FIXING UP A WESTCOTT HOME
MADE EASIER

Karl Schindler, a computer software salesperson and father of two, didn't plan on moving back into the city in which he grew up. He had left Syracuse and the house that his grandfather built on the near north side decades before to attend school, and then later settled in a nice house in a quiet pocket of DeWitt. But last year, facing a major life change, Karl Schindler found himself moving back into the city to a house in the Westcott neighborhood.

"It was a must-do," said Mr. Schindler. "I had the opportunity to move into what was always an investment property for me, a rental property for students."

Karl Schindler found out very quickly that even though he was a diligent landlord, after twenty years an amazing amount of work waited for him once he moved into the home. "Painting, windows, porch and sidewalk repair, inside and outside, everything seemed to need fixing or touching up," he said.

So it was something of a dream come true, he relates, that within a month of moving in, he found a flyer stuck to his door promoting the Westcott Mini-Grant Program through the Syracuse Neighborhood Initiative. The program, through the City of Syracuse, Home HeadQuarters and the local neighborhood association, offered Mr. Schindler $3,000 for exterior home repairs and all he needed to do was match the grant amount and continue to live in the home.

After submitting his mini-grant application, he met with a Home HeadQuarters inspector who helped him prioritize the needed repair work and write up work specifications to send out to contractors. Once all of the contractor bids were returned with quotes, Mr. Schindler decided to choose local, minority-owned RAM Construction for his sidewalk reconstruction because as he put it, "Russell Mike struck me as an honest, energetic and reliable guy." For his matching portion of the grant, Schindler purchased storm windows, landscaping items and the stoop portion of the new porch.

"What a fantastic program," said Mr. Schindler. "It just makes so much sense-it entices people to invest in their neighborhood, it puts needed money into the local economy and local businesses, and it gets others to fix up their homes too! It just gives you this sense that the city is moving in the right direction."

With Casey, his 14-year old cocker spaniel trailing behind him, Karl Schindler walks through his home and muses aloud about his next home projects. "Well, now with my new porch and all the work done around it, I think landscaping is key this summer, but I also want to redo the side porch and the floors need to be refinished and I plan on repainting parts of the outside."

And his plans don't end with his current residence. Mr. Schindler is also applying for an Investor-Owner Home Improvement Loan through the Westcott Neighborhood Program for another property he owns. Through this program he can borrow up to $20,000 at a low interest rate for interior and exterior repairs.

"I love living in this neighborhood and it makes me happy to see so many people fixing up and renovating the beautiful homes here," said Schindler. "I keep teasing my neighbor, Tony, that he better watch out if I run out of home projects-next thing I may just do is put in a basketball court for neighborhood challenges."

Karl Schindler laughs because he knows he'll never run out of home projects.