The House to Home blog series is sponsored by MKB Realtors.
Welcome to our home renovation blog series, where we dive into the process of buying and renovating a house in only a few weeks. This week’s post focuses on finding the right house in which to renovate and call home. See the first batch of “before” photos as we follow along in their remodeling adventure.
Searching for your new home can be a daunting process for anyone, even if they’ve bought homes in the previous years. Our new homeowners, Mr. and Mrs. White, who we’ll talk to over the coming weeks about their experience, are empty nesters, and nearly brand new to the area. After renting a house for the last year or so, they decided to make it official by planting roots with a new home. The problem? They had no idea where to start.
“We really didn’t know much about the area as far as good neighborhoods and pricing,” said White.
What they did know, however, was that they wanted a home that would work with their lifestyle. As empty nesters, they didn’t need a lot of space or many rooms. They also knew they wanted a place where their elderly parents could come visit and stay comfortably.
“Ideally, we wanted a 1960s ranch home so that we could convert it into a jewel box,” says White.
A “jewel box” is a term used to describe a small home designed with top-quality materials, upscale detailing, and custom finishes. Rather than have a “McMansion” with large spaces and higher cost (both in mortgage and utilities), jewel box homes allow owners to tailor their homes to their lifestyle. Empty nesters and retirees are the fastest-growing demographics for jewel box homes as they allow for both comfort and beauty.
Now that they’d decided on what they wanted, the next challenge was finding their ideal ranch house. Turns out, there are thousands of ranch homes for sale in the area! (They’re currently a hot item on the market due to investors snatching them up for renovations and quick turnaround.)
Because Mr. White needed help finding exactly what they wanted, they hired MKB Realtors Marguerite and Frank Saunders.
“For a jewel box home, the owners use every bit of space,” says Marguerite Saunders. “Nothing is wasted.”
Thanks to their knowledge of the marketing, not only did they help the Whites find the right home to turn into their jewel box, but MKB got the price reduced by $29,000. Now that money can be used for the remodel.
Another money-saving tip from Mr. White to those on the great house hunt:
Don’t forget about the extras, including closing costs and moving costs (as well as storage fees if applicable). If you are downsizing, another good idea would be to sell what items you can in order to avoid the trouble of moving and storing them. Give other items to Goodwill and others in need – not only will you clear out more space for your home, you’ll be doing good deeds, too!
Thanks to help from MKB and getting just what they wanted, now the Whites are moving forward in the renovation process. The overhaul will include gutting the main floor, including a new kitchen and turning three bedrooms into two as a master suite, plus a large, updated bathroom.
Editor’s Note: Our gallery up top is of the home (kitchen, bathroom, bedrooms where joining wall will be knocked out) before any renovations began. Just look at that kitchen and stove! We’ll be sharing more photos as we get further into the remodel.
Starting your own dream home search? Give MKB realtor Frank Saunders a call at 540-521-0425 or email him at fsaunders@mkbrealtors.com.
Already have your house and ready to make some changes? Call Chris Yearsley, owner of Windfall Construction, at 540-682-5341.
