The last couple years have seen pretty rough times for many Americans.  2011 was no exception.

Many of us have seen problems at work or watched loved ones lose their jobs. It hasn’t been pretty, but you kept at it.  You didn’t quit and here we are with one more year under our belt.

We are just like you.

Most of our colleagues in the home building community have moved on. Very few people are buying new homes. Many many homes are sitting in disrepair as the government or big banks figure out what to do with them.  It’s not a great time to be passionate about building homes.

Even so, we love building homes so much that we decided to fight through it.

The Insider Show idea was our answer.

We figured out a way do what we love and help people too.  Our teams got together from Chicago, Milwaukee, Rockford and Peoria to tell the story of how we’re doing it.  We’ll answer any questions, show anything we do.  No secrets.

We buy really bad homes.  We’ll even take homes when lightning strikes or mold attacks (see below).  Then, we fix them up how we’d want them ourselves, using stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops and vanities, and really nice floors of hardwood or tile.  We’re really proud of the homes we work on.

That is why we make our videos.

In the process we get to keep doing what we love, give hundreds of good people jobs, make new homeowners happy, and raise the values of neighborhoods in your area.

In 2011, we learned how to share our story with you.  In 2012, we look forward to hearing your story, getting more of your feedback, and including you in what we’re doing.

Thanks for a great year.  Thanks for helping us spread the word.

Thank you for helping us keep our jobs.

We appreciate you.

Here’s to a great 2012.  Cheers!

- Your friends at the Insider Show

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Some of the crazy houses from 2011