Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Welcome to Home Story with Veronica. I'm Veronica Dicus, and today we're diving into the people, places, and decisions that make a house a home. You're watching now Media Television.
Welcome to Home Story with Veronica. I am your host, Veronica Viquez, and this is the show where we uncover the heart and hard work behind making a house truly feel like home. Every project tells a story. Today's guest has a gift for turning stories into spaces that bring both beauty and value.
Joining me is Kendra Chai, CEO of Pronto and Precise General Contracting in Charlotte, NC. Kendra focuses on new construction and commercial uplifts with a mission to guide homeowners in making smart investments and feeling confident in every improvement. Kendra, it is a pleasure to have you on our show, and thank you so much for joining us. Thank you for having me, of course. Absolutely. And the challenge many homeowners face is pouring money into upgrades and worrying they'll never see that money back, especially when it comes to reselling their home.
So which remodels usually give the highest return in value versus cost that you can suggest to the people that are watching the show?
[00:01:15] Speaker B: Sure.
So I would say that's little bit of a loaded question. It depends on who your audience is.
[00:01:22] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:01:23] Speaker B: Is the home intended for you and your family or would you be looking to, you know, sell? If that's the case, then the most important thing would be knowing your audience.
[00:01:32] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:01:33] Speaker B: And your area. You don't want to put too much into a home that's not surrounding the area if it's for others.
[00:01:41] Speaker A: True.
[00:01:42] Speaker B: So those are some of the most important things in staying in budget as far as finding the home that you're looking for. Is this for you or if it's for someone else? Because if it's for someone else, you don't want to go into it putting, oh, your dream color cabinetry.
[00:01:58] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:01:59] Speaker B: So much expensive tile in the bathrooms. You have to be very considerate of, you know, just simplicity, functionality, and just making sure that it appeals to the right audience.
[00:02:11] Speaker A: Exactly. So what I'm hearing is it really depends on what you're going to do with the house.
Some people want to buy a house that's their bridge home, meaning that house is going to allow them to buy a better house in the future when the value goes up to those kind of people that are living in that house and they want to make sure, because I have a lot of clients like that I'm going to live in this house a couple of years. What kind of things can I really start doing in this house, that will bring me good value later on.
[00:02:36] Speaker B: Okay.
So if it's a house that you've already occupied and you're familiar with the ins and outs, the less you do, the better. You just want to kind of stay up to date with any new cosmetic finishes, any new, you know, adding a little mulch or, you know, just do small finishing upgrades. As long as the bones of the house, that is the structure, you know, any framing or anything, as long as you have no major issues, Stay away from opening up any walls, expanding at all. The footprint.
[00:03:09] Speaker A: I love tearing walls down.
[00:03:11] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:03:12] Speaker A: Which is great. Don't do it. Which is great.
[00:03:13] Speaker B: If you want that open space and, you know, and you're okay with spending a few thousand, but it's not necessary.
[00:03:20] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:03:20] Speaker B: If you can come in and, you know, change the paint color, upgrade some finishes, even just do some hardware upgrades, it really, really, really make. Takes the house a long way.
[00:03:31] Speaker A: Exactly. Completely agree. And how can homeowners decide whether to spend on trendy finishes like you were talking about, or stick with timeless ones? You know, the ones that protect the retail value. If you would.
[00:03:45] Speaker B: For me, and what I've witnessed In my almost 15 years of this, I would say that it's better to do a mix of both.
[00:03:52] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:03:53] Speaker B: It's good to have a little bit of the traditional, because you always have that grounding with any customer that comes, you know, they're familiar with certain things, like, you know, old nooks that you can sit in in the kitchen area or, you know, things of that nature. Original hardwood flooring.
[00:04:10] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:04:11] Speaker B: So you should do a mix. You can do a few modern upgrades and just make sure that the existing is. Is really clean, really polished.
Because you get a lot of. A lot of audiences that want a.
[00:04:24] Speaker A: Little of both, right?
Yes. For the house to have some type of personality.
[00:04:29] Speaker B: That's right. That's right. You don't want to take away his character, make it artificial. You know, leave it how it is. Because also, it's alarming if they see so much paint, so much changes, it feels like you're trying to hide something.
[00:04:41] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:04:41] Speaker B: Yeah. So less is more. Shonda didn't lie about that.
[00:04:44] Speaker A: I love that. And what cost saving strategies do you recommend that don't compromise quality?
[00:04:51] Speaker B: Okay. I. As I mentioned, I would stay away from, you know, tearing down any walls. It's not necessary. Structurally.
You don't want to do too much if there are no issues. Most homes are really, really, really good. The bones are really good. The foundation is really good. You just have to pay attention to any old trees.
I would take that for.
[00:05:11] Speaker A: We just had that happen.
[00:05:12] Speaker B: Yes. Remove any old trees. That would be the most important that I would say.
[00:05:17] Speaker A: Can you explain why? Because a lot of people don't understand that part.
[00:05:20] Speaker B: Okay. So depending on the tree's location, height, even, the tree could eventually grow enough to tower over the home, Create shadowing in some of the areas because the sun would be blocked in some areas. Also, trees have been here forever, so it's no telling where their roots have grown to.
It could very well end up one day affecting either your sidewalk or your foundation to some degree.
And just overall, it's not necessary to have trees really, really close to the house. They're good for privacy from the street or from neighbors. But you don't want a tree too close to your existing home.
[00:05:58] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:05:59] Speaker B: It becomes a problem after so long.
[00:06:02] Speaker A: And we had that happen. I had a buyer under contract on a house, and I called my wonderful and beautiful Kendra to check the house out because the inspector was a little bit concerned. And. And one of the feedback was that we had to take that tree out because the roots of the tree were starting to affect the actual structure of the property.
