Defying Personal Limits

QUESTION

Dear Joey, I just bought my first home eighteen months ago. Since then, the number of occupants continues to diminish. It’s too big for just myself, so I will probably only live here for five or six more years.

I renovated the dining and kitchen (removed that ugly wallpaper!). I replaced the patio-like doors in my bedroom with two barn-style doors. I reinsulated the house and upgraded most of the plumbing. I am also building a greenhouse that will enable year-round growth.

My question to you is: What do you think I should do next, before I sell the house, to make the best return?

I will only do one more big project. The house needs all new energy-saving windows and decent landscaping done. It also needs about twenty pine trees taken down, and desperately needs a new master bathroom. I've read all the articles about what could be my best return on projects but am needing a dose of reality about what a person wants the most.

Any suggestions, thoughts, or insights?

—Darcy

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ANSWER

Dear Darcy, I’m going to be upfront with you: I don’t know a thing about buying or selling houses. But that’s exactly why I’m including your question in this week’s Eureka.

There are two reasons why your question is so important:

1. Daring to try. Without concern about how your question would be received or if I could even help, you emailed me. Trying something without knowing what will happen is one of the most important qualities of the creative mindset. Your question serves as a great example for everyone: You won’t know unless you try.

2. Searching for expertise. Far too often, people throw their hands up when a challenge isn’t in their wheelhouse. What you did here was (a) admit that selling a house for a profit isn’t your expertise, and (b) then you went out and looked for someone who does have that knowledge. By asking for help, you’ve expanded your pool of possibility. (And if that person doesn’t know the answer, they may know someone who might.)

We’re about to go meta, because I took your lead and repeated the process.

I forwarded your question to Dick Schultz, a carpenter and long time home improvement aficionado (and my wife’s best friend’s dad), and asked if this was something he could possibly help with.

Turns out he had a few thoughts:

Darcy, without firsthand knowledge of your property and your area, my best advice is to put your money into renovating the master bath. If you aren't planning to move for another five or six years, you'll be able to enjoy your investment in the meantime, and there is a better potential for a good return when you sell. Windows are a significant investment and a lot depends on their condition and what other projects will need to be done at the same time, like repainting the exterior, updating trim, etc. Putting money into landscaping probably will not give you a good return; unless your trees are diseased or a hazard, you can leave those alone. Hope this helps. —Dick

Today’s lesson: Give it a shot. If you can’t figure it out, ask for help.

—Joey

PS. Thank you to Dick Schultz for the helpful answer. And thank you to Kris Schultz for helping Dick and I connect.

Speaking of building (sort of), here's the incredibly cool and beautiful Vitra Fire Station in Germany. Designed by the one and only Zaha Hadid.

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Related Thought

The Comfort Zone™ is safe, but don't expect to grow.

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