Recently I was inspecting an older home in the downtown area of Wilmington. The sellers to their credit did an amazing job with the inside of the home. They totally redid the bathrooms and kitchen, painted every room, refinished the floors and they even added a perfect little breakfast nook to the front of the home. From the street you could tell they had really put a lot of effort into the beautification of the small yard and the outside of the home looked fantastic. Then comes the crawlspace…
The house, just like your favorite Instagram influencer, was all looks and no substance. The crawlspace was an absolute mess to put it kindly. A home buyers’ worst nightmare, right? Or is it? Sure, the foundation and crawlspace needed some work but the house was still standing upright, the roof didn’t leak, and the termite damage was manageable. The new owners could sit back and enjoy their breakfast nook or their brand-new walk-in shower all while repairs to the structure were being done. They wouldn’t have to move out or live in a construction zone or file for divorce like so many have had to do when re-doing the kitchens and floors. No worrying about getting paint all over our furniture and the dogs tracking cute little puppy prints of NK206 Atomic Vomit on those original hardwoods. All that cosmetic stuff was done and done well. A professional contractor could easily sure up the foundation and treat the space for termites in under a week. All while you, the new homeowner fires up the grill and enjoys that nice new backyard patio.
We’ve all heard stories of house flippers putting the lipstick on the pig right? But what’s really wrong with a pretty pig? All houses need maintenance and repair eventually and wouldn’t you rather fix something beautiful than buy something boring? The inspection report could give you the evidence and documentation to help cover some of those costs from the seller too. So, for the same price you were going to pay any way you could negotiate for those repairs or have the costs come out of the purchase price.
Don’t fear the flip! Because a pig in lipstick is still a pig and pigs are where bacon comes from and bacon gets eaten in breakfast nooks.
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