In a way, I've made a career out of sweat equity, and I've enjoyed sharing what I've learned in the process. It's a great feeling to educate people on how to get into their first or fifth home in the most economical way possible.
If you're struggling to get on the same page as your partner and you're not able to agree when it comes to renovations, my suggestion would be to consider hiring a designer. The introduction of a third party moderator with expertise can help break the tie and offer a voice of reason.
Technology has really created new markets. For instance, Airbnb has created a high demand for executive short-term and vacation properties. Even 10 years ago, it was hard to find tenants without newspaper ads.
People automatically associate the caliber of the space based on the appliances.
The kitchen is the most valuable room in the home, so a smart kitchen reno will bring great return on investment.
The door hardware in kitchens is super simple to update. It's essentially a few screws, standard spacing. It's a few bucks a piece and it can make a huge impact.
And personally, one of the secrets I guess you can say with success on HGTV, for not only myself and a lot of other individuals who have shows, is that we truly do love what we do. We're passionate about real estate. We love design. We love seeing transformations. We love working with our hands.
So if the wall's cracked or you've got leaky faucets, or you've got mold issues, or some sort of damage to your home, selling a home that's got that kind of distress to it is the biggest mistake you will make, because immediately people who are fearful will walk away.
Trial and error does not work in real estate. It's way too expensive to learn from your own mistakes, you need to learn from others' mistakes.
I think that every homeowner has a fascination with real estate. You can't deny that it's such a huge player in our finances. It's probably the most expensive thing you'll ever purchase, so you're forced to pay attention.
A lot of times people get caught up in bidding wars, and will go way over what their price needs to be because they love the house so much.
Buying a house that needs work can be one of the best ways to stretch your budget. Why pay for someone else's upgrade?
I never thought I'd be doing TV shows about real estate.
No means maybe in real estate.
In my first home that I actually purchased, I built this nice little basement apartment, I moved into it, and I rented out the whole house upstairs. That allowed me to live there for free - because that's all I could afford.
I fell in love with real estate, renovations, and became a licensed contractor when I was 26.
I didn't come from a real estate background originally. I was going to school for business and was struggling to find a place to live because there weren't enough rental properties available to students.
Before purchasing a fixer-upper property, make sure to look at the numbers. It is easy to become emotionally attached to a house, and buyers can lose sight of the true costs of the renovation work.
I think a lot of people try to time the market when it comes to buying or selling a property or investing in real estate, but the real secret to real estate is not timing the market, but time in the market.
On average, you will pay less for a home on a Monday than you will on a Saturday and a Sunday.
