Building permits, zoning issues and the design police

Although building permit requirements will vary from place to place, getting a building permits will involve a completed permit application and some form of plans documenting the work. Ultimately, all building departments are interested in two primary issues:

• Zoning issues
• Building issues

Zoning issues:
To give home owners certainty that they won’t wake up to find out they are living next to a 7-11, towns and cities have zoning codes. These codes originated in the early part of the 20th century. They were created in response to the booming cities of the era and were intended to segregate uses (residential, institutional, and industrial) from each other and mitigate the effects of the rampant industrialization of cities. They regulate uses on individual lots and establish the overall bulk of the house (lot coverage, height, set back, etc.).

Usually, zoning codes only have relevance if you are changing the “footprint” of the building. For the purposes of remodeling, the most common way you would do this is if you are adding a dormer to create living space in an attic or adding a new deck. Before doing either of these projects, you’d need to demonstrate that the dormer doesn’t increase the height past the height limit or that the deck is not in a setback.

You do this by demonstrating via a site plan and other relevant documents. BuildSmart is prepared to help you organize this type of presentation.


Building issues (The design police)
In some heavily regulated cities, notably in California, design review is required for any exterior change to a house, new decks, fences, etc. This truly is the worst case, kind of like being on The Apprentice, but rather than Trump, you have a career bureaucrat telling you that your design is fired.

In a cruelly ironic twist, cities and towns that require design review, also expect you to pay for this privilege. The fees associated with design review can quickly add up to thousands of dollars, since there is so much administrative time involved. So, not only do you have to throw yourself at the feet of the design police, you have to pay for the privilege.

Design review boards require plans and elevations of your proposed changes (BuildSmart is prepared to help here too!). They have very specific requirements about what needs to be shown on these plans, so the reality is that you’ll wind-up hiring an architect to produce these plans adding to the cost.

In spite of your best intentions of complying with these rules, improving the neighborhood, etc. design review usually turns into some kind of crazy, thru the looking glass process. This is especially true if there is any form of public comment allowed in the process. The bureaucrats who administer this process are desperately afraid of controversy or making a mistake, so when the crazy lady with 78 cats who lives next door to you chimes in on how the fence you are proposing to build will affect the tilt of the earth, the bureaucrat who is running the process is forced to take her comments into account.

Contact BuildSmart if your project involves zoning issues or a design review. We'll be sure the process goes as soon as humanly possible - even if we can't do anything about the 78 cats next door.

Do you need a permit?

Do you need a permit? This is a bit of a “chicken and egg” question. In a perfect world, you’d only take on a renovation project that didn’t require a permit. I think of these projects as a refreshing; interior paint, carpet and floor covering, cabinet re-facing, etc. These are all activities that don’t require a permit.

Since getting any permit entails time and money, avoiding a project where they are required means you save both. However, having to obtain a permit shouldn’t be the sole reason to disqualify a project.

There are some relatively simple projects that usually require a permit, these include:

• Building a deck

• Rebuilding a porch

• Moving or removing a non-structural wall

These are simple projects that add a lot of values, even though they require a permit, don’t disqualify them simply because a permit is required. 

What’s your home renovation program?

On large commercial or institutional projects, the client spends a lot of time creating what’s called a program or project scope (not to be confused with a government program, like the FHA 203k one we discuss here).

This document is given to the architect/design team and acts as kind of a project bible to define the goals of the project. Typically, a program/scope document addresses:

• The project budget

• The project schedule

• Square footages of all affected areas

• The project design goals

• The project's sustainability goals, etc.

By their nature, these “programs” are complex.  Now, I’m not suggesting that you need anything of this complexity for your home project, but there is tangible value in thinking through these questions. Also, before you can intelligently hire a design professional, you’ll need to know these answers anyway.

When planning your home project, consider these big-picture categories mentioned above. This will be helpful for you in understanding what you need and then to share with your designers. 

BuildSmart tip: being ready to engage with your professional team by understanding your project's scope will save significant money and headaches as you proceed.

Tried and true, or tired and true? Design matters

For most local home builders, who re-purpose home designs long past their “sell by date”, tried and true quickly becomes “tired and true”. These uninspired designs, only add to the weak demand for new homes.

When you go to sell a house you’ve renovated, your local builder’s somnolent embracing of design has importance to you.

As an owner/investor embracing design can give you an edge.