So watch for those kind of things. What are the things that you were talking about and sorry that I caught you off.
[00:06:25] Speaker B: No, no, you're fine.
[00:06:26] Speaker A: That are cost saving, but very effective.
[00:06:28] Speaker B: Cost saving. Very effective. You could also do minor touches to the bathroom and the kitchen.
[00:06:33] Speaker A: Those are the main areas.
[00:06:34] Speaker B: The main and you know best. You know, if you need any pointers on what's in Veronica's the go to for that. And. And it seems that, you know, if you can appeal to the woman, the house is sold.
[00:06:46] Speaker A: That is true.
[00:06:47] Speaker B: You know, and we love a good kitchen and a good bathroom.
[00:06:50] Speaker A: Happy wife, happy life. That's right.
[00:06:51] Speaker B: That's right. We'll do the rest for you. So do small things in the bathroom. Maybe upgrade the tile just a smidge. Upgrade the finishes or the hardware. And then in the kitchen, you want to do the cabinetry or even if you don't change the actual cabinets, just paint. Color paint does so much paint and hardware finishes.
Simple, but really effective.
[00:07:14] Speaker A: I think I've painted my cabinet four times already since I moved.
[00:07:17] Speaker B: And you feel like a new house every time.
[00:07:19] Speaker A: It's a new house every time. And you change the hardware. And actually, my friends come over, oh, did you get a new kitchen? I'm like, well, I kind of did with all my sweat and effort that I did now. And that's something that I Wanted to ask you too, because, you know, some of the things you can do yourself, right?
[00:07:34] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:07:34] Speaker A: Some of the things we can get our hands on and do it.
My painting would not be good enough to sell my house.
[00:07:41] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:07:42] Speaker A: Because when you open the cabinets, you can see inside.
[00:07:44] Speaker B: Yes. Okay. Okay.
[00:07:46] Speaker A: And it's not perfectly painted because I did it by hand and by roll and it took me three days. But anyways.
[00:07:51] Speaker B: It works for you.
[00:07:52] Speaker A: Yes.
As an agent, I can tell you we can tell the difference when we walk into a house. And as a buyer, are they gonna wanna see that this was handmade and you still need to adjust things, or are they gonna want to use somebody that's gonna do it professionally and actually make it look good new. Make it look like new is what I meant to say.
What is your feedback on that? Have you helped clients do that kind of thing?
[00:08:17] Speaker B: Yes, and it's not a bad idea. I think it all depends on, like you were saying, what you're working on.
I think you don't wanna get too. Too proud and think you can knock out, like, an electrical panel moving or anything.
[00:08:31] Speaker A: Don't do that.
[00:08:33] Speaker B: But, you know, minor things like changing out a light fixture covering or even your outlet coverings.
Hardware is very easy.
Things like that are okay. Paint gets a little iffy.
[00:08:47] Speaker A: It can be iffy.
[00:08:48] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:08:48] Speaker A: Especially cabinets are not that easy to paint.
[00:08:51] Speaker B: It's not at all.
[00:08:52] Speaker A: No.
[00:08:52] Speaker B: But as long as you just kind of hold to the smaller things. Because sometimes even though it's smaller, it's very tedious. You have to be very attentive to detail.
So it's really good to. I would say if you're gonna go for anything, finishes changing out light coverings, outlet coverings, hardware for the shower and the kitchen. The more simple things, but they bring a lot of life.
[00:09:17] Speaker A: Yes. And we actually had another example of a house that I was selling that was not selling.
[00:09:22] Speaker B: Yes. Yes.
[00:09:23] Speaker A: And it was a house that was renovated by an investor. It a flip. And we brought Kendra in because we were just not selling the house. And we actually had buyers who backed out after they did the inspection.
And they did all of the new things. Yes, they did the new kitchen. They did everything. But the finishes were horrible. And people noticed whenever they walked into the house. What advice do you have on that? Because when you try to do it yourself again, you don't necessarily finish it like it's the way that it's supposed to be finished.
[00:09:53] Speaker B: Yeah. Yeah. I think that's kind of.
You've just got to know your strengths in that area and know when to ask for help because.
So me being a builder, cosmetics are something minor because they're an easy fix. I focus more on the bones. But when you're appealing to a client, that's all they see. You know, that's the makeup, you know, it's the finishing. So it has to be on point. So if there are any issues with paint or finishes, it is something that you should be willing to, you know, go in and rectify because that is what builds your trust with the clients, to let them know it's nothing wrong here. It's just a little touch up that needs to be done. And in most cases, it brightens them up, it reassures them, you know. So the best way to deal with those little things are just paying attention to what is not done correctly.
[00:10:44] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:10:45] Speaker B: Everything isn't noticeable. They won't notice the things that you notice.
[00:10:48] Speaker A: Yes. Right.
[00:10:49] Speaker B: Yes. But the things that you do notice in our obvious, just be very honest and, you know, go in and make sure that those things are taken care of.
[00:10:58] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:10:58] Speaker B: With a little help sometimes.
[00:10:59] Speaker A: Yes. And hey, once Kendra helped us, we were able to go under contract very easily. They did the inspection, didn't even come back with any repair request, Nothing. So it was wonderful. It's very important that you work with a licensed general contractor, truly, because, I mean, they're going to pull the permits that are needed. They're going to really pay attention to exactly what needs to be done to make the house on point.
