When an abandoned high school in Munhall, Pennsylvania, was listed for sale in 2019, Jesse Wig saw an opportunity.
The sellers were asking for just $100,000.
The 34-year-old real estate agent bought the school and then reached out to a friend who connected him to Adam Colucci, a 35-year-old real estate investor and owner of an audio-video business.
“I was made aware of the school, and to be very honest, I wasn’t sure what made the most sense to do with the building,” Wig told CNBC Make It. “But for that price, I had to acquire it and hoped we could come up with a good option in the future.”
For two years, Wig and Colucci went back and forth on what to do with the structure. They considered a wedding venue, a beer garden, and even WeWork space.
All the professionals told us that the end of the road is going to be residential.
Adam Colucci
Real estate investor
“We had big eyes, and after two years of spinning our wheels, all the professionals told us that the end of the road is going to be residential,” Colucci said.
The two realized they needed help and connected with Dan Spanovich, a 41-year-old full-time developer, and multifamily property manager.
Dan Spanovich (left), Jesse Wig (middle), and Adam Colucci (right) bought the abandoned high school in 2019.
Dan Spanovich, Jesse Wig, Adam Colucci
“These old buildings can be very challenging to convert,” Spanovich said. “We were willing to take a risk regardless of what use we would have for it. We knew that at this cost, we would be able to find some use for it that would generate enough return to satisfy everybody.”
The former high school classrooms became new, modern apartments and the auditorium turned into a shared space. They added a gym to the ground floor.
The high school, which hadn’t been used for many years, was 50,000 square feet. And with that much space, the three partners were hoping to get about 60 apartments.
In the end, they were left with only 25,000 square feet of leasable square footage, which amounted to 31 apartments.
Originally, the bottom unit of the high school was used for storage.
Alexis Zakis
Colucci says it was important for them that the building retain some of the school’s historical elements.
“We worked closely with the National Park Services to ensure it kept its historical significance,” he said. “We went out of our way to ensure the school kept its historical look.”
The partners received historic tax credits from the federal level and the state of Pennsylvania though they wouldn’t disclose the exact amount.
After purchasing the school in May 2019, construction on the building started at the beginning of 2020 and wrapped in October 2021.
The partners transformed the bottom unit into a one-bedroom apartment.
Alexis Zakis
The finished product boasts 29 one-bedroom apartments and 2 two-bedroom apartments.
Leasing started in October 2021, and after just six months, the building reached 100% occupancy.
Spanovich said rent in the building ended up at $1,400 a month for some 1-bedroom units and up to $1,650 for 2-bedroom units.
When it comes to sharing profits and expenses, Colucci said that he, Wig and Spanovich split everything based on a proportional share of the building.
The high school was converted into 29 one-bedroom apartments and two two-bedroom apartments.
Alexis Zakis
The partners are already on to their next projects
When Colucci learned that the school across the street from their property was for sale, it was already under contract with another investor.
“I told the guys that if that deal ever fell through, they needed to jump on buying the building,” he said.
At first Wig was a bit hesitant, but Colucci and Spanovich were ready to go.
“Jesse came around, and we did acquire it, and I think it was an amazing move. We are very happy about it and have been very lucky,” Colucci added.
That second school, purchased in August 2020, cost them $90,000.
But Spanovich said their experience with this school has been very different. The first property needed to be renovated entirely.
The second one did not, but it did look like a haunted house.
“When the buildings look nice, you got a lot of people bidding on them, so you almost want them to look like haunted houses, so you have less competition,” Spanovich added.
This new property needed some extensive repairs that included fixing a leaky roof. They also needed to conduct an environmental study to make sure the structure of the building was in good shape, despite years of water damage.
The plan is for the second high school to have 33 residential units, consisting primarily of one-bedrooms and some studios.
“Someone once told me that you’ll go broke buying beautiful buildings, so be careful, Colucci said. “Luckily we have Dan on our team, and he was able to figure out the logistics to make it work.”
The partners said the game plan is for residents to be able to have access to the amenities from both buildings, like the auditorium in the first school, the double-decker parking garage, and a rooftop deck that’s available in building number two.
The partners shared renderings of what the apartments in the second building will look like.
Jesse Wig