If you are building to resell, competing homes will undoubtedly be old, tired or suffer from “Homedepotism”. By being the hip, well designed house, you will instantly be miles ahead when it’s time to market your home.

BuildSmart tip: Embrace well considered design when you renovate if you want to see the maximum return upon resale.

About home design and designer homes

The housing industry has only slowly and inconsistency integrated design into their product mix. Given that design and architecture is an integral part of housing, it’s surprising the home building industry hasn’t embraced it more completely. I think the reason for this is as follows;

Home building is a traditional industry with a “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it mentality”. Most builders stick with floor plans, house plans and community layouts that have worked in the past and that they know home buyer will like. 

As an industry, home building is a mix of large publicly traded companies and small independent builders. While large builders have in-house architecture and design staffs that are up-to-speed with current design trends, much of the home building industry is still small scale and local.

Most small builders look at re-using proven home designs as a way to minimize their risk, so they keep using tried and true designs.

At its best, these trends create communities of visual consistency. At its worst, tracts and tracts of cookie-cutter houses blight the built landscape. 

Not every house can be a custom one - and we're almost thankful for that when it comes to the opportunity for rehabilitation. If you're looking for a property to rehab and live in, a custom home, with custom solutions, finishes and fixtures can be a money pit. 

BuildSmart can help you understand and identify homes that are well designed and appropriate for rehabilitation. Contact us today to learn more. 

Home inspectors

Home inspectors occupy a strange role in the real estate transaction. Since virtually every lender requires a home inspection before making a loan, you obviously need them for a transaction. The costs of these inspections (typically $300-$400) is paid for by the home owner, so in theory at least, the home inspector is working for the buyer.

The reality though, is that again, since the agent is focused on getting the deal approved and closed, the allegiance of the home inspector is more closely aligned with the real estate agent.

Also, over the course of a year, the inspector is only going to do one inspection for you, but many more with the agent. So, when it comes time to disclose the hard fact/unpleasant facts regarding an inspection, inspectors have a tendency to sugar coat the facts in order to “keep the deal” together.


I’m not implying they are acting fraudulently, it’s more a matter of tone and presentation. Trying to sugar coat any findings that might “blow-up” a deal. The inspector only need to complete 120 hours in home inspection instruction, plus 40 hours of field training, so how much they can really tell you is impossible to say.

BuildSmart take away: don't assume a home inspector is working for you. Consider using one who isn't directly tied to your agent.

Lenders and mortgage brokers

Since the real estate shake out, the world of lending has changed tremendously.  Previously, everyone was a mortgage broker or “mortgage banker” if you were high-falutin.

Storefronts for independent mortgage brokers opened faster than Budweiser stand at a NASCAR race - appeared faster than ice cream trucks on a sunny day.

Since that time, there has been a contraction in the number of lenders (Countrywide being purchased by Bank Of America, for example), increased regulation of individual brokers and a drop in the number of mortgage applications. This has had the combined effect of forcing many people from this  industry.

As a group, lenders suffer from a lack of transparency; unlike real estate agents, they have a less of a public presence (no pictures on billboards) and tend to work behind the scenes.

Many lenders and mortgage brokers get referrals from real estate agents, rather than directly from potential clients. Working with a lender/mortgage broker recommended by your real estate agent is not necessarily a bad thing. Real estate agents have an obvious interest in seeing a transaction close and increase their odds by working with mortgage brokers who have a track record of getting deals funded.

Before, the economic reset, having transaction close successfully this was less of an issue, however, with tighter underwriting and appraisal standards, working with someone who can get a transaction financed is now more important than ever.

Your real estate broker is not your investment strategist

Be clear about what your real estate agent is supposed to be doing for you. Many real estate agents freely offer advice (maybe too freely). They can be a great source of information about local market data (time on market, closed transactions, sold price vs. asking price, etc.) However, once you get out of these topics, you are swimming in the deep end of the pool.

Asking “how’s the market”, “is this a good time to buy” or other open ended questions of this type is non-productive. Real estate agents simply don’t have the skill set to address these issues.

Remember - your real estate broker is not your investment strategist.

This is not a dress rehearsal - how to ask the tough questions

When it comes time to hire your team of BuildSmart professionals, remember: This is not a dress rehearsal - you need to ask some tough questions.