All right, thank you so much. We're gonna go into our segment too, actually, in a little bit. And coming up, we're gonna talk about one of the biggest homeowner concerns, finding a contractor you can truly trust. I know this is a pain point for a lot of people and to agents as well, because we don't trust every contractor either. We gotta do our due diligence to find the good ones. Kendra is definitely a good one, so don't go anywhere. We'll be right back. We'll be right back with more stories, strategies, and inspiration to help you write your next home chapter. This is Home Story with Veronica on NOW Media Television.
And we're back. I'm Veronica Dinkerez and you're watching Home Story with Veronica on NOW Media Television. Let's jump back into today's conversation.
Welcome back to Home Story with Veronica.
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We are here with Kendra and in this segment we're tackling one of the biggest worries for homeowners. Hiring the wrong contractor. I think we've all done it, we've all been there, we've all cried.
And it can mean poor workmanship, delays, wasted money. So let's get into how to choose wisely. The challenge many in the audience face is not knowing how to vet contractors properly and fearing they'll end up with a disaster.
What criteria, Kendra?
Let me say her name right. What criteria Kendra? That's a mouthful right there.
Do you use to recommend trustworthy contractors?
[00:13:29] Speaker B: Yes. So if there is any projects that I'm not firsthand on and I'm recommending someone to homeowner, the first things you should listen for are just how you even feel with the vibe of a person. You shouldn't force a relationship. If meeting a contractor initially you don't feel at ease, you should go with that. Good. Because it's a reason. Also, you want to make sure you're doing your due diligence to ask about licensing and any expertise that they have outside of this. You don't want anyone that says I know how to do. You want to make sure that these people are licensed to do, not just certified, but licensed.
[00:14:08] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:14:09] Speaker B: And you can, you know, always reach out to the website, the county website or the state website to look for these contractors specifically to make sure that their credentials back what they're saying.
[00:14:21] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:14:22] Speaker B: And it is very, very important.
Don't just use someone that is, that's handy in the area. You want to make sure that they have, you know, the proper insurance. Because some things happen that are just beyond your guys control and it's best just to be covered in every way. So licensing and insurance is the best way to vet a contractor. Once you make sure those things line up, go. If you're good, if the interaction isn't where you want it to be, back away. That's pretty telling. Every time.
[00:14:50] Speaker A: Absolutely. And I've done it too. And sometimes you have to chase contractors and it feels like you're doing them a favor and it's just, you know, be respectful. We get that some contractors are busy, but again, if you get that gut feeling and you're just not getting the Right. Treatment from the beginning, that's probably not a good sign. Now, you mentioned something about being certified and being licensed. Can you explain to the regular audience when they're looking for a general contractor, what question to ask or what the difference is?
[00:15:15] Speaker B: Sure.
Being certified in this business, a lot of times you could take a lot of classes, a lot of courses, have a lot of field experience.
[00:15:23] Speaker A: Experience.
[00:15:23] Speaker B: So you're considered certified.
[00:15:25] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:15:26] Speaker B: However, until you take that state license test to actually put it on paper and verify what you know, how well you know these things, that is when you're considered a licensed professional. So there are a lot of people that work hand in hand with licensed professionals, but they aren't actually the professional that that is the license holder.
So those are the people that are more certified. It doesn't take away from their knowledge. It's just you want to make sure that you have someone that you can hold liable if anything goes wrong.
[00:16:00] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:16:00] Speaker B: And in that case, the licensed professional would be the one that you hold accountable. And if you have no license, a lot of people go with these handymen or, you know, people that have been in the field, and then once they've given them 60,000, $70,000 and they have to try to chase them for their money, there's nothing that the law can really do to them. You know, you could take them to court, but they've got to have the.
[00:16:23] Speaker A: Money to pay you, and there's going to cost you to take them to court.
[00:16:27] Speaker B: So you've got to make sure to know the difference between certified and licensed. Every area doesn't require someone to be licensed, but you want to at least have a licensed general contractor.
[00:16:38] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:16:38] Speaker B: Because then they can steer you in the right direction and make sure that they protect you in a way.
[00:16:43] Speaker A: Exactly, exactly. And another thing that's important that you really have to use a licensed general contractor is when you're pulling permits, when you're doing certain type of work at your home, whether it's electrical, plumbing, you're adding a structure, you're closing out the garage to make it a livable area, things like that, when, okay, you can do it, you can do it with a handyman. If you're gonna stay in the house forever and it's still not recommended. But the real problem also comes whenever you want to try to sell a house.
And every decent buyer with a decent agent is going to ask, where are the permits for the work that was done to the house? You said you did this and this and this. I don't see the permits anywhere how important are the permits are and how do the permit processing protects the consumer?
[00:17:31] Speaker B: Yes. So if you are a homeowner, you can use the route of doing your own permits, but you're not too familiar. Nine times out of 10, with the way that things go. You want to make sure that the scope of work has been identified correctly so that when you go to pull the permit, everything is recorded per the city.
Like say you want to add on a new room. If you don't get that recorded when you go to sell your house, you're losing out that extra 40, 50 grand.
[00:17:57] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:17:58] Speaker B: Because it's not recorded by the county, people think that permits are a headache. It actually covers you. It actually gives you the most for your book.
Permits give you a record of everything that was done. So if you have to chase anything to fix anything, you know where to start.
So they're a little timely in the beginning, but as long as you know your scope of work and exactly what you want to tackle, it saves you so much headache in the long run. You go. It's a paper trail of what you need.
[00:18:26] Speaker A: Exactly. It's so important. I cannot stress this enough, especially if you want to live in a house and then sell it later on and you want to do some work to it. The first thing US agents are going to check is where are the permits? And that is public records. We can go and we can check if the permits were pulled or not, and we're going to know if the permits were not pulled. So that's really important as well.
