Its daunting buying a property where you know its going to need work, and its even more daunting getting to grips with who is going to do what – however I promise it is easier than it looks.
The first thing to start off with is understanding your budget. How much do you have to spend? Once your budget is set don’t start negotiating with yourself over ‘I could potentially get £x from here…’ Just leave it at what you can afford now and don’t worry about it.
Next make a list of everything you would like to do: redecorate, new kitchen, new bathroom, change radiators, fit new electrical fascias, new flooring… The list could go on, note down everything you want/need to do.
Then look at your list, what can you do yourself, how much time do you have? Painting and decorating is quite simple to do (trust me I have picked this up within the last week, not only is it relaxing its really easy, even for a non-artist!), but could you fit a kitchen? Anything you can do yourself will save you money – however for the more difficult things a contractor will save you time.
Its then time to find a contractor. I would always look for someone who comes with recommendations from family or friends. Sit down with your nominated contractor and talk them through your plans. A good contractor will be enthusiastic, like your plans and where they think something will be expensive or unachievable to offer alternative solutions. Remember you need to trust these guys to enter your property so make sure you are happy with what they are telling you.
Once your chosen contractor has inpected they will provide you with a quotation for works. Spend some time going through it and assessing each item. If it is too expensive or there are some items you want to change then discuss this with your contractor and get the best solution for you. Once agreed put together a schedule of works and agree a timescale for works.
As works get underway keep track of whats going on and how much it is costing and always keep an open mind to changes along the way (this could be really positive in the long run) – this will ensure that things run smoothly and you get what you are asking for.
A big tip of advice is that you don’t have to be at your property every day. Just ensure that your contractors know when you are coming and set goals and deadlines for these dates so that you know that progress is being made in accordance with the deadlines you have set.
Hopefully this blog has broken the project management process down into something that is simple. Its so important that you enjoy it and knowing that it isnt hard will help that. As always do get in contact if you need any help or advice along the way at NC Real Estate or Facebook we are always here to support you.
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