Don’t hire someone just because they showed up. Instead, engage them with detailed questions to verify that their background matches your needs and expectations.  The following, are a set of questions to ask when interviewing prospective service providers. This is not intended to be a script, rather a way to methodically find out if these people have the appropriate knowledge and skill set to add value, etc.

Real Estate Agents 

How long have you been an agent? 
From an absolute sense, more experience is better. Most people don’t realize that it takes determination to keep a real estate transaction together. For instance, aggressive offers from a buyer are often rejected out of hand by unrealistic or uncooperative sellers. An experienced agent can present an offer in such a way that this doesn't happen.  In a competitive, multiple-offer situation, a newbie agent might not have the expertise to get your bid accepted.

That said, experience can be a double edged sword, many of the experienced “war horses” in real estate can be frustrating to deal in a different way. Often these agents have an “I know better that you” attitude or never give you their full attention, since they are already focused on their next client and next transaction.

BuildSmart tip: Select a real estate agent based their experience, plus your assessment of their attitude.

How many transactions have you closed this year?
The industry standard for closed transactions is probably 8-12 a year for full time agents and 4-6 for part-time agents. The importance of the number of transactions, is that it shows how engaged they are in the market. More engagement means their understanding of the local market conditions will be fresher and more relevant. Make sure they have closed the industry standard amount of transactions decision based on the amount of closed transaction they

BuildSmart tip: Select your real estate agent based on number of transactions they have completed in a measurable period.

Do you usually represent buyers or sellers?
Over the course of a year, most agents will represent both buyers and sellers. Who you choose to work with depends somewhat on whether you are buying or selling. For the purposes of this post, we're assuming that you're a buyer.

In general agents that represent buyers (buyer’s agents) tend to hustle a little more. It takes more efforts to help your buyer identify and evaluate the home than just listing it. That said, this is a less critical than other factors.

What is your knowledge and experience in the distressed home market?
It’s important that whoever you work with has direct knowledge of the distressed properties discussed in this blog. Many of these homes, and programs will be unfamiliar to many agents, so choose an agent who has direct knowledge and experience with these transactions

These are just a few questions you want to be ready to have answered when its time to work with a real estate agent. BuildSmart can help you every step of the way. Contact us today to learn more.

Choosing your team the Buildsmart way

Too often, what happens when you're ready to start a renovation project, either through buying and rehabilitating a distressed property, or adding value to an existing one is that you don't take the time to identify the best people for the jobs at hand. Some preliminary pleasantries are exchanged and then they’re retained. Locating the professionals for your team is only the first step in the process.

The critical next step and one that is usually overlooked, is conducting a rigorous interview to determine if these professionals have the skill set and knowledge to really help you in this transaction.

Imagine you’re conducting a job interview. What you’re trying to find out is, if the person being interviewed has the skill set to do the job. Additionally, it helps if they are someone you want to work with.

Would you hire someone just because your kids were on the same soccer team? Because you both collect old type writers ? Because they were cute? Of course not, (for your sake, I really hope so), then why not apply the same rigor in choosing your real estate (Buildsmart) team.

Buildsmart tip: Select your team with the same rigor you’d hire at your company

Putting together the right team for your project

What’s the only thing worse than having no team for your investment, remodelling or rebuilding project?

Having the wrong team!

Unless you’re a full-time investor, most people have a day job. If you’re one of these people, then you’re going to need to rely on other people to implement the BuildSmart program. These people have the potential to act like your trusted advisor making for better decisions and a better outcome for you. The trick is finding the right ones.

The traditional way of finding and connecting with these people was asking friends and relatives to refer you to a real estate agent, contractor, etc. The problem with this approach is two-fold. First, if you’re new to an area you just might not know that many people to ask.

Secondly, people will always pass along a name, just to be helpful.  These are usually the most counterproductive. Maybe they bought a house but it was five years ago, since that time their mortgage broker has gone back to waiting tables or fled the country, who knows but the referal at this point is useless.

There’s also an important element of chemistry at work. There is ample research people respond to and hire people like themselves. The problem is that selecting an advisor solely because you get along with them is the wrong criteria. “Go along to get along” is the recipe for disaster.

So, go ahead and ask away, but make sure you’re realistic about the limits of this information. While a recommendation from a trusted friend is the best way to find a referral, if you’re new to an area or a first time buyer, this can be easier said than done.

