Really Get To Know Your House

There’s a show on HGTV that I’ve seen a few times. It always goes something like this:

A lovely couple is living in a house that no longer works for them. One person wants to sell it.

And the other one wants to stay.

Then there’s a Designer. And a Real Estate Agent.

The Designer promises to make their home more functional.

And beautiful.

But the Real Estate Agent promises to find them a different house One that they’ll fall head over heels in love with.

And ditch their current home like yesterday’s leftovers.

So Lovely TV Show Couple gives Ms. Designer their wish list. It includes things like a brand new, more open kitchen. And a new laundry room. Plus a master suite. And a home office. And a playroom for the kiddos. Oh, and a finished basement. And a screened-in porch.

Then they tell Ms. Designer what their budget is for making their home this awesome thing of beauty.

And the Designer tells them, ‘Oh, yes, we can do that!’

Then Ms. Designer sets out to give Lovely TV Show Couple the home of their dreams.

But….

Oh, no!

There’s a problem…

Mr. Contractor tells Ms. Designer that there’s a structural issue. Or all the electrical needs to be updated. Or there’s termite damage. Or the HVAC system needs to be completely replaced.

And guess what?? It’s going to take money out of the budget to fix the problem. So now Lovely TV Show Couple can’t have their shiny new laundry room. Or their finished basement. Or their screened-in porch.

Now they’re the Ambushed, Disappointed, Irritated TV Show Couple.

You know, it’s one thing to see someone on TV get blindsided by unforeseen problems with their renovation.

But it’s really something you don’t want to happen to you in real life.

So if you’re doing your own renovation, how can you eliminate or at least minimize unexpected issues and costs with your remodel?

Easy…

GET A HOME INSPECTION

You’re going to want to know everything you can possibly know about the condition of your house.

Going in.

Before you ever take down one cabinet.

Or put a hammer through one inch of drywall.

It’s always a good idea to have a licensed home inspector thoroughly check your house inside and out.

Hopefully before you even buy it.

But definitely, before you start your renovation.

They can tell you about any issues that you might not know about. Like dry rot. Or a roof that needs to be replaced. Or wiring that’s not up to code. Or termite damage. Or any number of other pitfalls that could derail your project.

And send your budget out of control.

With a home inspection, you’re going to be way more likely to have a realistic idea of the scope of work that will need to be done.

And how much it’s going to cost.

So you’ll be going into your reno with your eyes wide open.

And probably avoid being the Ambushed, Disappointed, Irritated Homeowner.