The 6 Things On My 2022 Home Project List
The Life of a Real Estate Agent and a HomeOwner
I don’t know if anyone can relate, but if you’re anything like me and you look at beautiful homes every day…you constantly think of different projects you want to tackle around your home. For whatever reason, I never seem to be able to feel content with what I have. Maybe it’s boredom. Maybe it’s social media and society. Whatever it is, my brain is constantly running on all cylinders and never wants to stop and smell the roses.
It’s officially been 4 months since I “completed” the kitchen renovations, along with the drywall, painting, light fixtures, etc. throughout the remainder of the house. And guess what, I’m already starting to run the numbers on my next potential projects. I always have resale values in the back of my head when making decisions on every project I take on though. It’s a blessing and a curse, but helps keep me grounded a bit as I allow my mind to run wild with ideas on how to take my home to the next level.
Thanks to your continued support and loyalty, I figured it was only right to allow you a sneak peak into what might be coming down the pipeline in 2022. I’ll be sharing the projects and all the reasons why they are topping my to do list this year. Just remember that every goal in my brain is constantly fluid. So depending on how the year shakes out with real estate sales, and whether I find any other properties I might want to invest in, these project goals may be a moving target. Can anyone say…commitment issues!!!???
Exterior Paint
estimated cost: $8,000
One project I’m taking on this year that I’m super excited about is…exterior paint! I personally am not a big fan of my home’s current color palette (beige stucco with red trim). Instead, I did a TON of research last year, walking the surrounding neighborhoods to narrow down some of my favorite pairings and tones. I’m super excited for the direction the exterior color is headed, and already have a painter lined up. I just have to wait on my garage work to be completed, and then I will be pulling the trigger on getting the remainder of the house scraped, primed, and painted. She’s going to be BEAutiful!! I can’t wait to share an update on the colors I’ve chosen and show you the final look!
Wallpaper Entryway
Estimated cost: $750
An “easy” update that I want to make to my house this year is adding wallpaper to the entryway area. I love how much natural light my house evokes with my Alabaster white walls. However, as of lately, I want to bring in a bit more color and texture into the home, so I’m going to take a baby step into the wallpaper world and give my front entryway a fresh new twist. I haven’t quite narrowed down what type of print, tone, or brand I’m going with. You’ll have to wait and see which way I end up choosing.
Workout Room
estimated cost: FREE
With COVID ramping up after the holidays and the below zero degree temps Minneapolis faces in the winter months, this girl is starting to get a little stir crazy and needs to get into a healthy workout routine. To do so, I’m setting up camp at my house and going to work on building out an at-home gym. I’m super excited to finally have a space to dedicate to my weights, bands, and equipment and feel very thankful to have the opportunity to have the space this year. To do this, I’m changing out my upstairs office and moving in the weights which I’m sure will be a workout within itself.
Landscaping
estimated cost: TBD
You’ll start to see a trend that half of my 2022 house goals have a big focus on the exterior. I love what I’ve been able to create indoors, and I want to bring that beauty to the outside this year. The first step is giving my front yard a facelift. The previous owners did a fantastic job hiring a landscaping company to build a fun little oasis out back, but the front yard wasn’t touched. So I plan to building out a bit of curb appeal to give my home a bit of a pop. I don’t have a budget outlined for this quite yet as it will be the last priority out of the projects. Originally, I had planned to hire this work out, but most likely, I will tackle this project in two phases. The first being splitting and replanting some flowers and plants in the front, as well as adding some rock and mulch to help elevate the appearance. The second phase might consist of some work on my front hill, whether that be a retaining wall, professional landscaping, or a creative workaround. Stay tuned to see how this one unfolds in the warmer months.
4th Bedroom + Bathroom
estimated cost: $15,000-$20,000
With return on investment always at the back of my mind, I know I could increase my home’s resale value by adding in a 4th bedroom in the basement. Just last week I had contractors over to give me a few bids on moving my basement bathroom (to make it into a full bath vs. 1/2 bath) and framing in a new bedroom. I personally don’t need the additional space, but would like to give the basement a bit of a facelift and add some value to the footprint of the home. I know this will be a selling point to a larger family, and will allow my home to get into more searches for any eligible buyers when the time comes to sell. On top of that, it doesn’t sound like it will be all that expensive, as long as I group in a bigger project with my General Contractor…that you’ll hear about shortly.
Garage
estimated cost: $110,000-$175,000
Now here comes the big guns. If you’ve been following along over the last year, you know I’ve been toying around with a large garage renovation. Thanks to contractors turning over, material prices skyrocketing, and labor prices increasing, I am really struggling on whether I take this project on and stay in the home for a few years, OR not do it and sell . Next week on the blog, I will run you through multiple scenarios so that you can see how I am viewing the pros and cons. At the end of the day, it’s a much more difficult decision for me because I have the ability to be more fluid than most thanks to my lifestyle and I don’t want to nail myself down to a long term commitment that could hinder me from achieving my financial goals. However, living in Minnesota, a garage really comes in handy!! So be sure to check in next week to get an update on the scenarios I’m analyzing.
You probably won’t be surprised to hear, but I also have it on my radar this year to possibly buy another investment property! You heard that right. Another property would mean, further financial investment into my financial independence down the road. Now comes the part where we all have to wait and see what type of property I end up getting. Will it be a single family home, a condo, or another duplex? Any guesses?
Cheers to 2022!
Jen
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Investor // Landlord and DIYer // Realtor // Business Consultant // Globe Trotter // Converting Vegan.
