HGTV’s Cristy Lee helps a couple find a home that meets their storage, placement and layout needs. With a simple home renovation, they are able to build a living space that is exactly what they want. Here’s what happened last time at the show Steal this house.
Matt and Hilary need a bigger home
Lee helps Michigan residents Matt and Hilary find their new home. Lee says they’ve been looking for homes longer than most of her clients (it’s been more than a year). She finds it surprising because they aren’t looking for anything unusual.
One of the things Matt and Hilary want is a bigger kitchen because cooking is important to them. They also want to be able to see their children while they are in the kitchen, so an open concept is desirable. Additionally, Matt and Hilary are looking for a formal dining room because they want to host holiday dinners.
Matt hopes that Lee can find something for his family because they have outgrown their current home. “We can’t stay where we are,” Matt says. “It’s not big enough for us.” Their home buying budget is about $300,000. Lee’s goal is to find a suitable home within the $200,000 range.
Cristy Lee shows Matt and Hilary a colonial house
The first home Matt and Hilary see is a Colonial listed for $220,000. This would give them $80,000 for renovations. The house is only 15 minutes from the grandparents, which is useful because they look after Matt and Hilary’s children every now and then.
The home has almost everything the couple could want, but they don’t like the kitchen, which looks like it hasn’t been updated in years. Lee says the kitchen is the main reason the home hasn’t sold. According to her, kitchens increase the value of a home, which is why the list price is so low. Once they have renovated the kitchen, the home will increase in value.
Cristy Lee shows Matt and Hilary a ranch house
The second home Matt and Hilary see is a ranch house. The list price for the ranch home is $249,000, leaving the couple about $50,000 for renovations.
Lee says it has a lot of potential, but there are a lot of red flags that come with the house. A big problem is that it looks like there was water damage in the basement. Matt thinks they could still work with it, but Hilary is worried about the possibility of another basement flood.
After a few conversations, Matt and Hilary decided to go with the Colonial. Hilary liked the layout and Matt was happy to have room for all his music equipment.
A kitchen and basement renovation increased the home’s value
Lee started by renovating the kitchen. Her team removed the cabinetry, appliances and floor. The next big project was the basement. Lee and her team placed new flooring on top of the existing flooring and added cabinets for Matt’s musical equipment.
Lee says Matt and Hilary found a great deal with this house because it already fits their needs. They just needed the home to fit their style. The couple were impressed when they saw the result. Lee says that after the renovation and based on the current market value, their newly renovated home is now worth about $325,000.
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