Step Six - Phase Four: Framing and Subfloors

Once exterior and HVAC, plumbing and electrical systems are done, I begin to address areas such as rotten wood, tearing down walls and building new ones. Of course, if I’m going to remove or build a wall containing plumbing and/or electric, then my crew has to do it before or during Step Five. I make an effort to finish basement of every house that I renovate. It creates more living space, and for many of my buyers, my finished basement is reason that they buy my home.

Step Seven - Phase Five: Sheet Rock (Drywall)

Once I have completed all of major systems, then I begin to do my sheet rock (a.k.a. drywall). If at all possible, I prefer to just skim and patch walls, but I frequently put a lot of new sheet rock in my homes. Hanging and finishing sheet rock is something that takes a while, but it goes a long way toward making an old house look new.

Step Eight - Phase Six: Painting

Once all of sheet rock is done, we get paint on walls. First, we’ll put a coat of primer or a light first coat of paint on walls and then have sheet rock crew fix any flaws, which won’t show up until there is paint on walls. As soon as flaws are repaired, we’ll put two more coats of paint on walls.

Step Nine - Phase Seven: Installing New Kitchens and Baths

Once paint is on walls, we get our vinyl floors in kitchens and baths before installing all new cabinets, commode, vanity, etc. We usually take our kitchen dimensions to Lowe’s or Home Depot and have them design kitchen for us. It makes my contractor’s life easier and we always get right size cabinets with a good fit.

Step Ten - Phase Eight: Punch Out

Once kitchens and baths are installed, we start to wrap everything up. Contractors usually refer to this as their “punch out” and consists of all little details such as outlets, switchplates, and light fixtures. Many times, a homeowner will walk through and create a punch list with contractor. Since we’ve worked together for so long, my contractor already knows what needs to be done and we don’t need to do this. Sometimes it seems like punch out is hardest part of whole renovation since it takes so long to complete everything on list. However, this is also part of job that makes your renovation a good one or an excellent one.

Step Eleven - Phase Nine: Carpeting

Since we don’t want workers ruining new carpet, this is very last thing we install. We usually put new wall-to-wall carpeting throughout.

Step Twelve - Phase Ten - Clean Up and Landscaping

At this point, home should be finished and we’ll begin clean up. Since you want your homes to stand out, it is important to get them clean and looking like a million bucks. If I’m going to do any landscaping, it is usually done here as last thing.

Step Thirteen - Phase Eleven - Marketing

Once home is complete, I immediately begin marketing it. If area is hot and home is going to move quickly, then sometimes I’ll start marketing before completion, but most of time I prefer to have entire job done before allowing people to see home.

Step Fourteen - Phase Twelve - Final Repairs Required

Once home is under contract with a buyer, they may select to use a home inspector and their lender will order an appraisal. As a result of inspection or appraisal, you may need to do additional repairs. Then inspector or appraiser will reinspect property to make sure repairs have been done before issuing their final approval.

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“To invest successfully over a lifetime,” he said in an interview, “does not require a stratospheric IQ, unusual business insights, or inside information. What’s needed is a sound intellectual framework for making decisions and ability to keep emotions from corroding that framework.”

We see here interface between emotions and intellect that is called “emotional intelligence.” The emotions can put asunder what intellect has so wrought. Fortunately you can increase your EQ, while you generally cannot increase your IQ.

Buffet also evidences interpersonal skills, integrity and compassion in his business dealings that characterize high EQ. His conduct during 9-11 with his own super-cat insurance crisis was exemplary; memo he wrote to his employees was circulating Internet. Something to his regional managers about -- you keep doing your job, and let me worry about this. That's my job.

Would you work for this man? I surely would. And he wouldn't sell my stock right out from under me either.

He told a newspaper interviewer he was “disgusted” by corporate CEOs who tout their companies while selling shares. “These business leaders,” he said, “view shareholders as patsies, not partners.” He is notorious for never having sold a single share of Berkshire Hathaway.

When 'Dumb' Gets 'Smart'

Buffet further says, "By periodically investing in an index fund, for example, know-nothing investor can actually out-perform most investment professionals. Paradoxically, when 'dumb' money acknowledges its limitations, it ceases to be dumb."

Buffet is talking about Emotional Intelligence and who would argue with world's second richest man. And don't forget part about "drop out" Bill Gates.

And for academic professional, no one said it better than Shakespeare: "We know what we are, but know not what we may become." Emotional Intelligence brings balance, and positively affects not only success, but health and happiness.

The field of Emotional Intelligence is based on hard data, that is empirical, scientific research. No manager, executive or professional can survive in today’s economic climate on intellectual capacity and academic degrees alone. The maneuvering skills, leadership, ability to see big picture and communicate, these are what EQ is all about. Jobs change, career fields change, professions and specialties alter considerably or disappear, and new fields appear. Technical education becomes obsolete almost as soon as its attained, though a liberal arts education will endure, benefits of which are approached in programs such as The EQ Foundation Course© (http://www.susandunn.cc/courses.htm ). Consider emotional intelligence coaching for yourself, and your up-and-coming employees, and get emotional intelligence coaching training for your managers and HR personnel. It works.

As word gets around – and this is an international phenomenon -- that "soft" skills bring "hard" results, you'll be in right place at right time with right tool. And that's Emotional Intelligence.