Before we picked a single countertop on our Portsmouth 4-unit, we made the code list

Closing day, my contractor and I walked every unit and both basements. Line by line.

The first pass was about what has to be fixed no matter what the building looks like when we're done.

Here's what made that list:

1. A new fire alarm system for the whole building (already in the budget)

2. A half bath where the toilet-to-vanity clearance isn't up to code, so it gets shrunk or rebuilt

3. Fireplaces that need to be blocked so a tenant can't light one

4. Knob-and-tube wiring in the basement that we're verifying, plus a full rewire of the studio

5. A floor joist that needs to be sistered, and lolly columns to add

None of that shows up in listing photos. None of it raises the rent.

But skip any of it and you've got an insurance problem, an inspection problem, or a buyer's inspector killing your sale in the spring.

So here's how I sort a scope now. Must-do items first: code, safety, structure. Then the upgrades a renter or buyer will actually pay for. Everything else stays as is.

Honestly, the must-do list is the one that protects the budget. Price it first, and you know what's left for the stuff people see.

What's the first thing on your must-do list when you walk an older building?

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