Flip OKC

His story is the quintessential American Dream: a young, hardworking man from a small town attends college on an athletic scholarship (golf), works hard and builds himself a life and career that are as satisfying as they are impressive. An offer to work as a golf pro followed his graduation. In 2007, he bought his first house. Around the same time, he had also begun to explore new career ideas – the life of a golf pro is exciting, but grueling.

“I was remodeling my house myself, and I’d also begun working in oil and gas. That was in 2007. Then came 2008, and as we all know, oil prices dropped. It opened my eyes to the fact that oil and gas would always be an up-and-down business. It will always fluctuate, that’s the nature of the business, so I began to focus on real estate rentals,” Smith says.

He started small, buying and renovating properties one at a time while also remodeling his own home. Feeling his oats, he told his real estate agent that if she found a buyer, he’d sell his house. “She sold it the next day,” he says. And so began a career that suits Smith to a tee. He’s flipped houses in Belle Isle, Mesta Park, Heritage Hills and Crown Heights, although it’s a term he feels a little mixed about. “Flippers have gotten a bad name, and it’s true that there are a bunch of bad apples. What I do is not cookie-cutter; I think we are known for our historic renovations. Each house is unique,” he says.

Smith is the founder and principal at FLIPOKC and co-founder/co-owner of Dwell Urban Real Estate. Today he has just completed a remarkable project in one of Oklahoma City’s most beautiful neighborhoods, Lincoln Terrace. It’s a 1928, Spanish Revival marvel. “This house is incredible. I bought it from a couple who had owned it for more than 40 years, and they hadn’t done anything to it except to change the light fixtures, but fortunately they’d saved all of the originals that they’d taken down.”

All of the fixtures have been painstakingly restored and rewired by the venerable Lillian Strickler Lighting of Oklahoma City. He’s also been careful to preserve original floors and woodwork, and it’s a point of pride that he’s been able to restore and use all of the doors and kitchen hardware. “We have been able to keep the floor plan 85 percent intact. We created a master suite upstairs and enlarged the kitchen. We kept all of the original iron work, sinks, hardware and the ceiling beams. There are original barrel ceilings throughout the home and countless other beautiful, timeless features of the sort only found in architecturally-significant treasures like this one.”

The ten-foot-tall stained glass window at the front of the house is breathtaking, and Smith hired a glazier to restore and re-lead the entire masterpiece. Its romantic, knights-and-armor motif sets the tone for the entire home. “Our artisan told us that this was the largest stained glass window in Oklahoma. It was all in one section, which is unusual. Unfortunately it had begun to bow, but we were able to correct that by re-leading it into three, smaller panels.” Its beauty has been fully restored, and its structure is now sound.

The home was built in 1928, and its owners have been as colorful as its stained glass. Leslie Fain was its occupant from 1932-1936, and Lloyd Judd from 1936- 1948. Judd’s history includes time spent as a member of the World War I American expeditionary force in Siberia, but he was best known for waging a one-man war against the drilling of oil wells in Lincoln Terrace.

Smith loves the history of this home, and his careful and elegant restoration and renovation have brought it back to its former glory. Perhaps it’s even more beautiful now, poised and ready for its next century and newest inhabitants.

story: Stacy D. Johnson

photographs: Sarah Strunk