Our in-between home
The movers will be here on Monday morning. I had imagined that our moving day would be the perfect 75 degrees outside and we would be hanging pictures and fluffing pillows in new home before 5pm on moving day. Expectations vs Reality has hit me like a ton of bricks, and reality is it’s time Ready or Not! We might not have countertops in the kitchen or plumbing in any of our bathrooms, but we have to get out of our current home because it’s SOLD! The last few weeks of the building process have been tough, the finish line is so close and so far away at the same time. We are in constant crisis management mode, some of the improv changes we have had to make are going to be even better than our original intension, but that will be another blog post for another day!
When we decided to build our new home, we bought a smaller home that we could live in during the building process that needed a few cosmetic updates. But I knew she was one that we could turn around and sell fast and boy did we ever! We have loved this house! It has served us so well during our build. There was no better time to buy a house with a pool than 2020!
To me, this house is a great example of what any homeowner could/should do to treat their home as a smart investment. When I’m working with clients, often times my job is to show them the potential that a home has. It doesn’t matter if we are looking at a $100,000 home, or a $1M home, there is always something that a buyer wants to tweak- and that is normal! Most buyers want to put their stamp on a new home in some form or fashion.
Before I go into a list of ‘could and should do’s’ here are a few thoughts to keep in mind:
How long are you going to be in that house?
This is such an important point to consider. If you know that this home is not your ‘forever home’ or that it is a ‘starter home’, please don’t break the bank when picking out finishes.
Refacing cabinet doors and painting the existing bases is basically money in the bank.
One of the easiest ways to give a home a facelift is to reface cabinetry, doors and drawers. Its the most cost effective way to make a major change in your kitchen, and give you the opportunity to select some of the fun things-like hardware!
Embrace the floor plan you have to work with, pretty please!
This is one of the most important renovation tips I could ever give. You will save yourself SO MUCH money if you can resist the urge to move walls and plumbing. Renovating is similar to putting on makeup accentuate what you have and conceal what isn’t working for you.
If cosmetic updates make you happy-then go for it!
If changing light fixtures, paint, tile, carpet, wallpaper makes your heart sing, then by all means change it! Just be mindful about what is reasonable for your home’s value, unless it is an item that you adore and plan to take with you. For example, a friend of mine fell head over heels in love with a chandelier for her dining room. It was pricier than what I would typically recommend she use for a light fixture in a starter home, she adores it and plans to move it to their next home. Let’s normalize enjoyment cost, life is too short!
With all of the above thoughts in mind, I looked at this sweet home we were going to inhabit during our build, and figured out what I could do with that strategy in mind.
That strategy being:
we need a place to stay while our home is being built (1-1.5 years)
during that year we would really enjoy updated bathrooms (bonus points because that will help resale)
This house is going to be on the market pretty quickly, how can I capitalize on curb appeal?
We freshened up with exterior paint from a creamy yellow to a neutral beige and cleaned up the landscaping.
For the interior we kept the original plumbing layout but updated the bathrooms with new tile, refaced cabinets, fresh hardware, new light fixtures, quartz countertops, new vanity in the master bathroom and what a difference! We also replaced the existing brass doorknobs with brushed nickel knobs.
In the kitchen, we refaced all the cabinet doors, drawer fronts, added new hardware, and added new granite. I also replaced the light fixture over the dining room table. Lighting is such an easy way to update any space, its a quick fix that offers instant gratification. Kitchens and bathrooms make or break a buyers decision to jump on a home, so those were my main focuses.
I also replaced the entry hall light fixture. First impressions are everything.
When it was time we did not have any issues selling it, and I feel good about passing it off to the next family. We are so thankful for this little project that housed us while we built again!!