Kendra, how can homeowners verify credibility and quality before work begins? Do you suggest any steps that the homeowners can take before? Like, if they want to work with you and they want to verify that your work is valid, how do you verify that with them?
[00:19:00] Speaker B: Yes. So oftentimes if I am meeting a client, I like to provide my license number.
[00:19:05] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:19:06] Speaker B: So they can use that license number to reference and go. Like I mentioned earlier on, there is a state website for every trade, every trade that you would get as far as electrical, mechanical, plumbing, you know, gas fireplace and grading, gcs. Anything with a license beside it, you can check at the state. So you want to ask them for a license number. That is the first way that you get started. They can't provide you with a license number for you to actively go and check. That's a red flag at that moment for sure.
[00:19:37] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:19:37] Speaker B: And you should just back away at this point. Licensing is important. It's very convenient. It takes all of five minutes. You go right Onto the state website, type in their license number, and then you can see all of their information, if there's been any infractions due to the city or the state.
To have a record of how this person works, you can check how long they've been in business and any partnership they may have with any other companies.
So it's important to use the state website to check for licensures.
[00:20:08] Speaker A: Okay. So once you get that license number, you can go in, you can check, and you can get really valuable information from that. Do you also validate your work in work that you've done previously? Is that a thing with contractors at all or.
[00:20:21] Speaker B: Sometimes. But sometimes so much work is so different from the next. Yeah, you know, like maybe I can show you a fully remodeled home, but you only need a basement, you know, so that makes sense. Yeah, I try to keep a wide range of work that I've accomplished so that, you know, clients can see, you know, from top to bottom, how much we do.
It is really good to have a portfolio of things that you've tackled just to show your expertise, because it's easy to say you're good at something, but to actually show the work is what matters. Because again, customers and homeowners only know about the finishes. That's what's most important to them.
So if you show them a picture and they can see that your finishes are tidy, then that also reassures them that you're in the right business.
[00:21:06] Speaker A: Exactly. Yes. And word of mouth.
[00:21:08] Speaker B: And word of mouth. I've lived off of word of mouth, word of mouth. I don't really have many websites, but I make sure that I put my clients first and it's coming back to me.
[00:21:17] Speaker A: Absolutely. Every time I. Can I refer you.
[00:21:19] Speaker B: That's right. And I'm so glad.
[00:21:20] Speaker A: Once we work together, it's. Hey, once you find a good contractor, you stick to them because they're not easy to find. You had mentioned red flags before, and you had mentioned that not giving somebody a license number is a red flag. Can you think of any other red flags that you would warn people from?
Be aware of working with a contractor?
[00:21:39] Speaker B: Yes, I. I would say there are many, but I would say the biggest one for me is communication.
[00:21:43] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:21:44] Speaker B: If communication, if there's any lack there at all, run away. Because construction is only communication. From my end to your end, from my end to the subcontractors, everything is about communicating. So if in the beginning, even to get them to come out and do an estimate, you're chasing them, as you mentioned, or if when they Come out and they're taking very long to give you a turnaround.
You see what it's going to be like in the long run. This process is executed strictly by communication. So if that fails in any way, that's one of the biggest red flags.
[00:22:15] Speaker A: And that is true because if it takes a contractor three weeks to give you an estimate, imagine how long it's going to take them to actually do the job.
So that is a huge red flag. I love that. Now, how do you build trust so that clients feel comfortable with your team in their home? Because, I mean, you're in their space, their personal stuff is there. How do you build that trust with them?
[00:22:37] Speaker B: Yes, I like to, you know, when we first meet them, I share all of my details with them as far as my license, my insurance. That's big and important.
And, you know, just I'm a very, an open book. Anybody that I work with, I've worked with them for years. If they are new, I share that with the client as well.
We try to be very tedious as far as entry to the home.
We do what works for the customer so that they are comfortable and whatever measures that looks like it's up to you, you know, how much access you allow. Right, right. So if you're only comfortable with us working while you're home, we'll do whatever works for you. But as long as they understand that, it kind of makes the time a little longer.
[00:23:18] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:23:19] Speaker B: Finishing.
[00:23:19] Speaker A: But communication.
[00:23:20] Speaker B: Communication, that's it.
And, you know, we like to let you know we're headed to site when we're wrapping up to leave out who will be there on the day. So it's just that communication.
[00:23:29] Speaker A: It's that communication. Communication is key. Now, Kendra, if our viewers want to learn more about your work and projects, where can they connect with you? Either online phone. What's the easiest way to reach out to you?
[00:23:41] Speaker B: The easiest way is probably by email. Old schoolprontoprecicemail.com okay, say that again. Prontoprecicegmail.com pronto precisemail.com yes, we do have a Facebook also. Pronto precise.
And you can even just give me a phone call. I'm always available. We're very small, but we're very responsive, very communicative.
[00:24:04] Speaker A: Perfect. And up next, we're going to explore how even small renovations can create a big impact in your home. Stay tuned. We'll be right back with more stories, strategies and inspiration to help you write your next home chapter. This is Home Story with Veronica on NOW Media Television.
And we're back. I'm Veronica Dinguez, and you're watching Home Story with Veronica on NOW Media Television. Let's jump back into today's conversation.
Welcome back to Home Story with Veronica. Let's shift gears a little bit. Not every upgrade needs a huge budget. Sometimes small, smart changes can completely transform how a home looks and feels. The challenge many of our viewers face is limited funds but big goals. I think we all have that problem, believing only expensive renovations can make a difference. Now, Kendra, in your experience, which small remodels deliver the most visible difference at a lower cost?
[00:25:05] Speaker B: I would say exterior painting and just finishes depending on the area is what you have to focus on.
That lets you know what you need to tackle the most.
