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Real Estate: Time to plan interior remodeling projects

Don Kanare and Sabrina Belleci / Special to the Tribune
Don Kanare and Sabrina Belleci, ReMax Realty
Provided

Weekly real estate update

Statistics gathered from the Incline Village Multiple Listing Service on Oct. 18.

Houses Condos PUDs

For Sale 51 16 10

Under $1 million 2 11 6

Median Price For Sale $2,799,000 $774,999 $929,500

YTD Sales 2020 212 192 65

YTD Sales 2019 136 136 45

New Listings 7

In Escrow 14

Closed Escrow 14

Range in Escrow $459,000 - $7,495,000

These statistics are based on information from the Incline Village Board of Realtors or its MLS as of Oct. 18.

Pumpkin carving time is a reminder that it’s time for Incline Village and Crystal Bay property owners to put away the garden hose and rakes and contemplate those interior remodeling projects that didn’t get done last year. With the chilly autumn weather putting a damper on outside projects, it’s a great opportunity to call your interior decorator or contractor and get the ball rolling.

Most properties in our community have floor plans that lend themselves to breaking down remodeling projects into smaller bites so you don’t have to do your whole house or even an entire floor at one time. If you have an attached garage with some extra space, that will make it easier for the workers to perform tasks that are not conducive to being outside in the cold and snow.

Thoroughly planning the details of each remodeling project will save you a lot of time, money, grief and aggravation further down the road. Utilizing the expertise of an architect, space planner, interior decorator or experienced contractor can makes things go a lot more smoothly.



One way to get some good ideas during the planning process is to visit other homes that have already been remodeled. Your real estate agent will be happy to show you a few properties that have been updated to give you some ideas that you may never have previously considered. Looking on the Internet at virtual tours of properties for sale can spark new thoughts that may lead to creating a completely different vision than what you originally imagined.

Once you have the general concepts down on paper it’s good to sleep on everything for at least a couple of weeks because you will likely come up with new ideas that will alter the original scheme. When shopping for materials, be aware that all of the natural products made with wood and stone will have variations from what you see on the show room floor. Always bring home samples of the materials you plan to use and put them in the rooms you will be working on for at least one week to be sure that the colors and textures are what you anticipated.



Get estimates in advance of any work being performed and remember that you will always need more materials than the actual square footage when replacing flooring, doing painting, etc. There is bound to be a certain amount of waste, a general rule of thumb is to purchase 10% more of the materials that you will need than the actual square footage you are covering. It’s also good to keep around some extra materials after the project is completed so that you can replace or touch up anything that becomes damaged in the future.

Interior remodeling projects can be fun and rewarding but they can also be frustrating and upsetting if you don’t take the time to plan in advance and get the expertise you need to solve problems before they become major headaches. So, while you might have to allocate a few extra dollars on consulting and planning prior to the start of your interior remodeling project it is money well spent.

Don Kanare is the founder and Sabrina Belleci is the owner / broker of RE/MAX North Lake.


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