Let BuildSmart help you build the right team of professionals you can trust to keep your best interests first and foremost. BuildSmart is unique in that our approach is designed to benefit the homebuyer or renovator - not take advantage of them. Contact us today to learn more about the BuildSmart difference.

The Lost City of "K"

During the 1920’s a mythical city “Z”, was reported to be hidden in the Amazon. Rumors of this city lead many explores to risk it all and try and find this city. For every explorer that never returned, the legend only grew. Col. Percy Fawcett, a legendary British explorer, allegedly heard about this city in the early 1900s and went to Rio de Janeiro to learn more, but never found the city. Instead, in 1925, Fawcett, his son Jack, and Raleigh Rimell disappeared in the Mato Grosso region of Brazil while searching for "Z".

Like the lost city of “Z”, the 203K loan program remains a myth for most borrowers. Because of the built-in bias previously described, most mortgage brokers and real estate agents want nothing to do with these loans, so, their loan volume is only a tiny trickle compared to conventional FHA loans.

However, unlike the lost city of “Z”, they do exist; the challenge is knowing the process and working with the right people to make the process work for you.

BuildSmart can help you find the Lost City of "K" - where these loans really DO exist and can be put to work for you. Contact us today for more information.

The best loan that nobody wants you to use - Part 2

Both the mortgage broker and the real estate broker will steer the buyers toward the move-in ready house - that's a fact. There isn’t some vast conspiracy at work, in-fact, it might even be well intentioned, trying to spare their clients from what they see as the hassle of remodeling but the fact is, most agents do not have the knowledge or skill set to accurately advise their clients on buying a fixer or rehab property. So, they just shoot from the hip, telling their client, "Oh you wouldn’t want to do that, it’s so much work, etc." The homebuyer who was nervous already, quickly kills the deal and opts for the move-in ready home.

The transaction closes quickly, the real estate agent get paid and moves on to the next client.

If, you were the client during this transaction did the agent do you a favor by keeping you from remodel hell and a money pit, or did she prevent you from creating equity that would increase your financial health?

This question is at the heart of the mater and reinforces the inadequately of most agent to offer meaningful advice or council when buying these properties. To meaningfully answer the lost aggravation vs. lost opportunity, question you need to perform a detailed analysis, not rely on the “shoot from the hip advice of your agent”. Most buyers are not that well prepared, so they overly rely on their real estate or mortgage agent without first doing their homework.

Therefore, when they ask their agents about the these homes, and the loans that make them a great option, the answer is inevitably, "you don’t want to do that it’s too complicated and takes too long" (translation, I have never done one of these before, so don’t know the first thing about it and I need your transaction to close this month, so, I can pay my mortgage).

In our next post, we'll get to the heart of the 203K loan option.

The best loan that nobody wants you to use - Part 1

If we told you there was loan that let you buy a distressed property, then loaned you funds to make cosmetic or structural improvements to it and then rolled all the cost of improvements plus the purchase price into one loan you’d probably think that was pretty great. Now, what if that loan allowed you to do this entire transaction with only three percent down?

Impossible you say. Well these loans do exist, but the real estate industry doesn't want you to use them.

Imagine for a minute, that you’re a real estate agent. Most agents are “lone wolfs” they operate independently trying to acquire listings or help their clients buy houses. Real estate is an “eat what you kill” business, agents spend months working with buyers and sellers but, they don’t get paid unless a transaction happens.

So, real estate agents obviously want to get paid for their efforts. While it’s ultimately the buyer’s decision on what property to purchase, their decisions is greatly influenced by the real estate agent they are working with.

Buyers rely on their agents for insight into homes, neighborhood correct pricing and (good) agents have a lot to offer. Like everyone else, real estate agents want to get paid, so and since that will only happen when a transaction takes place, real estate agents have a built in bias to show their clients move-in ready properties.

So, there you are, the lonely real estate agent, you’re client has found a fixer home they are interested in and another one that is move in ready and they ask their agent for guidance, what do you think their agent will say?

This same point is also true for mortgage brokers. Typically, mortgage brokers are commissioned based, they are only going to get paid once your loan closes. Faced with the choice of steering you toward a more time consuming loan or a plain vanilla loan, what do you think they will do?

We'll answer this question and more in Part 2.

The good deal: building salvage

Bet this owner got a great deal on those windows...

Have you ever walked in to a friend’s house that they just finished remodeling and nothing matches? Your friend will then proceed to tell you about the “good deal” they got on everything.