If you need to worry about whether to incorporate some landscaping.
[00:25:27] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:25:27] Speaker B: That helps a lot. Fencing. Fencing changes dramatic.
[00:25:31] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:25:31] Speaker B: A lot of people have children, have dogs or pets, and, you know, they're looking for that security.
If you can do, even if you already have a fence, painting it, if it's, you know, maybe wooden or something that can be edited.
Keeping things small as far as even adding some lanterns, gas lanterns outside.
[00:25:52] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:25:53] Speaker B: For like the driveway entry, upgrading a mailbox, you know, small things like that can do a lot and they don't cost much. As far as even grabbing the eye for the outside, if you've always kept your home up on the inside, then you've got nothing to worry about, especially if you have the original flooring or anything in the home. That's always a plus.
But less is more. Just hit for some painting and a few finishes on the exterior, that often brings a lot of eyes.
[00:26:19] Speaker A: Yes. And think about it. When you go see a home. If you're a buyer and you want to go see a house, the first thing you're going to look is how does the house look on the outside?
If you go to a house that is dirty and that it hasn't been washed, it hasn't been painted in forever, you can see the different shades of color outside. The fence is messed up. One of the panels is falling. Are you even gonna go inside the house? Have you already buyers make the decision in the first five seconds or so when they go see a house. If they see something that looks terrible on the outside, then they're already turned off. So it's gonna be really hard for them to change that opinion. Even if the house is beautiful on the inside, they know that their house is going to look bad on the outside. So that's great advice. I love that. And now I have a few things that I need to do in my house for that advice.
[00:27:04] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:27:05] Speaker A: How do lightning.
We've talked about this already, but I think it's important to come across to definitely talk about those points so that our viewers understand we're talking about lighting. We're talking about hardware fixtures.
How have you seen.
Whenever you've done work in the houses, have you seen how big of an impact. Can you think of a story? Maybe you can share or just bring out the point again, because it's really important, and a lot of people don't do that for some reason. How do those little, small changes can make a big impact?
[00:27:40] Speaker B: Lighting does make a big difference. A lot of these homes that are being upgraded have kind of switched over from the finishes or the light coverings that stick out of the ceilings. If you can kind of get rid of those in some areas, do some upfitted, even ceiling fans that are more modern, do some can lighting around the house. It helps especially in the kitchen and living room areas.
The lighting for the. For that, the older just kind of makes the house seem bigger. Once you upgrade that, you know, the electrical components of it, upgrading the outlet covers, small, small things like that to go with, you know, the room's decor that will be, you know, incorporated.
Just those small things, the finishes, the hardware. I can't stress those things enough.
[00:28:26] Speaker A: It's. Yes, we're gonna keep mentioning them.
[00:28:28] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:28:28] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:28:28] Speaker B: Yeah. If you can pay attention to the hardware, the finishes, and just do minor upgrades, it doesn't take everything. Even the trim, the exterior trim on the house, like shutters. Maybe they're. The shuttering is older, but just change the paint colors on.
[00:28:41] Speaker A: Exactly. Yeah.
[00:28:42] Speaker B: You know, come inside of the home and do, you know, wider baseboards or some crown molding in some areas, things like that really make a big impact. And making sure there aren't any visible cracks on the exterior of the home or the interior, I would use those as my basis. That's the most focus for me, is rectifying any of those issues. Because oftentimes that's the biggest deal breaker. Seeing any cracks, it's just very alarming. Even though sometimes it may just be from settlement.
[00:29:15] Speaker A: Yep.
[00:29:16] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:29:16] Speaker A: But it scares you, right? Is there something wrong with the house? Is it, you know, going sideways? Is it falling apart? Is the foundation a mess? Once you see a crack, you want to make sure.
[00:29:25] Speaker B: Right. And that's like a house that you asked me to come out and take a look at one time. Very beautiful home.
And there was a really bad crack in the sidewalk all the way across and, you know, it was very alarming to, you know, the client that was interested. But the only issue was just the settling, you know, the old footers. So just small things like that, refinishing your driveway even, you know, or extending the driveway, small things like that could really impact the home.
[00:29:53] Speaker A: Absolutely. In a great way. Exactly. And you can start working on those as you live in the house. You can do that little by little.
[00:30:00] Speaker B: And very cheap on Amazon.
[00:30:02] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:30:02] Speaker B: Things people by piece. Yeah.
[00:30:04] Speaker A: Yes. And for the lighting, because I know the lighting is very important, one of the things we recommend always as realtors, is when we go in, we see yellow lights.
Change that and put the white lights.
Is that the type of lighting that you work with as well?
[00:30:19] Speaker B: Yes, yes. You want. I like to use, you know, the efflorescent lights, but also the safety lights that assist with any heat emitting off of them.
That's kind of very important. They last longer, lower cost, and just put a light dimmer. So even though the lights may appear bright, just use a light dimmer. So you can make the lights go to where you want. Because that yellowing, the yellow that it gives off, it creates shadows in the homes.
[00:30:46] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:30:46] Speaker B: You know, it makes the home look older than what it is because everything looks yellow.
[00:30:50] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:50] Speaker B: If you can do it with. Especially in the bathroom.
[00:30:53] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:30:53] Speaker B: Yeah.
[00:30:53] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:30:53] Speaker B: If you can do away with it and make, you know, just some subtle, nice white lighting and just add a few dimmers here and there, it does a big difference.
[00:31:00] Speaker A: Definitely. And the dimmers will give you that atmosphere. Right. If you want it to look cozy or if you want it to look bright.
I love that I put dimmers everywhere in my house.
[00:31:10] Speaker B: And not expensive. It's not an expensive fix at all.
