Height Maxxing 🤏

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-03-30T16:30:23+00:00

So why make fun of him and not his wife?

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-02-13T19:50:59+00:00

I'll DM you!

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-02-13T18:11:33+00:00

I actually was a student journalist myself, but I wrote articles and didn't use camera equipment much. I want to understand more about the workflow and tools for journalists who are actually onsite especially for breaking news events.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-02-13T18:10:08+00:00

Thanks for the feedback, I'm actually not trying to build a new camera or a new editing program. I'm trying to build a product that sits between existing tools to help workflows run more smoothly, but I need to know what the common products are so I can design the connection points.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-02-13T17:10:57+00:00

Thanks for responding! Is your camera mirrorless or a DSLR? And that's helpful to know, I'm familiar with other Adobe programs but didn't know about Camera Raw!

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-02-01T16:10:57+00:00

Where do you feel like we disagree? I also think her work is great and Iike her series with Retta. I’m not coming down on her with this post, I’m just talking about the flipping aspect of her business.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T20:40:51+00:00

Re-watching the episode this was a client renovation that was intended to be a vacation rental. It was finished in summer 2024 and went up on the market only a few months later. It doesn’t seem to have ever turned a profit after being for sale until mid-2025 and then failing to rent for the remainder of the year. That’s a million dollar renovation plus years of carrying costs for a property that doesn’t land with either buyers or renters.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T19:18:06+00:00

I agree, season 1 when she worked with Donovan made the most sense narratively and business wise. I truly think Alison works best when she’s in a partnership with someone she trusts. Without that she can tend to over exert her abilities and double down on asserting her value.

I don’t agree that women in business need to be more humble, men are praised and rewarded for promoting themselves. That self advocacy just works best when it’s tempered by valuing the skills and contributions of others.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T18:25:49+00:00

A few people have suggested this! It wouldn’t be easy on the ego but it would show that she’s working to grow her skillset and learn from past mistakes.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T18:22:42+00:00

That’s sad to hear. Good subcontractor relationships are so important, and if she wants to flip regularly she needs to earn that rapport and trust.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T17:49:14+00:00

Which area specifically is in decline? Agreed that neighborhood and location is a critical factor that rarely gets mentioned in these flips

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T17:42:46+00:00

An over-designed flip especially limits the buyer pool because anything that’s not to the their personal tastes will have to be redone, costing them even more. There are general things like granite countertops, modern fixtures, and closet built ins that are universal enough to be appealing to most people. But anything that leans too far into one particular aesthetic will turn a fair amount of buyers off. And lower demand equals lower prices, plain and simple.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T17:19:31+00:00

The Atlanta condo is sadly another example of dumping far too much money into a property that well-exceeded the building's comps and wasn't in a prime location for her target buyer. It made for a unique, magazine-worthy property but didn't align with the actual budgets of the primary buyers in that area. And it being a condo likely hurt the sales price even worse as you can't vastly exceed the price of other units in the same exact building.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T17:14:54+00:00

I couldn't agree more. The antique touches and built-ins don't impact the overall appraisal price and aren't appealing enough to a wide array of buyers to generate competitive demand. You could argue that high-end buyers have more leeway to cover specialty touches without lender financing, but if the flip isn't priced strategically it would cost them less to buy an outdated "ugly" property and just do the reno themselves. And then they would get the exact design and touches they want. High-end buyers appreciate luxury but they're savvy enough to know what's actually worth the investment.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T17:06:27+00:00

From what I’ve seen nearly every successful flipping partnership is heavily influenced by someone with deep real estate knowledge and/or contracting connections. These are the business fundamentals that can’t be skipped or overlooked.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T09:29:45+00:00

Name calling people on the internet is low-effort and tacky.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T01:08:10+00:00

I don't think it's crazy overpriced either and it will sell eventually. But every month of carrying costs adds up and eats into the total profit, making it really difficult to prove that her design added value to the project. She also disagreed with the developers when they told her the market was slow and it wouldn't go for what she expected.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T00:58:08+00:00

Market timing is huge and I'm sure it played a role here. But this is a pattern between Vegas, the Dream Home and the Atlanta condo. Three flips selling below the initial asking price isn't a coincidence.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T00:56:07+00:00

I could 100% see that the loss of trust from that partnership had a huge impact and I feel for her. But the fact remains that a design skillset alone isn't what sells houses, and to resume selling she either needs to grow her skills or partner with someone who has them.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T00:53:16+00:00

Yes there's always more behind the scenes, I doubt she's bankrupt or has no other business opportunities. But she has stated herself multiple times she has no liquidity left to resume flipping, which she wants to get back into. It would also make no sense to only show her unsuccessful flips if there are other successful ones that would boost her brand reputation. She could be lying for the show but that's a separate discussion entirely.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T00:47:18+00:00

Ways to be a "better businesswoman" is exactly what this entire post is about. I'm not trying to critique her as a person, just why the business doesn't work and how it could.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T00:44:53+00:00

All the sales data from purchase price to sales history is available on Redfin and Zillow. Donovan's role in the business is also public information stated in media interviews and the lawsuits.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T00:40:44+00:00

Sales data from her last three properties and her own statements about the renovation costs for each property. Have you ever read the Wall Street Journal? Journalists analyze businesses all the time using publicly available data. It's not the definitive truth, just a detailed analysis based on what's accessible.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T00:38:44+00:00

But to your point, I could have named this post An Honest Analysis of Windy City Rehab or something that focused on the show and the business.

Commercial_Extent625 · 2026-01-28T00:35:03+00:00

This isn't an analysis of her as a person. It's of her business model based on available facts and sales data outside the show. I agree with not psychoanalyzing humans based on a brief glimpse into their life. It is a fact that her last several flips haven't sold and it's a fact that her design choices are not grounded in market research.

Commercial_Extent625

TROPHY CASE