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New Jersey's real estate power couple does it every day.
Steingraber, a real estate investor, and Pais, the founder of Signature Realty NJ, are showcasing their skills on A&E's latest home renovation show "24 Hour Flip," which premiered last month.
The show gives viewers an inside look at what goes into a 24-hour home renovation at the hands of Steingraber and Pais.
Pais' plan was to become a lawyer, but while working as a secretary at a real estate brokerage during her college career, she fell in love with real estate.
"I got my real estate license strictly as a backup plan," the Morris County mom tells Daily Voice. "After two weeks I sold my first home and I never forgot the feeling — it was euphoric. I decided right then and there i was my career, and what I was destined to do."
Pais never finished college, and instead, dove head first into real estate.
Years later, she met Steingraber at a "stinky, moldy" home in Springfield. Steingraber had hoped to become one of Pais' clients, but in the beginning, they clashed, Pais said.
"We didn't get along at all," she said. "It was one of the worst meetings ever."
Five years later, Pais attended an event by NJ Real Estate Social Network organized by Steingraber. Of course, when she signed up, Pais had no idea that she'd be supporting her real estate foe. But after hearing him speak that night, Pais said, "I knew I was going to marry that man."
The two began dating shortly after the event and eventually got married and had a daughter together.
The idea for a 24-hour home renovation came to Steingraber due to ongoing frustration with having to wait between six and eight months to finish a project, his wife explained.
"He was on the verge of quitting the business all together," Pais said. "He would go to sell a house and wouldn't make much profit because of all the carrying costs. So, he decided, why can't we renovate homes in 24 hours?"
Pais was the first to tell him it was a crazy idea. But he came up with a model in which he'd have 50 to 60 workers on hand at any given time. They'd come on site for 12 hours on Friday, and then another 12 hours on Saturday.
"There's a lot of preparation and organization that goes into it, but [Steingraber] has mastered his craft," Pais said.
Prior to the A&E show, Steingraber successfully complete about 50 24-hour home renovations.
"It's become second nature to him," Pais said. "It's not easy and there's a lot of chaos, we run into many unexpected problems, but that's why the show is so great. You get to see everything and it's not your typical renovation show."
24 Hour Flip airs every Saturday at 12 p.m., on A&E.
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