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A Letter from Diane Engel, Founder and CEO

I founded i can do that for you! in 2000, when someone very wise told me that I should try earning a living doing something I love to do. This business is a result of a true ‘Ah ha!’ moment – I call it my millennium epiphany.

I have worked as a corporate professional in a number of companies, always as a Production or Project Manager in the Creative Services arena. Why couldn’t I apply those project management skills to gardening, an avocation that had already yielded some “just for kicks” paying gigs? Turns out I could.

The next natural step was right into Home Improvement. Armed with lots of on-the-job training, natural inquisitiveness and a Department of Consumer Affairs Home Improvement License, I was off and running.

When it comes to solving problems, getting organized or finding a better way, there is no reason to reinvent the wheel each time. Thinking outside the box can only be effective if it is linked to designs and routines that are truly practical and work within the context of a person’s life and work. I come from a long line of problem solvers. I am proud of my reputation as an honest, resourceful, organized and articulate businesswoman. To me it is about helping people. So, what can I do for you?

DCA Licenced Home Improvement Contractor
BBB Accredited Business

FROM THE THREE TOMATOES eNEWSLETTERS:

RENOVATION CRIBSHEET

MUSING OF A RENOVATION CONSULTANT AND PROJECT MANAGER

Dear Broker,

As a NYC broker, you are continually faced with today’s challenging real estate market. With fewer sales and more brokers than ever before, you must look for the “edge” that separates you from all the others – the edge that will push that deal to close.

What to do when a potential buyer is looking for value and says they would consider an apartment in need of renovation?
You show the client a fantastic apartment that could be perfect – it just needs some work! They love the building, the location and the square footage – but they don’t see the potential in the layout. Design vision is not a skill set that everyone possesses so they walk away from the deal. Fearing a renovation nightmare, they don’t hear your suggestions for improvements and the perfect apartment slips away. More often than not, it’s a lack of vision that overwhelms the buyer so the sale goes away, when it should have been their new home..

That’s why you should consider i can do that for you!

Let me be your “edge”.
Think about using me as a resource to your client, in the beginning of the process. Let me preview the property and share ideas with you or have me on site at the showing. I can help you and your client recognize and understand how an apartment in need of TLC can turn into a dream home.

Why use me?
I've helped dozens of New Yorkers navigate the renovation process: from the sometimes overwhelming building alteration agreement package to, choosing the architect, when necessary, throught filing for permits, choosing materials  and putting together the homeowners’ construction team—I coordinate it all. As Project Manager, I lead the select team of trades people including a Kitchen and Bath Designer, GC, plumber, electrician, painter, carpenter – whatever is needed. As a licensed Home Improvement Contractor, I understand how to get things done!

Concerned that using a project manager will cost more?
Sure, there is a fee after the initial consultation, but as my clients will attest to, in the end, it’s worth my extremely reasonable Project Management Fee. I return phone calls, communicate promptly and obtain very reasonable prices from the people with whom I work which I pass along to your client. All in all, having a Project Manager handling the renovation process reduces homeowner stress. And as you know, most busy NY Professionals just don’t have the time or the where-with-all to successfully navigate this tricky process.
 
The next time you have a a listing that’s a “fixer-upper” and a hesitant buyer loves the property but needs some help with the vision of the finished process, let me meet with you and your client for a free consultation.

You can phone me at 212-362-8692 or e-mail me at diane@icandothatforyou.com.
 
 

This is SO TRUE!

 

 

 

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