Rehab “Misses” are all Unique

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
–Leo Tolstoy

Substitute “rehab hits” for “happy families,” and “rehab misses” for “unhappy families,” and you have the rewards — and perils — of remodeling in a nutshell.

I just saw an extensively rehabbed house — done on spec (there’s no client yet) — that is definitely in the “miss” category.

The public rooms are undersized relative to the now-enormous Kitchen; the new upstairs baths are glorious, but don’t go with any of the bedrooms (I’m still not clear which one was the master); and the lower level is a maze of newly finished rooms that feels like randomly carved up space (probably because it is).

Price cures all, and eventually a Buyer will step up who likes the value, and the fact that everything’s been updated (it also helps that the neighborhood’s an A+).

However, I’d say that the chances of “love at first sight” — that emotional connection every Buyer wants, and every Seller hopes for — are pretty low here.

About the author

Ross Kaplan has 19+ years experience selling real estate all over the Twin Cities. He is also a 12-time consecutive "Super Real Estate Agent," as determined by Mpls. - St. Paul Magazine and Twin Cities Business Magazine. Prior to becoming a Realtor, Ross was an attorney (corporate law), CPA, and entrepreneur. He holds an economics degree from Stanford.

Leave a Reply