Most of what you will find in your typical "building salvage" stores falls in to this category, quality tile but not enough for the entire bathroom. High end light fixtures but just one of them. Individually, these items might indeed be a good deal, the problem is that they will look chaotic and uncoordinated.

Building salvage stores often have lots of items that “just need a little work”. The door with the damaged casing, the cabinets with the miss-matched hardware. While individually these all seem like a good deal, the problem is they inevitably turn into a time suck tracing down replacement pieces and hardware that has a corrosive effect on your schedule.

While there are many products that lend themselves to E commerce, books, music, electronics, building materials do not fall into this category.

Case in point, plumbing fixtures, especially high-end brands like Grohe are notoriously confusing to order.  The chances of getting this wrong are high, and then you’ll have delays, re-orders and an aggravated plumber.

When an owner supplies materials to the contractor, the contractor will not warrantee them and if there is a defect or you ordered the wrong thing, then it’s the owner’s problem to resolve.

BuildSmart take away: Building salvage isn't always the "good deal" it seems. With BuildSmart, we can turn you into an informed buyer when it comes to your remodeling project. Contact us today.

Understanding transaction costs

The question is often asked, how long to hold should I hold on to my property. It’s impossible to answer this question without first understanding the concept of transaction costs.  Transaction costs are part of every economic exchange, if you’re selling some stocks that you own, when you sell them, the brokerage (on-line, in person it doesn't matter) deducts their fees from what you sell.

So, unless the stock price increases more than what you paid, including the transaction cost value, you would not make money on the sale of your stock (we will ignore the tax consequences at this point).

While there are more components to real estate transaction cost, the concept is still the same. Unless your gain is more than the value of the transaction costs, you will not make any money.

When prices were steadily rising every quarter, the appreciation would help offset the transaction costs, making it possible to profitably sell. In our current environment of flat prices, this obviously isn’t the case.

The only way to predictably account and mitigate transaction costs is to create value when you buy.

We’ve never seen a real estate transaction where the transaction costs came in less than the estimate. Seems like they are always more. The temptation is to ignore them as a “cost of doing business” but this is precisely what you don’t want to do. In fact, on any project you work on, you should include a contingency on these items also.

The other items that should figure into any analysis of how long to hold your property are the tax consequences of selling and rate of appreciation in the market area.

More about this important topic to come.

Let BuildSmart help you analyze the market for your home and help you make good choices around building value in your property.

Your friendly neighborhood bank?

Since, the old model of building value in real estate relied on appreciation or long term holding of a property, and neither of those conditions exists in the current market, then there needs to be a new model to take its place: a new paradigm to participate and win in the new real estate market.

Is your bank looking out for your interests?

If life were life a marketing piece from one of the national banks:

• The college kids are all quietly reading in the sun drenched library alcove - not outside smoking while they check their iPhones
• Every new car would come with a giant red bow attached
• Smiling families would be moving into their sparkling new home, as opposed to inside with the lights out, wondering how long they cannot stop paying their mortgage before going into default

As an industry, the financial services industry spends over $10 billion on advertising. This is on par with the auto industry. The reason they can spend this much on advertising is how insanely profitable this industry is.

Think about it, you deposit your money at 1.5 %(maybe) and meanwhile the fees on your credit card are 23%, with that kind of spread they can pay for a lot of feel good advertising. The financial services industry is implicit in the financial meltdown. Looking for them for a solution is ridiculous.

With BuildSmart, we'll help you understand all the options available to you as a home buyer and home owner - options that are helping you build value - not lining the pockets of millionaires.

Why you should care about Zip Car

Zip Car is the name of a car sharing service. For a fixed monthly fee, Zip Car subscribers have guaranteed use of a car. For their monthly fee, subscribers can reserve a car on line, and pick it up at various conveniently sited locations. Cars are located in neighborhoods throughout a city; say in the parking lot of a supermarket or transit center. Once you’ve paid for a monthly subscription, the only cost is for the gas you use. Insurance, maintain ace, tabs, etc. are included in the monthly subscription cost. In some ways, this is the best of both worlds; you have access to a newer car when you need it, without the headaches and all the expenses of owning your own car.

When you think about it, given how car-centric we are as a country, car sharing is a quietly radical idea. Five years ago, you probably never heard of Zip Car, or for that matter, urban farmers markets, 100-mile menu sourcing, and walk scores. Now, at least in larger cities, these things are all ubiquitous. When seen individually, these might seem like random data points, not really connected to anything. When seen collectively, however, they paint a far different picture.

