Do you ever wonder what it would be like to live in your fix and flip? Maybe it’s in a different city or state, so it might be like a vacation! Maybe it’ll cut the cost of travel or rent? Or, just imagine all the work you will get done! Is living with the roaches and the dust really worth it? Or are you the kind who likes the disorder because you like the break from the world of Mr.Clean and Febreze? Read on to discover if living in your rehab home is really worth the inconveniences it creates.
Top Considerations For (Not) Living In Your Rehab Home
1. If there are not a couple of “livable” rooms in the house, consider it camping
Without a few rooms set aside, off-limits to workers, it’s easy (VERY easy) to maintain a sense of orderliness and ritual in your schedule. There will be times when you cannot use the kitchen, cannot use the bathroom, the place is covered in dust. If you choose to live in your fixer upper, make sure you have the space, and that stipulation in place. You will be grateful.
2. If you have children living with you, DON’T DO IT.
If you have children, living in a rehab is out of the question. You can think it’s okay to push the limits, but the danger is not worth the risk. Not to mention you don’t want social services knocking on your door because the neighbors saw Johnny pooping outside while the bathroom was being repaired. Plus, if the house is older, there are additional risks like lead poisoning or asbestos contamination. Don’t take the risk.
3. Living in your rehab makes everything you do a job.
There will be bathrooms that don’t work, ransacked kitchens, stud walls without coverings, and non-existent living space- like family rooms, living rooms and dining rooms. You will constantly face the mess, and not just the mess, but the work of completing simple, everyday tasks like brushing your teeth, making dinner or showering can be thwarted. If you have asthma, require orderliness, would like a conventional mode of living, or find dust and grime repugnant, living at your fixer upper is NOT the job for you.
4. If you are looking for an excuse to be a less than tidy housekeeper, living in your fixer upper could be just the right thing for you.
Living in your renovation home will never be neat or clean. No one else has these expectations either, so it is an easy way to get a lot done in a short period of time and remove travel cost/time.
Still Curious?
If upon reading the above considerations, living in your rehab home makes sense to you, at least Netflix Tom Hank’s movie “Money Pit.” Get a slight glimpse into living in a rehab home(the movie of course is exaggerated), and a few laughs.
If that doesn’t turn you off, learn how to do it the right way! The Lee Arnold System of Real Estate Investing can even train you as a Master Rehabber and help you get 100% financing on your next fix-and-flip!