The Garcilazo Group buys, renovates, and turns—either renting or selling—an average of about 16 properties a month from the South Side of Chicago to the Wisconsin state line. Moving quickly to identify, purchase, and renovate houses, the company aims its marketing at investors.

The Group’s ability to find properties and quickly come up with a detailed scope of work requires successful management, as well as handling any number of local governments and their requirements concerning permitting. 

“We can deal with red tape,” says Garcilazo, 33, who started his first business at 21 after majoring in health care.

A streamlined process enables this machine to maintain steady speed. The company uses BuilderTrend, which “is like an electronic health record to a construction business” to keep projects moving.

Takeaways

  • Garcilazo looks for contractors who “don’t care about the business side” of building, but just want to work.
  • The firm connects through a wide network of trades to find the plumbers, electricians and other mechanical contractors to push the process. “When you rehab a house, there is a minimum of two bathrooms," Garcilazo points out. "We are doing mechanicals non-stop.”
  • The company uses BuilderTrend, which “is like an electronic health record to a construction business” to keep projects moving. The general contractors who work for Garcilazo Group know “you have to use our software," he says. "If it isn’t documented, I can’t back you up and I can’t fix it.”
  • Keys to profit include buying mid-grade materials at volume pricing, finding skilled contractors happy to have continuous work, and attaching these services to an investor. “My business,” Garcilazo says, “is to help you make an informed decision about what the home needs and the return you can get.”