[00:31:12] Speaker A: No. Make sure you don't electrical yourself when you're doing it. I had a friend change one and. Oh, my gosh.
[00:31:17] Speaker B: Oh, yes. Big.
[00:31:18] Speaker A: Be careful.
[00:31:19] Speaker B: Don't change out any fixtures if you're not confident. It's always good to engage in electrical contractor.
[00:31:24] Speaker A: Absolutely. Anything electrical you don't want to mess with. Now, Kendra, when is cosmetic work enough?
Like when.
When do you turn from cosmetic into structural?
Maybe some examples that you've seen, like the crack we were talking about.
When. When do you make that turn into suggesting, hey, we need to do some structural work. That. That is not a diy. That's not a do it yourself.
[00:31:49] Speaker B: Yes. If there are any things that stand out in the house that seem to be structural, you need to engage a GC so they can advise you in the most Cost efficient way. Because oftentimes you spend so much money trying to uncover the issue.
[00:32:04] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:32:05] Speaker B: But if you can bring in an expert, they know exactly what that issue is, what the scope of work would be to fix it, and you get right to the problem.
So it's important to know what it is and who you're fixing it for.
Cosmetic gets a little out of the hand when you're doing it for you. You have to pay attention to the area and again, your audience.
[00:32:24] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:32:24] Speaker B: You know, make sure you're following what's in trend. But if there's. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
[00:32:29] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:32:30] Speaker B: You know, so many, so many times we hurt ourselves trying to go the extra mile when it's just fine as it is. You want to make sure that it's up to date and it doesn't look like anything that's alarming or. Or something that is leading to a problem.
[00:32:43] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:32:44] Speaker B: That's the biggest. You want to just touch up on any funky areas, anything that's alarming, but you don't want to put too much into it. That is for you personally.
[00:32:54] Speaker A: Exactly. Yes. I love that. And how do you prioritize small upgrades to maximize impact? Like if I were to come to you and say, listen, I want to do. It's an old house. It's completely outdated. Kendra, I need you to help me. I want to start renovating my home. I'm going to leave here a year, two years, and then we want to sell it in the future. So we want to upgrade some of the rooms to give it more value.
What would be the order in which you would recommend that I do that?
[00:33:20] Speaker B: Okay.
[00:33:21] Speaker A: Depending on the condition of the house, of course.
[00:33:22] Speaker B: Condition of the house, as well as your budget.
A lot of people get offended when people ask your budget, but I think it's very honest that. I mean, very important that you're honest about your budget because it doesn't mean that things can't be done. It's just how do we have to do them? What material shall we use? Oftentimes a lot of homeowners think you have to go expensive, but there are a lot of affordable fixes that you can do. Finishes that you can use that don't hit your pocket.
So if you're fixing up a home, I would essentially check out the structure of the home to make sure that that's intact. Because that's what you want to focus on the most.
[00:33:59] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:33:59] Speaker B: Is any structural issue, as long as the structure, the bones, the foundation, the framing of the home, Is good. Then you can just add a little splash of paint here and there, upgrade a few finishes here and there, and then you'll be fine. But you don't want to start with painting if you need to fix your foundation. Yes. Yeah, yeah. So engage a contractor, engage some type of inspector to do a full walkthrough of the home, make sure everything is intact, and use that report to base what is important as well as, you know, what people are looking for in the area.
[00:34:33] Speaker A: Yes. And we've had that happen. I mean, we live in a state where a lot of the houses have a crawl space.
We don't have basements or anything like that here. Very little. Very few homes do. And a lot of the things, that's what happens. Right. We have the homeowners who wanted to renovate the kitchen and they redid the bathrooms and they redid, you know, the walls and everything. And then they put the house for sale, and we go under contract, and then we sell an inspector or a general contractor to check the foundation of the house and the crawl space to make sure everything is good and it's a mess.
[00:35:04] Speaker B: It'll cost more to fix than the finishes you put in.
[00:35:07] Speaker A: Exactly, exactly. And now you're talking about something structural because finishes, somebody can go in and do their own finishes. Right. But we are not going to go buy a house where the foundation is a mess, where you have issues with pillars at the bottom. So definitely have somebody check that for you before you start working on the rest of the house, because it could also cost you a good amount of money to fix the foundation and everything. And now you spend all your budget on cosmetics, and now you can fix and, you know, provide a solid home.
[00:35:38] Speaker B: Yes, yes. I always say, don't be scared to engage an inspector or contractor. Pay that little estimate fee for them to come out, because it saves you in the long run.
[00:35:46] Speaker A: It saves you a lot of money.
[00:35:47] Speaker B: In the long run.
[00:35:48] Speaker A: And, hey, you want to live in a safe house while you're living there, too. You definitely want to make sure that's right.
[00:35:52] Speaker B: Something fall on your head?
[00:35:54] Speaker A: Yes. No. And the sooner you fix it, the less it's going to cost and the safer it's going to be. All right, now, coming up, we're going to talk about the flip side. Those big renovations can spiral into costly disasters if not managed well. We have seen that happen many times.
You don't want to miss this. So we'll be right back.
Cut.
Oh, my gosh. Good thing I can see these numbers right here because that turned off on me. We'll be right back with more stories, strategies and inspiration to help you write your next home chapter. This is Home STORY with Veronica on NOW Media Television.
And we're back. I'm Veronica Dinkins, and you're watching Home Story with Veronica on NOW Media Television. Let's jump back into today's conversation.
