Starting a Home Renovation and Selling Business

Wherever there are people, there are houses. This means that home renovating is a profession that can be practiced almost anywhere in the world. If you live in a small town, the pickings may be slimmer than in a major city or a bustling suburb, but there are always houses crying out for attention. Housing is likely to be more affordable in rural, residential communities where salaries and the cost of living are lower than in more densely populated areas.

Getting started may also be easier in a suburb or a small city. Basic trust still cements deals in small towns, and a loan officer at a local bank may be more reliant on his impression of you than on impersonal financial statements, and therefore easier to deal with.

On the other hand, your opportunities for real estate investment widen with the size of the city you live in. In addition to houses, there are condominiums and cooperative apartments available, and you will find a greater variety f architectural styles, sizes, locations, and prices. If you are moving to a new area, do some research about the real estate possibilities before you relocate.

The field of home remodeling changed the way I looked at the world, and will probably do the same to you. It engulfs you in the way a new job, marriage, or parenthood does. Before you know it:

(1) Your sense of sight will change. You'll become aware of colors, shapes, patterns, materials, lighting - what works and what doesn't. That means you may buy an eggplant at the grocery store and try to duplicate the rich, dark sheen on your dining room walls.

(2) Your sense of hearing will change. You'll be aware of traffic sounds, and whether they're too close for comfort to the property you want to bid on. You'll learn to know the hum of a properly functioning boiler and the sickening grind of a busted dishwasher.

(3) Your sense of smell will change. You'll know that a purchase near a sewage-treatment plant is out, and that the bouquet of freshly cut lumber is in.

(4) Your way of thinking will change. You'll start to think like a home-wrecker, viewing houses for their investment potential and "resalability". Don't be surprised if on the third day of vacation, you start looking at property.

When your way of looking at real estate changes, your own city will take on new dimensions. You'll start observing houses trends, changing neighborhoods, newly painted facades, terrific landscaping. You'll drive down a street and realize that "For sale" signs are as important as "Stop" signs.