Real Estate Agent Marketing on a Budget—Affordable Ideas From $0 to $50 per Month
You’ve probably heard the old cliche that you have to spend money to make money. But you’ve probably also heard the one about money doesn’t
The 10 Stages of Remodeling a Home That Needs a Lot of Work
So many houses and condos haven’t been given the proper TLC over the years. When shopping for a home, it’s not uncommon to find houses that, at best, haven’t been updated in decades, or, at worst, have fallen into a complete state of disrepair.
Some people are scared off by homes that need a lot of work, while others are brave enough to take on the challenge. And whether you decide to do the work yourself or hire a general contractor to manage the process, you’ll still have to go through the all-too-common stages of home remodeling.
So if you’re in the thick of a project (and a whole bunch of dust), just remember that you’re not alone. Here are the ten stages you should expect to go through when remodeling a home that needs a lot of work:
1. The optimism stage
“This won’t be so bad. Just a simple, one-month project. Out with the old, in with the new.”
2. The demolition/loud noises stage
It sounds (and smells) like a helicopter crashing through a Home Depot. And that’s before you try to rip out old flooring.
3. The finding out-it’s-worse than you thought stage
Good rule of thumb: there’s always gonna be something messed up behind a wall, or under the carpet, or above the ceiling, or…
4. The having-serious-doubts stage
Why didn’t I just go for the smaller, updated house…
5. The finally-completing-one-section-and-taking-photos-of-it stage
Progress! Snap a photo and post it to the ‘gram with the caption: “Still a lot of work to get done, but the new place is coming along! #homeremodel”
6. The realizing-you’re-way-over-budget-and-past-deadline stage
Just add twenty percent and two months to any estimate right off the bat.
7. The consider-selling-it-and-buying-an-updated-home stage
This is rock bottom, when you consider selling the half-finished home ‘as-is’, just to get out of it.
8. The week-when-there-finally-seems-to-be-a-lot-of-progress stage
Ahhhh, there’s an end in sight!
9. The last-hiccup-which-takes-forever-to-fix stage
It wouldn’t be a remodeling project if there wasn’t one nagging (but visually striking) piece that had to be custom ordered from Morocco.
10. The everything-is-done-and-it-was-totally-worth-it stage
But in the end, it’s always worth it. Everything is brand new and exactly how you wanted it.
