You know the house ,you've been in it; the one where there are so many additions, kooky corners, halls to nowhere, you're not sure if you're in someone's home or a carnival fun house. No homeowner starts out with that intention; it's a slow evolution: One owner may enclose the garage for a bedroom. Another owner wanted a family room, and tacked one onto the back, or even, front of the house. Some expansions are well done, but many are just half-baked.
Then, there are those houses that have "great bones" (balanced style), but need the house doctor to help mend them. And, it usually doesn't take more than a drive-by to recognize the problem. And, that's part of my passion for real estate: Taking the puzzle and making sense out of it.
So, let's consider some examples of exceptional opportunities to turn HMMM into Ah Hah! And, all on a budget!
Take House #1, the cute red brick. You can tell from the front it has great bones, but needs some tweaking to really make it sing. So, some white paint, and tidy landscaping, oval windows, (Or, for a less expensive solution, large outdoor lanterns, and a little carpentry to enhance the front door pediment, and, it's a must-have gem.
House #2 is the brick "modern" that look like a couple of double-wides got glued together, and an emphasis on DREARY seemed to be the architect's mantra. But, look at the simple fix. Again, white or light paint, a handyman-created tall water feature to highlight the entrance wall, some oversized pavers, and, for pennies on the dollar, the value of the house just skyrocketed.
House #3 is my favorite, because it poses the greatest challenge. It's a little 50's house expanded sort of helter skelter over the decades. But, before someone tears it down, look how a little paint, some creative use of wood siding, and an inexpensive wood-fenced courtyard transform it into a cohesive, hip, inviting haven.
That's what AT HOME WITH LANCE WILLIAMS is all about: Helping you prepare your home for the market, or helping you see the possibilities of a place that sparks for interest, but lacks fire in the belly. Bang for the buck; for the home you own or the one you're looking to buy. OH WHAT A LIFE!