‘Good Bones’ Reveals a Terrible Mistake Homebuyers Are Making Like Crazy Right Now
HGTV
On “Good Bones,” Mina Starsiak Hawk flips run-down homes across Indianapolis, usually for big profits. But, as the latest episode illustrates, she still makes mistakes.
In the episode “Soft Stark Southside House,” Starsiak Hawk has paid $30,000 for a house sight unseen. This has become a common practice for many homebuyers, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, when she and her assistant Cory arrive at the property for the first time, she is completely deflated.
“To be honest, I thought it was a different house,” she admits. “I thought it was the one across the street.”
So far, this gamble seems to be a bad bet. Can Starsiak Hawk turn it around? Check out how she attempts to recoup her losses while delivering plenty of smart tips that might apply to any abode, even your own.
Sometimes, the land under a teardown is worth it
First visit to a home bought sight unseenHGTV
The two-bedroom, one-bath, 1,300-square-foot house Starsiak Hawk has bought appears to be in imminent danger of falling over. Worst of all, it has no foundation—the floor joists are sitting on dirt.
Clearly, this house is a teardown.
“That seemed reckless,” says Cory about Starsiak Hawk’s purchase sight unseen. But, “the lot was probably worth [$30,000] anyway.”
Ever one to make the best of things, Starsiak Hawk and her crew get busy demolishing the old house and building anew. The upside is they’re only $30,000 in the hole, so they might even make a profit once they’re finished.
A bedroom on the main floor is a big seller
Versatile main-floor bedroomHGTV
Many older houses are designed with public rooms downstairs, bedrooms and baths upstairs. But since Starsiak Hawk is building a four-bedroom, three-bath house from scratch, she can create any layout she desires.
She puts a bedroom and bath on the main floor, behind the open kitchen and great room. In that position, it’s ideal as an extra bedroom for guests, particularly a family member who’s elderly or who can’t navigate stairs.
Frost the glass in bathroom windows
Figuring out where to place the toiletHGTV
As Starsiak Hawk walks the newly built second story with Cory in an attempt to lay it out, she explains where she intends to put the toilet in one of the upstairs bathrooms.
“We love putting toilets in front of windows, don’t we?” asks Cory slyly.
“We’re not putting it in front of the window. We’ve got 12 inches, so your base is right here and you’re like this,” Starsiak Hawk says, squatting over the space where the toilet goes.
“We need to get some frosted glass for that window,” she concedes.
Bathroom with frosted-glass windowHGTV
A front porch adds value
Inviting front porchHGTV
A front porch might not increase the square footage, but it can add value to the home.
“When we were applying for permits, the neighborhood association required a front porch patio to create more of a neighborhood feel,” says Starskiak Hawk. “So we’re giving it a little extra porch space, so whoever moves in can sit outside and feel a part of the neighborhood.”
Use cedar for planter boxes
Cedar planter boxHGTV
Starsiak Hawk’s mother and business partner, Karen Laine, has semiretired, but she’s often on hand to help with gardening and design issues.
For this property, she steps in to help design the outdoor spaces and builds an absolutely gorgeous cedar planter box. It helps to define that important front porch space.
“It smells so good,” she exclaims as she fits the cedar planks together. “The reason we use cedar is it doesn’t decay, because it’s so oily and resinous. It just lasts forever.”
She lines the box with planting fabric and puts in blue grama grass.
“Grasses look like grasses,” she says, “but these have those lovely little seed heads that are so pretty.” It softly and colorfully adds style to the porch.
How does Starsiak Hawk’s new home end up?
Starsiak Hawk has to invest more in the property than she originally intended, but since the house is new, she can sell it for more.
Having spent $225,000 on the rebuild, she has invested a total of $255,000 in the property. If it sells at her list price of $315,000, Starsiak Hawk will see a $60,000 profit.
There’s a young couple looking to buy their first home, and they’ve been inquiring about the house even before it was finished. So they’re invited to see it first.
They’re immediately enamored with it. They love the light and the four-bedroom layout—they make an offer at full list price.
Starsiak Hawk is happy for the couple, who reveal they’re expecting. She’s also relieved that the project came out so well, sight unseen and all.
Front exteriorHGTV
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