Buying your first home is an incredibly exciting stage in life. If you’ve managed to find a brand-new or modernized home within your budget, good for you! But we all know that the biggest bargains are the properties that could do with a little interior or exterior TLC.
It can be daunting to be faced with a big project if you’ve never done much refurbishing work in the past, but you don’t have to go too hard, too fast. This simple checklist explains the best steps to take when you become an official homeowner of a property that’s much in need of an update.
1. Consider your budget
Before you get started, plan your budget. It’s unlikely that you’ll have all the money you need after just shelling out for a down-payment for your property, so you may want to assess how much money you can put aside for your renovation project per month.
2. Prioritize projects
When deciding what to renovate first, you can choose to think practically or just follow your heart. Perhaps you’ve had visions of an ultra-modern bathroom or beautified living room since you first started looking for a home. But if your kitchen is currently in an unusable state, you may want to start there first.
3. Work out what you want
This is similar to the above, but a little more in-depth. Wendy Russell, Buyers Agent, recommends taking a look at a plan of your home and work out how you’d like it to look once you’ve finished your renovations. It’s not always as simple as furnishing a room and painting the walls – you may also want to knock through walls or completely change the layout of the property to make it look more modern and inviting.
4. Arrange for professional inspections
Depending on the nature of your renovations, it may be important to arrange for a professional inspection to be carried out on your home. If you’re buying an old property, an inspection of your roof and attic, to check that these areas are safe and well-insulated, is something to consider. If you’re planning to knock through a wall or carry out some electrical work, you should never go ahead without an inspection.
5. Look for inspiration
Unless you’re a professional designer, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll ever look at a room and know instantly what color schemes, furniture and flooring to use. And luckily, you don’t have to! When you’re searching for inspiration, the internet is your best friend. Apps like Pinterest are full of creative ideas for you to steal, and there are hundreds of design-related Instagram accounts that are worth a follow.
6. Experiment
Like anything new you try, renovating your home might not be as simple as you’d imagined. But experimenting – and either liking or disliking the results – is all part of the process. That said, you don’t want to spend thousands on some furniture that you end up hating. You can use decorating apps to see how something looks in your home before you buy it.
Article Submitted By Community Writer
