Chapter 32

I got a surprise call from Wolfgang; he wanted to know if I'd be interested in selling a painting that I had, for a profit of fifty percent over what I had paid for it. He'd paid just under a hundred thousand for 'Nude Girl with a Bowl' by James Abbott McNeill Whistler. He had a man who wanted to buy it, for a hundred and fifty thousand, as a Christmas present for his wife. At this time, I wasn't interested in selling anything, because I was actually enjoying all of it, and was thinking about asking him to buy me some more.

I said, "Wolfgang, it's good to hear from you, but I'm really enjoying the artwork. When we met the first time, I know that we had a deal, so I believe that it's important that we talk about what we're trying to accomplish. First, is that my initial intent was for you to buy the best artwork for me, at the best prices, and, as an incentive, I offered to let you take a profit on the sale of the art after it had appreciated. It's important that you don't regret the arrangement that we entered into, so let's have the art appraised, and to make sure that you are still OK with the arrangement, I'll pay you ten percent of the appraised value. That way I won't feel like I owe you anything, and you won't feel like I'm stringing you along when you find buyers for the art and I turn you down."

"Britt, I know that you care for the art and that you like what you have, but I need to feed my family and pay my bills. Thinking about what you just said, I'd be comfortable with that new arrangement."

"I originally obtained your name from a man here in DC, Jason Vanderwide. If I had him do the appraisal would you be comfortable with his numbers?"

"I trust him, but I'll have to see his numbers to see if I also agree with him."

"I'll have him make an itemized list, and then we can discuss his report, and find a common ground. I trust you Wolfgang and I'm happy with what you did last time. Can you go on another shopping spree for me? What I'll do is give you a five million dollar budget. When you deliver the art, I'll pay you between five and ten percent depending on how well I feel you perform. That way we'll both be happy, and you don't have to wait on your fee. If you perform as well as last time, I can envision that it will end up being the higher, ten percent fee."

"I know what you're looking for and I know that you're just trying to get the most for your money. I don't usually have the freedom and budget, to work the way we did last time, but then, it worked out well."

A couple of weeks later, Jason came by, and Wolfgang was down with some new artwork. Wolfgang only had two pieces on Jason's list that he thought had appraised on the low side, but he was honest enough to say that he thought three were on the high side. We settled on a number, and he was beaming when he saw seven figures on the check.

I guess it was because I was a single male, that didn't have to worry about a wife, that I ended up with quite a few nudes. I was happy with the Renoir titled 'The Large Bathers' with three women bathing. It was a bright and beautiful piece of art. Wolfgang had brought another, but it surprised me, because of when the painter painted it, and that the style was looking so much more modern. I had never heard of Gustav Klimt. The title of the painting was 'The Allegory of Sculpture'. Jason thought this one was worth twice what Wolfgang had paid for it. I was happy with what Wolfgang was buying.

The only one that I didn't care for was a drawing of another nude, by Wesley Bellows. He was a well-known artist, but the reason why he was so well known was for his best works, which were those he did in color and his sports scenes. This was a drawing titled, 'Nude Study, a Classic on a Couch'. He got it for forty-five thousand. I just thought that her legs belonged on an NFL linebacker. After looking it over, I thought that it would be the perfect gift for Doug and Jill's upcoming wedding.

Shawna was going home for Christmas Eve and Christmas day, but would be at the house the rest of the time, so I felt comfortable leaving for two weeks of vacation. I hadn't seen Sophie and Melinda since Thanksgiving, but received a nice card and it cryptically said that they were doing well together, and that they both looked forward to seeing me at the meetings with the unions after the holidays.

I flew into Orlando on the twentieth of December. Doug picked me up and drove to the apartment. He told me that Jill had moved in with her parents for the week before the wedding, and that they had picked out a nice two-story home with a double lot on Lake Virginia. I told him that I thought that would be a great investment and a nice place to live. He thanked me for helping him get started.

He said, "This is a big step for me. I know that we're doing very well financially, but we still had to ask Jill's parents to help us with the down payment and we'll be eating peanut butter for the next two years. If we keep on the pace that we are, in two years we'll be more than able to cover the costs. I just couldn't let this one slip by, because I'm getting it for a steal."

"Doug, if you ever need a loan to make ends meet, why don't you just call me. I have enough stashed away that I can always help out a friend."

"Thanks man. I tell Jill every day what a great friend you've been. I really enjoy what I do and the fact that they pay me to do it, is just icing on the cake. I was talking to a guy at a party the other day, and he was bragging about his great job after he found out what I did in property management. He "accidently" let it slip how much he was making, and I forgot what it was like to work for a paycheck. He was doing well, but only about seventy-five percent of what I'm making. I just told him that he was the 'man', and then walked away laughing at him."

"That's the smart way to act. You never know how your friends will react to your success. Some of them may become jealous or envious or just start treating you differently I'm happy whenever someone I know is successful, because it normally means that the success is well earned. I think that you deserve it. You got some help as we all do. It's what you do with the opportunities and how hard you're willing to work that makes the big difference."

"I'm glad that you're here. I've missed you."

"I have missed you too my friend. What does my schedule look like while I'm in town? Are we going to Club Juana to see some strippers? Can we play some golf, or hopefully do some surfing? Do we need to sit around drinking tea with Jill and her friends? Is there a specific time and place where you want us?"

"I'm not sure if we should plan on any tittie bars, but I'd love to get up early and go surfing for a while. I haven't had time for golf, and I'm not drinking tea. We're planning on a small wedding. The wedding party will be just you and me on my side of the aisle, and on the other side, Jill and Marion. I have my aunt and her family and then some friends, but it will be small. Jill decided it would be better for me, her Dad said that he liked saving the money, and would give it to us for part of the down payment on the house."

