My Favorite Home Improvement

Better Than Earplugs!

Good fences make good neighbors.

--proverb

No, they won't literally make your home bigger.

It'll just feel that way, especially if you have kids.

What am I referring to?

Solid core doors.

About $150 more than their hollow counterparts, solid doors are the cheapest way I know to make a home feel more private -- with the possible exception of ear plugs.

Solid doors also are a big hit with prospective Buyers, who (correctly) associate them with quality construction.

P.S.: My favorite piece of home technology? Eye hook locks for 89 cents that keep my office and master bedroom off-limits.

Putting Money Into Your Home -- Smartly

Home Improvements: 'The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly'

Pornography is hard to define, but I know it when I see it.

--Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart

Oddly, I could say the same thing about good home improvements: they're hard to define, but you know one when you see one (ditto for home improvements that are bad or otherwise "off").

If you forced me to come up with a definition, it would be that a good home improvement is organic and accretive; the "acid test" is whether, when it's done, it seems like it's always been there.

In that vein, a neighbor on my block is in the middle of what looks like a $15k or so landscaping project.

The focal points: neatly defining the (formerly scruffy) perimeter of the front yard with a limestone retaining wall, which subtly picks up the decorative stone highlights in the nearby Tudor home (and takes the home's already strong curb appeal from a "7" to a "10"); and a decorative stone walkway from the home's front entrance to the sidewalk.

When it's done, no one -- excepting the owner and perhaps a few neighbors -- will be able to tell it wasn't original.

Nice. Very nice.

P.S.: as I've written previously, late Fall (around Halloween in MN) is a good time to get a landscaping deal.

The Contractor's Kids Always Go Barefoot??

Factor #2: Lots of In-Process Projects

The original version of the above quote, of course, is "the cobbler's kids always go barefoot."

The idea is that they're so busy attending to their client's needs that they neglect their own -- or their kids.'

But I've also observed that a lot of the contractors I know live in homes that are, shall we say, less than showcases.

A part of that is that they always seem to have a couple projects in progress, making things look especially disheveled.

But I think another piece of that is that, when you can fix it yourself -- schedule allowing -- what I'll call "deferred maintenance" isn't so scary.

For run-of-the-mill homeowners (like me!), I don't recommend it.

The Downside to Pitching Upside Potential

"Just Needs Your Cosmetic Touches"

When the home you're selling is lit by the equivalent of kerosene lamps, you've really got no choice: one way or another, you're going to have to inform prospective Buyers that they'll need to do extensive updating and/or remodeling (my favorite Realtor euphemism for that: 'Just Needs Your Cosmetic Touches!").

However, lots of times it's not so black-and-white.

When that's the case, I tread carefully, for the following two reasons.

One. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The Kitchen that was remodelled 15 years ago may be a little tired to one prospective Buyer . . . but a perfect fit for another.

Or, the prospective Buyer has lots of little kids and doesn't want a home with all the latest bells & whistles; they'd rather have the discount (and the extra space). Which leads to . . .

Two. You don't know the prospective Buyer's budget.

I remember showing a home just east of Lake Calhoun to clients who loved the neighborhood, but were stretching to afford it.

The showing was going great until the listing agent showed up (he was meeting other clients), and enthusiastically pointed out where he'd spend $50,000 on dormers to create a view of the lake from the now-dark attic.

There was no way my clients could afford that, and suddenly the home they liked fine the way it was seemed "less than." Though they didn't outright say it, I know it would have gnawed at them to own a house with potential they couldn't realize.

So, they opted for another home more within their budget, that felt complete the way it was.

Learning a New Home

Two "Do's" and One "Don't"

You just closed on your new home, and can't wait to put your "signature" on it.

What do you do first?

Smaller things, like paint and carpet -- by all means. Other projects, like refinishing hardwood floors, are also best tackled before you move in, due to the smell, dust, and general dislocation.

However, my advice to clients contemplating bigger projects (opening -- or closing -- load-bearing walls; doing a major expansion, etc.) is to wait until you've lived in the house for a period of time.

That way, you can learn the home a bit better, and prioritize what your needs are. You can also obtain contractor quotes at your leisure, instead of doing a "fire drill" to line up everything right after you close.

Two other recommendations:

One. Until you've learned the homes' mechanicals (furnace or boiler, water heater, a/c, kitchen appliances, etc.), consider getting an insurance policy to cover break-downs. Local utilities offer plans, as do companies affiliated with brokers (Edina Realty offers one through a company called HMS).

If nothing breaks, you've (wisely) spent a couple hundreds bucks on an insurance premium.

However, just one or two major malfunctions, and you're well ahead. After a calendar year covering the full range of seasons and weather extremes, you'll know whether to continue the policy.

Two. Don't switch contractors, at least right away.

Your Seller likely gave you the names of the various contractors who have taken care of their home (if not, the neighbors likely use the same people).

You may want to consider staying with the same vendors, at least initially.

A least for awhile, it's a good bet that the handyman who's been patching the sidewalk; the irrigation company that's been blowing out your sprinkler system every fall, etc. know your home better than you do.

That can save them time -- and you money -- when it comes to maintaining and fixing things.