Welcome back to HOME Story with Veronica. Don't miss a second of this show or any of your NOW Media TV favorites, streaming live and on demand wherever and whenever you want. Grab the free Now Media TV app on Roku or iOS on your phone and enjoy instant access to our lineup of bilingual programming in both English and Espanol. Prefer podcasts? Listen to Home Story anytime on the Now Media TV website at www.nowmedia.tv covering business, breaking news, lifestyle, culture and more. Now Media TV is available 24 7, so the stories you care about are always within reach.
In this closing segment, we're tackling the big projects and the big fears that come with them. For many homeowners, mistakes feel inevitable, but with the right planning, disasters can actually be prevented. The challenge homeowners face is managing the risk of major remodels from permits. We talked about that a little bit in planning to unexpected setbacks, which happen a lot.
Let me say that now, Kendra, and your expertise as a general contractor, what are some of the most common mistakes in large remodels and how can they be prevented, in your opinion?
[00:38:00] Speaker B: I would say it is very important to just right off the bat, engage a professional. You know, so many times we use our eye to judge things, but it's just like going to the doctor. You don't really know what's wrong to pinpoint it. You know, where the pain is, but you don't know what the source of it is. So it's best to engage a GC initially. We are very good with identifying the scope of work. This is what helps you save money, because if you go in thinking that, oh, I only need to paint, but in fact it's a crack being caused by, you know, a stud poking out of the wall or something, that is something that only a GC would be able to identify. So you save yourself a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of, you know, misconceptions if you engage a professional in the beginning.
[00:38:48] Speaker A: Exactly. And can you think of any stories that have happened to you when you were doing a big remodel of some realistic setbacks that could happen?
[00:38:58] Speaker B: Yes.
I will give you this nightmare home that we just finished.
[00:39:02] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah.
[00:39:03] Speaker B: Very beautiful home in a nice area.
Homeowners had already began working on things they wanted to upfit the basement area.
This was the end of the project. We were working on the basement.
[00:39:14] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:39:15] Speaker B: They weren't aware that there was no waterproofing existing in the home for that area. So, you know, they're thinking. They. That the. It just needed to be. We call it parched, but it's basically painting of the blocks for the basement. They were thinking that it just needed that cleaning and that parging.
[00:39:33] Speaker A: Okay.
[00:39:33] Speaker B: I was able to see that it was actually the waterproofing that had never, I guess, it maybe wore off after so long or wasn't installed correctly.
It ended up being a super, super huge issue for, you know, the clients because it was affecting not only the foundation, but. But it was starting to get under the home.
[00:39:53] Speaker A: Oh, and that's not good.
[00:39:54] Speaker B: It's not good at all. Once you start dealing with mold and water, it creates more of an issue than anything. So they were thinking, you know, that the minor fix was the painting when it, in fact, was the waterproofing. So they spent so much money just to backtrack, we had to dig everything out, you know, and start from scratch. So upon seeing that, we were able to assist them, you know, for as cost effectively as we thought we could.
[00:40:20] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:40:21] Speaker B: And rectify that issue.
But it was really alarming because had they missed that, all the work that they just done to renovate the home above the basement would have been completely destroyed because that water travels up, you know, so, yeah, it was a huge. It was a setback because we had to go back and fix what we had already thought we'd passed. But it saved them so much in the long run. They were happier. And it even made the house look a little bit better because we were able to, you know, backfill it a little bit better, put a little bit more plants in.
[00:40:50] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:40:51] Speaker B: So that was.
[00:40:52] Speaker A: And for the future, if they ever wanted to sell that house and somebody was going to inspect it and notice that issue, then that would have been.
[00:40:58] Speaker B: A big issue already taken care of now.
[00:41:00] Speaker A: Exactly. It's not an issue anymore.
[00:41:02] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:41:02] Speaker A: The issue was solved. That's right.
Yeah. We've experienced, you know, when we've done work for our clients or when we recommend a general contractor for our clients, some of the things you can't see until you dig.
Right. And when I say dig, I don't necessarily mean literally digging. Right. But when you open up a wall because. Exactly. You open up a wall because you're going to add some electric work, and then you find that all of the electric work is a mess, and it's. The house is about to catch on fire, and now you need to change everything. So be realistic. Definitely, when you are making this kind of big renovations, that things can happen.
[00:41:40] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:41:41] Speaker A: Things can come up. When you are talking to a client, is that a step that is.
Is that a conversation that you usually have with them so that they know, hey, something might turn out, like if there's some things that you're gonna work on that you can't physically see that, you know, there could be surprises.
How is that handled from your end as a professional?
[00:42:00] Speaker B: Sure. So depending on what exactly the client needs, I like to sit down and discuss what they're looking for. Because depending on how deep you go, you may not uncover things. If we're only painting and doing cosmetic work.
[00:42:12] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:42:13] Speaker B: You know, we could very well just be fine. But if you want to open up, you know, the kitchen to the living room and remove a wall or start doing any electrical movement, I let the client know upon our meeting that, you know, it's. Nothing is written in stone. You don't know what you have behind these walls. Because, you know, most homes, I've been here, you know, 30, 40, 50 years, and the way they did things then is totally different.
[00:42:35] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh, tell me about it. Yes.
[00:42:36] Speaker B: This is how we do now, you know, so I just kind of give him his clothes closure before we sit down. If they come with a certain budget, I try to work with them. As far as contingency fees, I'm very open about what I see before because oftentimes, as long as you engage a general contractor in the beginning, once we open it and we see something is wrong, we can stop if we see that it's going to cost more than what you, you know, you've bargained for.
[00:43:03] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:43:03] Speaker B: And we'll. We'll, you know, work with you to get to where you need to get to, to address it correctly. But you don't want to go in piece by piece. I would never touch a project and leave you to figure it out in the end.
So it's important that you work with someone who. You trust their knowledge so they can steer you correctly.