So, back to Zip car and why it matters, these are all indications of a changing American lifestyle and preferences. In a sense, the chicken and the egg. Not being tied to a car, not needing one every day frees you up your housing choices, allowing you to live in a denser neighborhood, where you don’t necessarily need car for trips to the store etc.

You see, ultimately, the real estate market (your real estate market) is just a reflection of America.  America has grown and changed over the last century and houses and housing patterns reflect this. At the turn of the 19th century somewhere around 60% of the population lived on and worked on farms. Transportation consisted of walking or horses. How things have changed!

BuildSmart can help you navigate the changes in the housing market and help you make decisions that will add value to your home, whether you are remodeling, buying a distressed property or contemplating a renovation. Call us today.

Alphabet Soup or learning to love alphabet soup

Vast.

It’s the only word that can describes the government’s role in the housing industry. This support is both direct and indirect.

Indirect support consists of the mortgage interest deduction that gives home owners the ability to deduct the cost of mortgage interest from their taxes.

Direct support incudes programs administered through the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and loan guarantees made by the GSE’s (Government sponsored enterprises) of Fannie Mae, Ginne Mae & Fredie Mac. In addition to these federal programs, most states have some kind of “office of housing”.

In case you hadn’t noticed, the federal government isn’t known for its transparency. This is especially true in the opaque world of these programs. So, although there exist many benefits for home buyers through these programs, they are hard to identify and hard to access. So, where do you begin?

The government, like any large organization tends to operate in silos, what this means is that there is virtually no connection from one program to the other. So, just because you applied for one program and maybe you didn’t qualify, there is no one “connecting the dots” with other programs to see if they work for you instead. Since these various housing programs are organized on an agency by agency basis, I think a good place to understand what’s available, is to look at them on an agency by agency basis.

We'll cover that in an upcoming post. In the meantime, contact BuildSmart and we'll help you understand the alphabet soup that is government housing programs, and how the might be applied to your specific home buying, or home renovation need.

Intelligent participation

If we were academics, we’d be content with the analysis of the roots of the current housing crisis and then participate in the obligatory hand wringing over the future of, home ownership, the middle class, America, apple pie, etc.

While all these topics make for interesting speculation and some idle chatter at your next cocktail party, the problem with stopping there, is that you really haven’t solved anything have you? The goal of BuildSmart is to empower you with the insight and knowledge to participate intelligently in the housing market. To understand both some of the bigger trends that affect real estate and knowledge specific to take advantage of them on the ground.

The problem with the collective handwringing about the future of the housing market, the country, the middle class, etc. is that while your wringing your hands about how bad it is, etc. someone else is sizing the opportunity and that person should be you.

So we ask you to stop worrying and to start thinking about how you can position yourself as a homeowner or investor with a solid strategy that actually results in being on top. Call BuildSmart today and let's discuss your path to building your value and equity.

Yes, flipping IS gambling

The economist Keynes once remarked, that in the long term, everyone is dead. How does this apply to the BuildSmart approach you ask? Well, in the old model of steadily rising home prices and an active market, home buyers were curiously uninterested in the actual price they paid for their home. What was more important was the initial monthly payment. The assumption was that whatever you paid for the home was unimportant since it would quickly be worth more.

The most radical form of this was the practice of flipping. In flipping, you could tie up a property say a new condo under construction with a small deposit, once completed, you could resell the condo and pocket the difference between what you paid for it and the new (higher) price.

This was speculation, pure and simple. If you made money flipping properties, you no-doubt felt pretty clever. Speculation however assumes an environment of rapidly rising prices. Without this environment it makes’ difficult, if not impossible to make money speculating in real estate.

BuildSmart's approach focuses on creating long term value that can ride out market fluctuations - it's not a model for flippers looking to make a fast buck. If you are a home buyer or owner who is in it for the long run, then BuildSmart is for you. Our approach focuses on understanding how a property can be enhanced for maximum value, in the most affordable way imaginable for the home owner.

When we say we "turn owners into builders", we also mean a number of things: professional builders look at home renovation remodeling differently than the public - we'll help you see your project through those same eyes; and with BuildSmart, you'll also become a "builder" of value and equity. Call us today to explore how we can help you.