his wife had met Melissa Wallace and her business partner Bryan Finch years before when they were buying a home of their own. He went back to them because he found them great to work with, knowledgeable and hard-working.
“Melissa was so nice to work with the first time,” he says. “If I need something after the sale, they do it. Most realtors would blow me off or tell me to do it myself, or go find someone else. Basically, they sell you the house and then you never talk to them again, but not these two.”
That first house wasn’t easy. Roland was still very sick. “I remember the first house we did together on Buckner, he could hardly stand for longer than five minutes,” Melissa recalls. “Every house since then he has been better and better – the houses helped him recover.”
Melissa and Bryan make the perfect team for Roland, because of their background in remodeling. They used to own their own remodeling business, until they closed it to focus on real estate. They use their knowledge of the industry when they are helping people buy houses because they know if something needs to be repaired and how much it will cost to fix.
While Roland may be following in his dad’s footsteps, he says there is one big difference in the way he does business. “My dad was a flipper – a general contractor – and he would put the cheapest stuff in a home just to turn a profit,” Roland says. “I don’t do that. And I make sure the homes are structurally safe and sound. I don’t want the buyer to have to put a ton more money into a house they just bought.”
For example, he recently had a house that when he removed a section of bad siding, he found the underneath was all rotted away. While some would have just replaced the siding, Roland replaced the entire wall on that side of the house so the buyers wouldn’t discover the problem later and have to pay thousands to have it fixed.
Helping People Get Homes
While this is a business, Roland is very concerned about people not being able to own their own homes. The houses he buys need a cash or conventional loan to close and, the fact is, the majority of those looking for homes today do not have either. FHA, USDA and VA loans are the loans most people can get, but the houses in their price range often don’t meet the requirements. It’s a catch 22 that keeps many people stuck paying high rent. “For a lot of these people, their rent is more than their mortgage payment would be, if they could just find a house and a get a loan,” Roland says.
So that’s where he comes in. He fixes these homes up and gets them to the point where they will meet all the requirements for the above listed loans. Many of the homes he has sold has been to someone with a USDA, FHA or VA loan. He has sold to veterans, single mothers and first-time buyers – people who are normally denied home ownership. Melissa and Bryan are a big part of this as well – they are experts at navigating these types of loans so they can help homebuyers get into the house of their dreams.
And Roland doesn’t shy away from helping whenever he can. One of the homes they sold in Lewis County was purchased by a single mother who was having trouble getting into the house. He paid all the closing costs for her and even sold her the dining room table they had staged the house with for a very small amount because it fit in the space.
Updating While Preserving The Past
Many buyers purchase these older homes because they like the look. The little details such as crown molding, decorative windows, unique floor plans and funky porches, often with columns – things you don’t find in newer homes – are charming. You likely wouldn’t want someone coming in and demolishing all of that to make the house look it was built in the 21st century. Roland is a master at mixing the two in just the right way. “I try to preserve as much of the original as possible,” he says. “And I always do the houses like I personally would like.”
When you walk into a Roland Haney Jr. home, you will immediately fall for the exquisite mix of vintage and modern. He does his best to preserve the charms, while making modern updates for convenience or safety. Unlike cookie cutter housing, each one he fixes has its own personality and story.
For example, his most recent home on E Street in Centralia was a 1910 beauty in need of a make-over. Roland kept the original lead-lined accent windows, built-in bookcases and surprise closet spaces. Many of the windows still have the original glass with the wave. He was even able to preserve the original pulley windows because his contractor knew how to fix them. Updates included anything that needed to be brought up to code. In the case of this house, that included all new electric. In addition, he put in brand-new appliances, added a second half-bath, and re-arranged the kitchen to make more cabinet and counter space to better accommodate modern living.
“We always put in brand new appliances because people who are spending in the 200s for a home are just barely getting in, they can’t afford to go spend another seven grand on appliances,” Roland explains.
And all of these changes are done using local talent and businesses. They hire a local contractor, local stager and even buy their supplies from local businesses. “We try to shop local as much as possible,” Melissa says. “Most of the supplies come from local stores, including Home Depot, Carpet Warehouse, VJ’s Bargain Barn, etc.”
Roland and his team are passionate about their city and know that what they do is important to the future. “We aren’t just flipping houses. We are improving neighborhoods, getting people into homes and preserving our city’s history,” he says.
If you are interested in Roland’s next home, contact Mellissa Wallace and Bryan Finch through their website or call 360-880-0626.
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