How to remodel a prospective home on a budget

Unless you are buying a newly built home, your prospective abode may need some renovations. But doing work to yo

ur home can be expensive, and you may not have a lot of money to pay for them, especially after making a down payment on your home and paying closing costs. Here are some ways you can remodel your new home on a budget.

 

Do a Little at a Time

While you may want to turn your new home into your dream home right away, that can be very expensive. Instead, do the renovations piecemeal to keep them affordable. For example, you might live with your kitchen cabinets for a while but replace the appliances right away. A new coat of paint for a room can do wonders and doesn't cost very much. You also can do small things that enhance your home's look, such as replacing the front door, replacing light fixtures or replacing cabinet handles and drawer pulls. All of these are small, inexpensive changes that make a big impact.

Make it Part of the Sale

You can try to negotiate some renovations as part of your sale and have the seller get them done before you move in. Finishing up these sort of tasks before moving can help make the process much easier. If you can get an appraisal of the home that is high enough, then you can roll the cost of those renovations into your home loan. That will make your monthly payments slightly higher, but it will prevent the need to spend a lot of money out of pocket on renovations to your new home.

Do Some of the Work Yourself

One of the biggest expenses of any renovation project is labor costs, so the more work you can do yourself, the less it will cost. Though you want to leave specialty work to the experts, you can do your own demolition and cleanup work to save on costs, and you can also do your own painting.

Re-use What You Can

Many people go overboard when doing renovations and replace everything in a room, even if items are still in good shape. If you can keep your flooring or your cabinets or your appliances or your fixtures, it will save you a lot of money on your renovation project.

You may look at your new home as a blank slate ready to be molded into your favored image, but doing a makeover costs a lot of money. These ideas will help you remodel on a budget and still get most of the look you want.

 

About the author: Rachelle Wilber is a freelance writer living in the San Diego, California area. She graduated from San Diego State University with her Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Media Studies. She tries to find an interest in all topics and themes, which prompts her writing. When she isn't on her porch writing in the sun, you can find her shopping, at the beach, or at the gym. Rachelle recommends Wheaton World Wide Moving, for those who need help relocating.