Meet Charlie Bennett of Bennett Atherton Investments

Based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, Charlie Bennett is the CEO and a founding partner of Bennett Atherton Investments, a firm that buys, restores, and sells houses. He's a licensed realtor and active real estate investor with a passion for rehabbing old homes. As a lifelong resident of Tonka Bay, MN, Charlie is an expert on the small, yet complicated markets that make up the Lake Minnetonka area. Learn more at http://www.ba-invests.com.

1. How did you first get into buying and selling houses?

I was a used car salesman. It wasn't a career I was too enthusiastic about which was a real problem in my life as my Dad and both grandparents were all car dealers. There was a local eyesore property, and I drove by it every day. I had no money and no experience, but I was certain we could bring it back to life. My mother is a designer, and I had seen her do some pretty neat projects. I didn't have enough money to buy anything on my own, so I found a business partner, Richard Atherton. We bought our first property for $85,000 and sold it "for sale by owner" for $240,000. The rest is history.

2. What are some of the most important things to change and update when you sell a house?

If you're on a budget, start with THE INSIDE!!! It's where you live. It's what you see the most. I would rather have a rockstar interior and an average exterior than vice versa! Wouldn't you? The art of living is living in art :)

3. How has the housing market changed in Minnetonka, Minnesota over the past few years?

I focus exclusively on Tonka Bay, Shorewood, and Excelsior. It's a very small area geographically. Many houses are turning over for the first time in well over a decade. A properly priced home is moving quickly, so offers need to be quick and near full asking price.

4. What makes a house a good investment for you--or in other words, how do you choose which properties to buy?

I'm looking for properties within Minnetonka School district. We buy and remodel everything as if we're moving in. We want good bones (layout) with a good lot. Cosmetics don't matter in the slightest bit as we're remodeling 100% anyway. Unfinished square footage is a bonus!

5. For anyone reading this who wants to get into investing in properties and fixing them up to resell, what's your advice?

My advice is to consult experts. I'm part of a multi-person team. I'm the real estate / investment side, my designer designs, and my builder builds. Trying to wear all the hats is not a good idea.

Thanks, Charlie!

Minnesota Artist Lori Norman on Creating Art with Found Materials

Below is a guest post written by visual artist, Lori Norman. Lori was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota and still resides in Anoka County. She is married to a patient man who indulges the visions in Lori's head that result in her unique artwork. She has raised two seemingly normal children, has no credit card debt, and regrets not having the opportunity to ask her Swedish maternal grandfather and Swedish paternal great grandfather, "Of all places, why Minnesota?"

Lori's family is supportive by presenting her with unusual discards to challenge her creativity and organizational skills. She dreams of winning the lottery so she can have a shed dedicated to housing numerous odd findings for her art projects and reclaim the dining room table for its intended purpose. A true Minnesotan, she enjoys each season and frequently complains about the excessive heat or excessive cold, waiting for the day the weather is "just right."

Lori is new to the Twin Cities art scene and has had three public showings of her work. She will be participating in this year's Art A Whirl in Minneapolis, Minnesota in May 2014. She sells her work on Etsy, and you can see more samples of her art on MNartists.org, an online gallery of work by Minnesota artists.

In the first-person essay below, we gain some inside perspective on Lori's process as an artist.

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I work with "found" or vintage items and add hand-crafted elements to create interesting scenes or characters. Used objects have their own personalities or "patina."

It is hard to put my artwork into just one category. Some pieces have a semi-steampunk style, and others have a whimsical folk art style. My art is meant to be fun. Because the materials I combine are not found on conventional store shelves (but rather at estate auctions, thrift stores, or yard sales), it would be difficult to duplicate.

I enjoy watching people recognize the individual components of a piece and seeing the smiles. I am most often asked, "How do you come up with that?" And I guess the answer is really that I have developed a way to look at things differently. Where a sketch artist sees objects as lines to be drawn, I see the things I choose for my art not only as they are, but for what they could become. Using recognizable elements in a unique way draws people into the piece, evokes memories, and generates conversation. The artwork becomes personal to the viewer.

Sometimes my inspiration is the object, in itself. For example, an vintage manual typewriter element may look like a bird's feet, or an clip-on earring may look like the body of an insect. I might also begin with an idea based on a phrase, song, or story, and I'll seek items to illustrate the concept. As I begin a piece, new ideas may emerge as I work with the different elements. The end result may not be what I initially intended it to be.

The pieces combined can be surprising. And the materials I use to craft additional elements can also be unexpected. Although I often use polymer clay, the supplies I keep in bulk include shrink plastic, wire, markers, ink, resin, and paint. Paper is also an option and is more versatile than people may realize. I have also, by trial and error, learned which glues work best with different elements.

Perhaps by necessity, I learned at an early age that one person's junk may become my next treasure. It became fun to search or stumble upon a great item at a great price, and even more fun when people admire it without knowing its history. Weekends of thrift store shopping, visiting garage sales, and attending auctions for fun prepared me to "go off the beaten path" in creating my sculptures. After a period of upcycling functional pieces, it was only natural for me to become interested in assembly art. I continue to enjoy "junk shopping." Thrift stores have become my art supply venue.

Thanks, Lori!