When a “Simple” Rehab Turns Into a Lesson in Patience

[David Litt]

I picked up a property recently thinking it would be a quick, light rehab. The comps looked solid, the inspection report came back clean enough, and I budgeted six weeks for the whole turnaround.

Then reality showed up.

• First, a hidden plumbing issue added three weeks.

• Then, a permit approval got delayed… twice.

• Finally, the contractor I trusted brought in a sub who didn’t finish the work properly, which meant tearing part of it back out and starting over.

What was supposed to be a six-week project turned into nearly five months.

But here’s the takeaway: it forced me to slow down and build better systems — for vetting contractors, planning timelines, and padding budgets for “unknown unknowns.” It was painful at the time, but I came out sharper on the other side.

I’m curious — how do you handle unexpected setbacks during a project? Do you build extra time and budget into your numbers, or do you deal with problems as they pop up?

[Jules Aton]

Great post and thank you for sharing something that illustrates the moving parts involved. Preparing myself mentally for the stuff that always seems to happen that are most often out of my control and being able to write the check to address it allows me to keep a clear head and focus on what needs to be done to move forward.