5 Hidden Possibilities for Older Houses
- 1. One thing that I look for immediately is hardwoods hidden under carpets. With the properties that I buy about 20% of them have hardwoods that no one has seen for well over a decade or two. The easiest way to look is to find a vent or an air return and take the metal grate out and peel up the carpet. Just take a peek and see what is under there. If you plan on replacing the carpet anyways then just pull it all up and see what the floors look like. Even if the hardwoods are in bad shape you can usually still save them. People like the look of “aged to perfection” hardwood floors. Ive even sanded and stained old original soft wood sub floor and it looked amazing. That house sold immediately.
- 2. Turn unused attic space into valuable square footage. About half the houses that I buy have an attic that is completely waisted space. Finishing an attic is a relatively low cost way to add significant room to a house. Typically you are looking at drywall work and carpet. What if there are no stairs up to the attic? Easy, add a spiral staircase! You can buy a spiral staircase for $500 to $1000, and pay a few hundred for the install. Another idea for some properties is to blow out the ceilings and create a vaulted and open concept. Buyers and renters love tall ceilings and open floor plans.
- 3. Expose a hidden brick chimney. Lots of older homes have brick chimneys buried under plaster or drywall. If its possible its nice to simply demo the drywall and show the brick. You can use the brick as a design element to feature the houses old and original characteristics. Now you can use the phrase “exposed brick” as a selling feature and your buyers will eat it up!
- 4. Another very rare situation that I have run across before is vinyl or aluminum siding covering up original wood siding thats in good shape. Its definitely worth looking under that siding to see if its possible to bring the original wood siding back to life. Even if a good portion of the wood is rotten or missing it still might be worth it to restore. If its just a rental property then it might not make sense but if you are flipping an older home its definitely value added to get rid of the vinyl or aluminum.
- 5. Look for a wall in the kitchen or living room that you can get rid of. Open floor plans are not only in high demand, they are a must. If you plan on selling for top dollar then you need an open layout. Usually there is one wall in a kitchen that you can either get rid of all together or take out the top half to create extra counter space or a bar to sit at. Preferably the wall you plan on removing is non load bearing. But even if it is load bearing ask your contractor about possible other solutions to achieve an open concept.
Comments (4)
A bit late to this post but still holds true! Great tips Ryan, thanks for sharing!
Marcia Dabrowski, over 5 years ago
Great Tip! Thanks for sharing!!
Bob Mastroianni, almost 8 years ago
It's too bad you cannot +1 blog posts like forum comments!
Justin B., almost 8 years ago
Loved the ideas Ryan! As I get more seasoned, I can definitely see myself using some of these!
Frankie Woods, over 9 years ago