All Forum Posts by: Valerie Hiscoe

I didn't read @Account Closed's post before finishing a posting mine so I've just got to add that her ideas are awesome.  And black as an accent or trim color does look very sharp.

@Nikolas Ferreira had some really helpful ideas. I especially agree with taking away the shutters. They unbalance the look of the house, You might want to add more substantial frames around the windows but, if so, I'd add height before adding width. Besides, I think there's some rule that you need at least three windows with shutters. I don't know why. If you're replacing the windows, you could inquire about those with a grid pattern in the top third or fourth for the front of the house. Another option, although I'm not sure what the ROI would be, is adding a Victorian-type porch along the full width of the front of the house. It would suit the style and shape, and play up the roof's varied pitches as a real feature. It's the kind of house that you could throw a little whimsy in with the color of the front door too, instead of going with wood or white. The front entrance is always the most important part of curb appeal. Garden-wise, I'd take all of that hedging away in front because it distracts from, rather than highlights, the front entry you want to make inviting. You're probably better to just have grass in that area. If you could take the same size and shape type plant as that hedge though, and put it underneath the windows along the foundation, that would be ideal - any row of identical plants on both sides of the door would suffice. The lightpost is also a bit distracting where it is, at least from the angle of the photo, and should probably either be moved or replaced - maybe a row of landscaping lights instead. The sidewalk to the front door looks a bit rough and I think Nikolas was right to suggest softening and widening it - plants are one option - just a row of bricks along each side could be another. Grey is a super popular color right now. You could add a soft brown as an accent color and the fence would look like it fit right in instead of looking a bit faded. You'd still want to use white for your trim though. The gutters look a bit frail so white could make them pop. Although you don't really paint gutters so, my bad. It's better to use the soft brown (for example) or any other color other than white for the garage door. It's not something you want to draw attention to I don't think.

It looks like a nice little house.  Best of luck with your work on it!

I'd just check with a local realtor but my understanding is that a bedroom is differentiated from, say, a den or study, by a closet.  I don't think it can be called a bedroom without one, although that may vary locally.  As @Byron Bohlsen  and @Jason Gass mentioned, the window will need to be large enough to be classified as an egress window (check with your building department for specifications).   It's likely that the substantial value you add by increasing the number of bedrooms will outweigh the cost of increasing the size of the window.  And with 9ft ceilings?  Go for it!

Hi Rick

The multiple ideas from @Patrick Liska were great, especially making a feature out of a problem area.  I've done quite a bit of landscape design and if you post a photo, I'd love to see what you're working on.  The power of curb appeal and outdoor entertainment space are often not fully capitalized on but it sounds like you're aware of the benefits. (P.S.  Flowers are nice but for your purposes - for any flip - shrubs, trees and groundcovers are probably better and flowers are just for pots)

Buy your personal residence. Renting will be paying someone else's mortgage. Once you've purchased the property, build or use the equity in your home to invest. For example, if you used your $50k to purchase a $150k residence, you may be able to get a home equity line of credit (HELOC) for 80% of the value of your home, less your mortgage. In this case, 80% of $150k is $120k less the mortgage you owe on the home ( $150k-$50k=$100k) so $120k-$100k=$20k that you could use towards a deposit on an investment property. It's even better if you can follow the above advice from @Andy Smith and purchase a duplex or house with an in-law suite or something like that. You'll need to pay more for a multi-family and therefore wait a little longer before you can leave 20% equity in the property and still take out enough for a down payment but you'll be building wealth either way. And as far as I know, owning one's own home is a highly desirable trait that bankers look for and you DEFINITELY want to make bankers happy.

My advice would be to get in touch with a mortgage specialist who understands investing before you make any decisions.  Right now your financial foundation and your growth strategy is probably more important than finding tax deed sales etc. Find a local real estate club and ask for referrals or ask on the forums here.

Best of luck and congratulations on your new baby!! 

