Jamie Hunsberger Real estate & Design
Beer Goggles: The Top 12 Easiest Ugly Things You Can Fix in a Potential Home
No home is perfect…even in new construction. If you want a perfect home, I only know one perfect carpenter, and he’s not taking new home building clients currently.
These are the top ugly things you can easily or relatively cheaply fix in a home you might be considering to buy.
1 – Age
Ok, you can’t fix the age. I get it. But age does not necessarily equate to severity or volume of repairs. You should check HVAC systems, roof etc, but the overall age of the house isn’t an instant red flag.
2 – Paint Color
Don’t be alarmed by paint colors and you would be shocked at how much paint color transforms both the interior and exterior of a home.
3 – Wallpaper
Cosmetic things are normal. You can “easily” swap it out.
4 – Kitchen Appliances
Welcome to homeownership! Appliances seem to be built to fail after a certain number of years. You can’t expect 10-20 years life spans from your refrigerator or dishwasher anymore anyway.
5 – Cabinet Hardware
Very easy to swap this. However, the hole placement is (nearly) there to stay.
6 – Carpet
The cheapest of the floor coverings, and most temporary. Who knows, you might have hardwood floors under there!
7 – Funky Odors
Not including mold and moisture, a little time, replacing carpets or repainting takes care of most odor. Then just generally the change in cooking and living practices usually transforms or eradicates normal pet or living odors.
8 – Curb Appeal
Often the source of the most hidden savings in a home. Trim some trees & bushes, weed, mow and care for the lawn and suddenly the largest eyesore of a home becomes its greatest asset.
9 – Popcorn Ceilings.
This can be scraped out and updated pretty quickly. However, we do recommend trying to accomplish this before moving in. It’s certainly messy, though there are some pretty cool YouTube videos out there. Here’s a guy in kilt teaching you how to do it. Maybe don’t take that one as seriously. Here’s a great clean way of doing it with video that I recommend.
10 – Weathered Deck
As long as there isn’t any wood rot or decay, a weathered deck just needs a good power washing and a stain. One of the easier upgrades.
11 – Dated Cabinets
12 – Door Hardware
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