More and more people are choosing to take on a fixer-upper in pursuit of their dream home. When you buy a brand new home, there’s a limit to what you can do and how much value you can add. With a project, you have scope to inject your own style, and you could increase the value of the property significantly. There are lots of advantages to buying a house that isn’t in pristine condition, but there are also pitfalls. Here are some simple tips to help you turn a disheveled house into a dazzling home.
Budgeting basics
When you buy a fixer-upper, it’s essential to keep your eye on the ball when it comes to financing your plans. It’s not as simple as buying the house and paying for a new extension, for example. You’ll need to factor in the cost of all renovation and redecoration work as well as the agreed purchase price and sale fees. Get some quotes from building firms, and set yourself a realistic budget for interior design. You can spend any amount of money on furniture, kitchen units and flooring, so make sure your plans fit in with your budget and choose styles and materials that are affordable. Keep a record of everything you’ve spent, and make copies of invoices and receipts.
Priority jobs
When you’re planning a large-scale renovation, it can be tempting to focus on the end result, but it’s really important to get your priorities right. There’s no point in spending hours trawling the Internet for tiles for the bathroom or cupboards for the kitchen when the house is full of old furniture, broken washing machines, and rubbish and the wallpaper is peeling off the walls. Often, once you’ve drawn up plans with builders and architects, the best thing to do is clear the site. This will give you a much better idea of the space you have available, and it will enable you to move onto the next stage of the process. If you’re keen to get started as quickly as possible, call in favors from friends and family, get all hands on deck and take a look at www.samedayrubbishremoval.com.au. The sooner you can get rid of everything you don’t want, the better. Once the site is clear, you can start thinking about building or knocking down walls, laying down flooring, and plastering ceilings. We did this to our house - we lived in another apartment at the time and could afford to wait a little - and I have never regretted it!
Adding value
When you’re considering what to do with your new home, it’s beneficial to think about how you could add value. You want to create a gorgeous home, but you also want to protect, and hopefully, grow your investment. Examples of value-adding renovations include creating a large, spacious kitchen, adding a conservatory, converting lofts and basements and adding an extra bathroom. For more information and helpful tips, check out http://www.moneycrashers.com/7-home-improvements-to-increase-its-value/.
Are you about to begin the process of creating the home of your dreams? If you’ve bought an old house, you’re probably experiencing a mixture of emotions. You’ll be excited about the end result, but perhaps a little apprehensive about the work involved. Hopefully, this guide will come in handy and help you turn a disheveled house into a dazzling new home. My parents gave us our house and it was the definition of fixer upper so if you need any advice, information or just a shoulder to cry on, contact me! Maybe I can help :)
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