330 Homes Fall 2021

d r e a m h o u s e

CARE TAKE by KELLY PETRYSZYN and photos by TYLAR CALHOUN

A worn-down historic Akron home gets a restoration.

T his 1919 century home in west Akron needed some love. Its cream siding was stained with dirt, its landscaping was dead and its electrical and plumbing were out of date. But Aaron and McKayla Hale saw its potential as a rental that uplifts. Finding good beyond the surface is what Aaron, a Bath native and a U.S. Navy and Army veteran, does. He lost his eyesight when an IED exploded during a tour in Afghanistan with the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit. He later lost his hearing, and after cochlear implants,

he can hear out of his left ear. As each challenge arose, he kept persisting. “A friend of mine said, It’s only a disability when you let your limitations stop you ,” he says. “So I found a way around my limitations.” He married McKayla, a longtime family friend who had a crush on him, and they live with their 2-year old twins and 10-year-old in Florida. Now, Aaron is focused on his passions: cooking and real estate. The Hales own the successful Extra Ordinary Delights online treat company, through which Aaron posts

cooking TikTok videos, and got into real estate to reinvest their earnings for their retirements and kids. Aaron’s mom, Carol, still lives in Akron, so she scouts locations. They then buy and fix properties for rent, including a long-term rental in Green, a duplex in Highland Square and this 1,900-square-foot historical home in west Akron. Aaron finds purpose in helping out. “We’re rehabbing homes that need a little TLC,” he says. “We’re putting some

sort of value back into my hometown, which I absolutely love.”

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