"I'm glad that I'm here and that you included me."

The wedding is scheduled for Friday night, Christmas Eve. The churches were all booked, so they chose the gardens at Mason Jardin restaurant. This is one of my favorite places to eat, and the reception would be inside afterward

It was only Monday so we got the tux fitting finished. We stopped by the new house, and Doug showed me around. It was fantastic, out on a small point, on the south side of the lake, so they wouldn't get too much glare off the lake. Jill came by that night. The painters were finishing up at the house, so Doug and I were at the apartment downtown. Jill was happy that I was there, and told me that Marion was dating Phil Kutz from high school, someone I didn't know, because I was ahead of them. Not knowing what else to do, I just shrugged. We had dinner and then sat around for a while. When I gave them their present, Jill liked it, but Doug was somewhat confused about what to say.

I said, "I'm sorry. I know that it isn't the prettiest picture in the world. I've started collecting art, and this is by one of the hottest artists in the US. The signature on the bottom means that, if you should decide to sell it, when your kids are ready to go off to college, you'll probably receive a million dollars. It isn't completely ugly, but if you really dislike it, you can hang it in a safe place in the back of your closet or something."

"Did you say a million dollars?" Doug asked.

Jill said, "I've seen work by Wesley Bellows in my art appreciation class. Is he the same guy that painted this? He's very famous."

"It is, anyway. If you like it, then that makes it better, if not then it's a savings bond. You can cash it in any time that you want or need cash, but the longer you wait, the more it will be worth."

It was quiet for a while before Doug asked what everyone was thinking, "How much is it worth now?"

"If you found the right buyer, you could sell it for between fifty and seventy-five thousand. If you wait five years, you could get ... two fifty and if you wait twenty years, I don't think a million is out of line. He died in 1925, and hasn't created anything new since then, so they can only go up in value if you take care of it."

"Thanks Britt, you always come up with things that surprise me." Jill said.

Later, after she went home, I asked Doug, "What do you want to do with this place after you move into your new house? It's nice to have a place to leave some clothes and a bedroom to crash in when I'm in town, but I can always bum a night at my mom's place or sleep in the boathouse that Beth calls her office."

"I had to stop by there one day. That's a really cool design."

"Thanks."

"Britt, we use this place to keep some tools and some cars. We use it as an office for our renters. As much as I like it, the building is old, and this area is starting to pick up. Some of the increase is because of the places that we fixed up, but it's also because some new investors have come into this area. Paul Berman is one of the guys that's buying and building. He has some interest in buying this land. Do you want me to give him a call, so we can talk about it?"

"Sure, if he wants to come over at ten o'clock at night."

"He's a friend, so I'll give him a call."

Paul was up and had a house only a few blocks away. He came over, and Doug handed him a beer. He said, "Paul, Britt is my partner in all the houses and buildings that we own. We were talking about what to do with this place when I move to my new house."

"I have some ideas about this space if you guys have any interest in selling."

I said, "Tell me what you have in mind."

"You have a huge lot here and a huge ugly building. I'd tear down the building. Since we're right across from the lake, I'd put a condo unit in, that's maybe six to ten stories depending on zoning and variances. I'd use the bottom floor for walk up retail. There would also be an entrance for a second level restaurant with outdoor patio dining. The back would be a parking garage for the patrons and residents. The residents would have their own parking level and some storage closets."

"How many condos are you thinking?"

"We are talking about having commercial tenants for the first two floors, so levels three through ten would be condos. Floors three through eight would have six each, which makes that a total of thirty-six. Floors Nine and Ten would each have four, for a total of forty-four."

"How much are you willing to spend on the land?"

"How much are you asking?"

"I'd have to run it by Doug, but my concerns are about replacing what we have now. I can easily see us taking a retail space on the ground floor for rental and property management. We use this as an apartment. I'm not in town that often, but it's nice to have a place to stay when I'm here. Doug may want a place to have fun with his new wife during his lunch break, so we may need an apartment. We also need to buy a new warehouse for the equipment and some cars that Doug has restored."

"Where does that leave us?"

"Is it fair to assume that you'll own the retail and restaurant spaces? If so, we'll need a lifetime of free rent or ownership, if you plan to sell them. I'll also want my pick of the penthouse units, but you can write it up as a sale, so you can set the precedent for public record. It's also fair to assume that Doug can find a warehouse down in south Orlando for around three hundred thousand, and another fifty to fix it up and secure it. In addition, I'll also want a profit. To that end, I think the land and building are worth at least a million. How about you pay five hundred thousand net, the retail space and penthouse condo?"

"Let me get this straight. You would charge me eight hundred for the lot, and I could sell you the condo for three hundred? Plus I'll give you free rent on the retail space for as long as you're in the property management business?"

"If you're selling the others, then we'll buy the unit under the same terms as the condo. If you're renting them, then we'll sign a ninety-nine year lease for a dollar a year," I said.

"I think that's a fair deal. What do you think Doug?" Paul asked.

Doug said, "That solves all of my problems and I've already looked at a warehouse in that price range over by Herndon Airport."

"That will be safer than down by OBT (Orange Blossom Trail) anyways." Paul said.

I stood and offered my hand, and he shook it. Then he shook Doug's hand. We got another round of beers. Paul said, "That was easy. I've had my eyes on this place for the last two years. Doug kept talking about some partner that was never around. I thought that it was just noise to keep me from bugging him."

"He has signing rights for the company, so he can take care of the paper work when he gets back from his honeymoon. By the way, where are you going?"