@David Handel has answered one of my personal questions about spraying because my experience with spraying paint has been an absolute nightmare - clogs, sputters, etc no matter how much it's thinned ( making multiple coats necessary). Not only that but you have to be very selective about the areas of application where you choose to use spraying - there can be so much taping off to do that you could paint the same space twice for the time you use.  As well, if you don't use a commercial sprayer which feeds straight from a 5 gallon pail (which I rented from Home D), you have to refill the paint compartment literally every 5 minutes with the personal use sprayers that you purchase. VERY messy and time consuming.  In short, I'd leave spray painting to the experienced unless you are doing something like cabinet doors which you've removed and are doing in an enclosed area.  I'd go for a self-leveling paint first though.  There's also a Zinsser brand additive that you can use for that.  Exterior applications might be OK too in that regard but the outdoor temperasure would add additional complications to clogging etc.  In short, no matter which paint you use, developing a Zen countenance with speed and precision, using quality tools (and matching the right ones to the job) and planning on doing two coats unless you're just refreshing  the colour (tinting a primer for one of those coats can be very multi-functional, saving you from spot priming as well as saving you money) is probably your best goal for d.i.y. success.  You can experiment for fun but don't waste as much time as I did doing things wrong to find a shortcut.

Cheap paint is very expensive so buy good paint at the best price you can, minimize variety, use the right tools, and learn to accurately estimate your needs.  Even if you need to work up to earning a discount at your chosen store, I've found following those principles to be the most helpful. 

Thank you for posting.  All very neutral.

Professional photos would probably kick up the impact even more if they're for MLS

I can see how two different colours of roofing would look odd.  What might be easier than trying to change the roof colour is to blend one or the other in.  For example, paint the house light brown to match the roof and add dark grey and white trim.  If it would be too dark and imposing, it might be better to use dark grey paint for the body and use light brown trim - say maybe for shutters or around the door, and make it pop with the highlights of white.  You could probably make it look really nice and all shades of grey are popular right now.

Hi Caleb

Fingers crossed for you that your deal goes through as hoped!  Looks exciting.  How does it stack up in the analysis department?  The guides and tools in the drop down menu of 'Education' above are great to run through again before you close.  They're so helpful!  Although you're planning to live in the property for two years, don't forget the adage "You make the most money on the day that you BUY" so keep the end game in mind.

I love design dilemmas and I'm either certified or fairly experienced in everything from staging to landscape design so these are fun questions for me.  If staging can make such a difference to the speed and/or price of a sale, just think how much difference the overall design can make, so you're wise to take it seriously.  Consulting with a college or design school would be a creative and economical decision, especially as you have the time.  Houzz is a good tool as well but you might have to be predisposed to being interested and selective in that kind of thing.  You need to keep your market in mind and not be over-influenced with great looking (and expensive) designs.  Know your market!!! and ensure that's who you design for.

Even before you posted the photos, there were a few general suggestions that I hoped might be helpful.  In the bathroom, the guiding principle is to always to try to keep the toilet where it is.  You can spin it left or spin it right or maybe even move it an inch or two (a hassle) but design around it.  All the modern tubs/showers are being tiled. The tub-surrounds of yesteryear are out.  Focus on counter space and add storage wherever possible.  Use the biggest mirror you can.  Spend your money on trendy faucets and good lighting.  They don't  cost much more but pay big dividends.  Keep colour neutral (beige, white or grey to continue the theme of the rest of the house - which should also be all in the same colour family). Use pattern and texture - not colour - for variety: translation: use more than one type of tile in the bathroom differing only in size, style or texture.  Not all the same because you don't want your property to be labeled a cheap humdrum 'builder's special'.

For the kitchen - the owners before you set the stage for you to have the number one most requested item for the kitchen -  an island.  Ideally with a bar stool eating counter. I'm hoping you're planning on changing the cabinetry so you can move the stove closer to the sink (your building code will tell you how much space you need to leave between them - any local cabinet shop will be able to tell you off the top of their head). Moving the stove will allow you to 1) reconfigure to an L-shaped kitchen, thus creating more counter, cupboard, storage space and, 2) be a great incentive to replace the fan with another trendy 'must have' - a cool new hood fan. A tile backsplash is another component of the modern kitchen.

Adding an eating area is probably possible as well but is a little harder to explain or be sure of without floor plans etc.  You'd end up losing your island but a pull up bar stool counter would still be possible. 

So don't worry - you have a multitude of great options.  Check and double check your numbers and then move on to checking out the competition in your market. It'll be fun.