Fix It Up

Have you had an opportunity to watch one of those home remodeling/fixer-upper shows? There must be at least a dozen or so running at the moment, and I strongly recommend all of them. They’re really very impressive.

Their concept is simple. A very photogenic couple, usually married but not always, goes around town looking at a variety of homes until they find just the right one. And what is their criteria for “just the right one?” That’s easy – a house that’s a complete dump, an embarrassment to the entire neighborhood, maybe the entire town. That’s correct, an ugly, derelict eyesore that no one wants anything to do with.

The next step is a little trickier. They have to locate people who can not only pay the asking price for the house, but also be willing to drop roughly $100,000 or more on the renovation. Somehow they always manage to do this. Then once the money is secured, they get to work.

If the stars are aligned and luck is with them, the project will be completed within the agreed-upon budget and time frame, usually about three months. Personally, I have never seen any major home improvement project completed in anywhere close to that amount of time, but if nothing goes wrong, they seem to get it done. Things, of course, frequently do go wrong. The unexpected plumbing or electrical problems, foundation issues, or whatever will surface thereby necessitating an awkward phone call to the new owners, asking them to pony up an additional $20,000, give or take. This is always followed by a lot of agonizing and gnashing of teeth, yet in the end, they always do.

Then comes the big reveal. With all of the construction complete, and the staging and TV cameras in place, the new owners are led to the site where they get to see their newly renovated home for the first time. It’s at this point that they go into what appears to be a state of shock. With eyes popping and jaws dropped and perhaps even a few tears, it’s clear they are thrilled half out of their minds. It’s all just too much, beyond their wildest dreams.

At this point in the show, I’m always green with envy. How cool would that be?! I couldn’t really say because I’ll never know, but I’ll tell you this. If you’re considering buying some old, trashy, dilapidated, fixer-upper of a home, you might want to try and get on one of those shows. They do not disappoint. You can bet your bottom dollar on that. They do one heck of a bang up job. You can count on it. Your mind will be blown.Have you had an opportunity to watch one of those home remodeling/fixer-upper shows? There must be at least a dozen or so running at the moment, and I strongly recommend all of them. They’re really very impressive.

Their concept is simple. A very photogenic couple, usually married but not always, goes around town looking at a variety of homes until they find just the right one. And what is their criteria for “just the right one?” That’s easy – a house that’s a complete dump, an embarrassment to the entire neighborhood, maybe the entire town. That’s correct, an ugly, derelict eyesore that no one wants anything to do with.

The next step is a little trickier. They have to locate people who can not only pay the asking price for the house, but also be willing to drop roughly $100,000 or more on the renovation. Somehow they always manage to do this. Then once the money is secured, they get to work.

If the stars are aligned and luck is with them, the project will be completed within the agreed-upon budget and time frame, usually about three months. Personally, I have never seen any major home improvement project completed in anywhere close to that amount of time, but if nothing goes wrong, they seem to get it done. Things, of course, frequently do go wrong. The unexpected plumbing or electrical problems, foundation issues, or whatever will surface thereby necessitating an awkward phone call to the new owners, asking them to pony up an additional $20,000, give or take. This is always followed by a lot of agonizing and gnashing of teeth, yet in the end, they always do.

Then comes the big reveal. With all of the construction complete, and the staging and TV cameras in place, the new owners are led to the site where they get to see their newly renovated home for the first time. It’s at this point that they go into what appears to be a state of shock. With eyes popping and jaws dropped and perhaps even a few tears, it’s clear they are thrilled half out of their minds. It’s all just too much, beyond their wildest dreams.

At this point in the show, I’m always green with envy. How cool would that be?! I couldn’t really say because I’ll never know, but I’ll tell you this. If you’re considering buying some old, trashy, dilapidated, fixer-upper of a home, you might want to try and get on one of those shows. They do not disappoint. You can bet your bottom dollar on that. They do one heck of a bang up job. You can count on it. Your mind will be blown.Have you had an opportunity to watch one of those home remodeling/fixer-upper shows? There must be at least a dozen or so running at the moment, and I strongly recommend all of them. They’re really very impressive.

Their concept is simple. A very photogenic couple, usually married but not always, goes around town looking at a variety of homes until they find just the right one. And what is their criteria for “just the right one?” That’s easy – a house that’s a complete dump, an embarrassment to the entire neighborhood, maybe the entire town. That’s correct, an ugly, derelict eyesore that no one wants anything to do with.

The next step is a little trickier. They have to locate people who can not only pay the asking price for the house, but also be willing to drop roughly $100,000 or more on the renovation. Somehow they always manage to do this. Then once the money is secured, they get to work.

If the stars are aligned and luck is with them, the project will be completed within the agreed-upon budget and time frame, usually about three months. Personally, I have never seen any major home improvement project completed in anywhere close to that amount of time, but if nothing goes wrong, they seem to get it done. Things, of course, frequently do go wrong. The unexpected plumbing or electrical problems, foundation issues, or whatever will surface thereby necessitating an awkward phone call to the new owners, asking them to pony up an additional $20,000, give or take. This is always followed by a lot of agonizing and gnashing of teeth, yet in the end, they always do.

Then comes the big reveal. With all of the construction complete, and the staging and TV cameras in place, the new owners are led to the site where they get to see their newly renovated home for the first time. It’s at this point that they go into what appears to be a state of shock. With eyes popping and jaws dropped and perhaps even a few tears, it’s clear they are thrilled half out of their minds. It’s all just too much, beyond their wildest dreams.

At this point in the show, I’m always green with envy. How cool would that be?! I couldn’t really say because I’ll never know, but I’ll tell you this. If you’re considering buying some old, trashy, dilapidated, fixer-upper of a home, you might want to try and get on one of those shows. They do not disappoint. You can bet your bottom dollar on that. They do one heck of a bang up job. You can count on it. Your mind will be blown.