All Forum Posts by: Heidi Wilson

I have painted cabinets in two of my properties and it worked well. Prep is key - you must use primer and sand between coats and all the other stuff you want to skip or it will peel and look awful. Mine have held up well and completely transformed the kitchens for a fraction of the cost to replace just the doors. It’s a lot of work though.

Wow this is simple and makes a ton of sense - thanks! Man, I love BP.

It will lower your score but you should still be able to get financing if you are within a threshold and know your lender. Talk to your bank before you do anything and get their feedback on what their goalposts are for credit score. I am holding a zero percent interest balance right now that temporarily lowered my score, but just completed a BRRR no problem.

Man, I have the same question can’t wait to see what people say. My agent isn’t responsive enough and constantly advises me against properties that in hindsight were in fact great opportunities. He also doesn’t seem to share the sense of urgency that I have, he is very much taking the homeowner “wait until you find the right one” attitude but in a hot market the deals are being snapped up left right and center. Sorry nothing useful to add here other than “I feel your pain” :)

This happens to me all the time. I have always managed to get my fixes in before the date even with major rehabs.

Quartz is more modern than granite but I think you can find granite for much cheaper. I would just stay away from the dated patterns of granite (eg condo grade spotted tiger type pattern) and go for uniform color with very faint marbling to mimic quartz. Or if you find a good deal on quartz do that. They are more or less equal durability-wise so it is really an aesthetic choice (and a “modern-ness” choice)

Lol this is awesome! I’ll have to show this to people when they ask me why my hands are always covered in paint since I technically have a white collar job!

For now I still buy off of MLS but it is getting harder and harder. I’ve been considering other avenues as well but have been putting it off. My only hope is a house so gross nobody will touch it but those are getting to be more and more rare as investors (and homeowners) rejuvenate the area.

This is a really tough question to answer in generalities. Generally speaking your realtor is correct. But there are always exceptions which prove the rule and you may have a sense of a “deal” here that your realtor does not. I have a house on a busy street which bizarrely is currently undergoing a renaissance - lots of flips and some big new houses going up. So it made sense and is profitable. It’s rented to a young couple with no children so they don’t care about the busy street. Plus it has a circular drive. But yes generally you get a bigger buying pool when you have a secluded street so there is a $/sq ft premium for those homes. Def look at comps *on that street* and know your neighbourhood.

Generally speaking granite countertops are a good idea if you can find them cheap (assuming you are in a decent area). It adds value to your home that is quantifiable for an appraiser. And if you decide to rent it’s more durable. Kitchen island question is entirely dependent on the layout of the kitchen. Your kitchen needs plenty of counter space and generally enough room for notional “stations” (food prep, cooking, storage). The island could be used for eating in place of a table or for one of the above mentioned countertop functions. But you also don’t want a crowded kitchen either so hard to say without seeing it. Agree though that these days a “bar” or “counter seats” are more modern than a kitchen table. My island is mainly for seating in the kitchen for example. Add a bathroom *for sure* nobody wants a 3 bed 1 bath if they can get a 3 bed 2 bath. If you can add it anywhere other than the basement do that but if it is cheapest in the basement then add it there and check with your real estate agent on whether or not finishing the basement allows you to count that square footage . Anything you can do to bump your square footage is good. Good luck!