The fixer-upper is a grand condition for home buyers. Finding the home that needs a little extra love and care can be a great way to find create your perfect home. You get the opportunity to turn a property into a dream house as well as preparing for the challenges of home ownership. When you’ve taken on your first fixer-upper home, few homes will prove a challenge to you. But to fix it right, you need to prepare.
Fixer Upper Home: Know your boundaries
There are different levels of fixer-upper and knowing where your boundaries are is important. You should carefully consider your budget. Are you willing to get a home improvement loan? What kind of waiting periods you can tolerate before a home is truly livable. Failing to understand your boundaries and you can see your home go way over budget or even end up unfinished.
Fixer Upper Home: Check all the essentials first
A big part of setting those boundaries is getting a thorough inspection of the home before the first offer is made. Look at the roof and consider what work might be needed to make it safe. For example, will it need a flat roof repair, or shingle replacements if it’s a sloped roof?
Also have a good look at the weatherproofing, the water and electrics and all the other essentials of being able to live in a home. Those essentials can be a lot costlier to get fixed, so they are the first things you need to check.
Know what you can tackle yourself
There’s a lot you can do yourself that can help you cut the costs of renovating a home. By doing your research, learning some DIY, and getting the right tools, you can create a list of tasks that you can handle yourself when the handymen are done in the home. But it’s a good idea to give those projects a try before you take them in the home. See what you’re willing and able to do before you commit yourself to something you can’t complete.
Build your contacts
If you’re moving to a new area, then you need to know the best services in that area. Build up a list of your needs and find the services that fit those needs. Directories like Handyman Connection that can put you together with the remodelers, the plumbers, the electricians and so on that you need. But finding out what those needs are comes first. You don’t want to hire someone with a specific set of skills only to find out they don’t have one that you later realize you need.
Research your options
If you want work to go as quickly as possible, then you should be researching fixture options now. You might not want to limit your style too much. Guides like Architectural Digest and having a shortlist of options for things like bathroom tiles, kitchen worktop surfaces, flooring types and such can be very helpful. Having to make those decisions later can get in the way of the work that has to be done.
A fixer-upper isn’t something that should be tackled on a whim. Plenty of research, plenty of work, and plenty of contacts need to be put in place. Only when your plan is complete should you ahead and get transforming.
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