And then you use their expertise to know exactly how deep to go and what to do. Because you don't see it just on the edge.
[00:43:32] Speaker A: Exactly. And again, some of the things, you can't see them with the naked eye. You have to. Yes, that happened to us. We Were we? Listen, I love tearing down a wall. She has said, don't do that, but I did it so many times.
I mean, it's ridiculous. So when we. And a lot of it, we do ourselves the work that we can do ourselves, that we don't need permits or anything, because my husband used to work in construction. But we opened up this wall, and there was a fireplace in. In between two rooms that we had no idea about just things. And it was a brake fire. It was not easy to get rid of that. So there are surprises.
[00:44:11] Speaker B: That's a risky run. It's not that you don't want to do those things, but you have to make sure you have the budget for unforeseen items because it happens so often, and you'll be in over your head before you know it. So it creates a great look if you can afford it. Yes.
[00:44:28] Speaker A: Always have a little bit of extra of what you think you're gonna spend, because you just never know. You just never know.
Now, Kendra, when unexpected issues arise, how do you adjust and keep the client confident? We've talked about it a little bit. If you have any examples or anything that you can share with us in which you sort of collaborated with the client and the client also compromised with you when things like this arise that you had no idea that they were going to come up.
[00:44:55] Speaker B: Yes, most of the times it's not too much that I'm left in the dark about.
However.
[00:45:03] Speaker A: That's good.
[00:45:03] Speaker B: Yes. Yes. I try to thoroughly, you know, assess the property before getting started. However, there are some things that hit you, like a home that we worked on together that had trouble. Selling H Vac was a big problem for them.
Even though the, you know, the H Vac worked, going to sell it, having the inspectors to come in and take a look at it, it was just an ugly sight and eyesore in some areas.
Yeah. Yeah. And it was very important that we went in to, you know, make it work in the best way. So even though it's not something that, you know, our client bargained for, as far as it worked, you know, it was in working condition. It was just fine. It had years ago, but it was a huge issue because it just wasn't functional. It took away a lot of space from, you know, areas that was necessary.
It didn't reach the right areas where it needed to. So in an issue like that where, you know, he wasn't expecting to spend that extra 15 grand in that area, it really hurt. But it really helped in the end.
[00:46:05] Speaker A: Because we couldn't sell A house.
[00:46:06] Speaker B: Right, right. So you get different things like that when it's something as serious as that, or even, you know, fencing, you mentioned earlier, fencing that's been, you know, fallen over or, you know, not sturdy. People look over that. But that's a big deal breaker because it looks like, you know, if the outside of the house isn't put together, what are we going to see on the inside?
[00:46:27] Speaker A: So you see a naked feeling.
[00:46:29] Speaker B: That's right.
[00:46:29] Speaker A: Not a good feeling.
[00:46:30] Speaker B: That's not a good feeling. So, yeah, that. That was one of the big. A big challenge, not seeing things of that. Or even electrical. Electrical. Get people. Gets people a lot.
[00:46:39] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:46:40] Speaker B: Yeah. So those sort of things I try to uncover in the beginning, but you don't always. But that's where that contingency comes in at exactly. A lot of times, you know, we're able to make up for it because we kind of had a little bit in the reserve. And those relationships are helpful, too. Making sure you have relationships with your contractor and your subcontractors so that we're all a team. Because in the end, we are, you know.
[00:47:03] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:47:03] Speaker B: Anywhere that we can squeeze to help you, we always try.
[00:47:07] Speaker A: Yes. Because, I mean, you're helping each other. Right. You're getting the job, and the client is getting their home renovated and adding value to everybody. Their home. And, you know, it's funny when you mention. When you help me with my client, I think maybe do you see that a lot of your work is related because somebody else did a horrible job before you? Most of it because they didn't hire the professional.
[00:47:27] Speaker B: That's right. And, you know, sometimes it's scary because in this case, you know, he had an estimate for 10,000 to do the H vac and 15,000, and it seems scary. You want to go with cheaper, but you're gonna get what you pay for.
[00:47:40] Speaker A: Exactly.
[00:47:41] Speaker B: It might be scary, but now you're spending 15 more just to fix what you didn't.
[00:47:47] Speaker A: This is what happened to my client. And if he's watching, he knows exactly who I'm talking about.
[00:47:50] Speaker B: We love you.
[00:47:51] Speaker A: Yes. We absolutely love you. But you try to go cheap, right? You got. You try to go cheap, and there are certain things that you shouldn't go cheap on.
I mean, if you're gonna fly a plane, you want to make sure that the plane is in good condition. You don't want to go on a plane that has never been inspected or anything like that. And then one of the engines goes off and whale. Yeah. Yes, exactly. Now, Kendra, this has been absolutely incredible. You've added so much value to our show. I appreciate it so much. Thank you for having me. Now where again, please, please remind our audience real quick, where can they find you? What's the best way to contact you so that they can continue a conversation with you?
[00:48:27] Speaker B: Yes, best way to contact me is email, pronto, precisemail.com or even Facebook. We're always checking our messages and interactive on there. So pronto precise on Facebook as well.
[00:48:38] Speaker A: Pronto precise. Now, Kendra, thank you again for sharing all of your expertise and real world stories with us today. From smart investments and contractor trust to small upgrades to handling big projects, you've shown that home remodeling is about more than just walls and finishes. It's about creating value, avoiding stress and building spaces that feel like homes and and target your audience. For our viewers, I hope today's conversation gives you both inspiration and practical tools for your own journey. I'm Veronica Dicas as this has been Home Story with Veronica on NOW Media tv, where every home has a story worth telling. Until next time, thank you so much for watching.
