‘Home Inspector Joe’ Reveals the Ultimate Secret To Buying a House—at a Discount

‘Home Inspector Joe’ Reveals the Ultimate Secret To Buying a House—at a Discount

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Joe Mazza, the host of HGTV’s “Home Inspector Joe,” knows that first-time homebuyers are having a particularly hard time getting a house these days. Luckily, his latest clients have figured out a solution to secure real estate—at a bargain price no less.

In the episode “Hand-Me-Down Hazards,” Mazza meets with Antonio and Sam Lavalva, a married couple who have struggled to find a house. So when Sam’s sister decides to list her Rye, NY, home, Sam and Antonio jump at the opportunity. They get a family discount and buy this four-bedroom, three-bathroom home for $950,000, leaving a hefty $150,000 for repairs and renovations.

While this seems like a big budget, Mazza knows this old home needs important repairs. Also, Sam and Antonio are eager to make big design changes.

“I’m worried that it might always feel like my sister’s house and not ours,” Sam says.

Luckily, the team is able to stay under budget when replacing the roof, knocking down the kitchen wall, and giving the whole home a new look, putting Sam and Antonio’s total investment at $1,097,650.

Read on to learn some budget-friendly ways to make someone else’s house feel like your own.

Update paint and landscaping

When Mazza and his go-to designer, Noel Gatts, first see this house, it’s clear that it has a lot of curb appeal. Still, Mazza finds that the exterior will need lots of work. There’s an old oil tank buried in the yard, which needs to be removed immediately, and the roof desperately needs to be replaced.

“The shingles are completely worn out,” Mazza says upon inspection. “They start to get warped. They’re flipping up, they’re curling, they’re cracking.”

The homeowners need to set aside a good chunk of their renovation budget for these necessary exterior improvements, but Gatts still wants to put some work into the exterior design.

Sam mentions that her sister’s family doesn’t use the front door because the plants are so overgrown, so the team trims back the landscaping and even gives the front door a fresh color. The new shade of mint green brings attention to the front entrance, which is much more accessible now that it isn’t surrounded by a forest of foliage.

Add new colors

Inside the house, Gatts and Mazza find a lovely but simple kitchen.

“It’s pretty, but it’s just not our style,” Sam says during the house tour.

Gatts decides to change it up in the kitchen, removing a wall, adding an island, and bringing in more unusual colors.

“I’m thinking white countertops with a really deep shade of green for the cabinets,” Gatts tells the homeowners during that initial tour. “And of course, we’ll put in awesome new appliances to really modernize and make this space your own. Everything is going to feel bigger, more open, and it’s going to be you.”

Gatts also wants to bring some color to the breakfast nook around the corner, transforming the simple, white built-in banquette into a modern bar area with a backsplash that makes a statement.

With the homeowners’ help, Gatts chooses a dark green, hand-glazed Italian tile that really pops.

“With these really vibrant new colors, this is going to look nothing like your sister’s house,” Gatts says during the renovation. “It’s going to be entirely new, entirely you.”

Once the tile is up and the cabinets are installed, the kitchen looks amazing. The bold colors give this space a ton of personality, which is perfect for Antonio and Sam.

“They wanted something different. They didn’t want an average, white, gray kitchen,” Mazza says. “They wanted some pizzazz. They wanted some life in there, and they got it.”

Change out the hardware

When Sam and Antonio see their finished kitchen, they love the colorful design. Antonio, in particular, loves the new brass and white hardware.

“That is something different because it’s very on-trend to have brass,” Gatts says. “But adding that white makes it ‘you guys’ 100%, and it breaks up all the green, but still makes the green stand out.”

It’s a special touch that makes this kitchen unique and proves how a simple, inexpensive upgrade like cabinet pulls can give a space a new look.

Give old rooms new purpose

Many buyers will see a sunroom as a bonus, but Sam and Antonio aren’t so impressed. Gatts wants to turn this space into a room the couple will use, so she offers to turn the sunroom into a dedicated spot for game nights.

“Since you both love the feel of a dark and moody kind of nightclub vibe, I’m thinking we can get really creative in this space,” Gatts tells the homeowners. “Dark colors to make it feel more intimate, velvet curtains, lots of seating, and space to entertain, and of course, a large center game piece to gather around and make it feel complete.”

Between the dark wall color, matching curtains, and modern light fixture, this room looks completely different when Gatts is done with it. These changes don’t cost much, but they easily change the mood, and utility, of a room.

Personalize your space

In the main suite, Gatts creates a larger, more stylish bathroom by stealing square footage from the closet and replacing the tile.

The new shower and floor tile look great, but Gatts takes care to make this shower extra special, building a second soap niche near ground level where Sam can place her feet while shaving her legs.

“It’s a really fun way to make this 100% unique for the Lavalvas,” Gatts says of this novel “leg-shaving station.”

While such an upgrade clearly may not be for everybody, it’s a thoughtful addition that reminds homebuyers to imagine how they’ll live in the home and what they can do to improve the space for their needs.

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