My parents recently bought a second residence in Clearwater, Florida. It is about 15-20 minutes from Clearwater Beach, and pretty conveniently located. Let me rephrase, it’s 10 minutes from the gym I joined and 15 minutes from Target. That’s all I really need.
For a little background, my dad is a carpenter by trade (as is my grandpa and uncle), but he worked as a building inspector for 25 years. Now, for his retirement job, he is a licensed realtor. We both share a love for real estate, and I plan to invest in rental properties. As for this project, it is a slight fixer upper. Or so we thought…
My dad and I left Michigan early Sunday morning, spent the night in Atlanta, and ended up at our place Monday afternoon. It is now Friday, and I have already learned so much. Here are my top ten tips if you are planning on buying anything that is not “turn-key.”
Do not underestimate how long things take, add a *significant* time buffer, painting will take two days, not one
Do not underestimate how much things cost, add a *large* monetary buffer, Home Depot trips are not cheap
Sacrifice style for comfort at first, be willing to temporarily leave crappy carpet if it means setting up your bed frame to sleep
Prioritize creating a zen space (typically a bedroom), this way, you can retreat to a safe space after a long day of work
Paint everything a fresh white, this immediately brightens up any room and will have you proud of you progress
Finish bathrooms ASAP, if they do not have god-awful tile bathrooms a fresh coat of paint and some Lysol is all you need
Clean as you go, do not leave a heaping pile of cardboard to pick up “later,” you’ll regret this when it’s time to go to bed
Keep the temperature low, this may sound silly but nobody wants to sweat their booty off while laying flooring or moving boxes
Furniture is freeing, setting up your living room couch and dining room set signifies that things are finally coming to a close
Have fun, decorating is my favorite part of finishing a new space, so get creative and hang some beautiful artwork
Patience is key. During any renovation, it is so important not to get ahead of yourself, and it is more important not to get frustrated. This is easier said that done. For anyone new to real estate, like myself, I recommend buying a place that only needs cosmetic work. Moving a sofa is already a pain. The last thing you want to do is to gut a kitchen. Freshening up with a coat of white paint, changing out carpeting for Lifeproof flooring, and adding cute decorative pieces can make your house a home. Just be sure to have an extra set of hands because this whole flipping thing looks a lot easier on HGTV;)