Skip to main content

Buying a new home can be stressful. Potential homebuyers featured on HGTV’s Steal This House are at a point in their search where they will do almost anything to move the process along.

That’s where host and real estate expert Cristy Lee comes in. She helps homebuyers take control of their search. Her method is to help them navigate the process by advising them to purchase a house priced way below market so they can renovate it and make it their own. Here are some of Lee’s best homebuying tips.

1. Look at homes below your budget

HGTV's Cristy Lee in a home she is renovating.
Cristy Lee } HGTV

Lee says a whole new world opens up when you look at properties below your budget. Even if you don’t love the house, you can use the money you saved from the purchase to do renovations. This way, you can create the home of your dreams.

During Steal This House Season 1 Episode 1, Lee works with a couple who have been house hunting for three years. They haven’t been able to find a home they want that fits within their $500,000 budget. Lee convinces them to look at homes in the $200,000 range.

“They haven’t been looking at $200,000 houses,” says Lee. “A whole new map appears the minute they start considering them. If they buy under budget, they will have money left over to create something that wasn’t on the market and that’s a steal,” says Lee on Steal This House.

2. Save on home renovations by purchasing cheaper materials

You don’t have to purchase expensive materials to make your home look great. You can save a lot on renovations and still get the look you want by purchasing cheaper materials. Lee was able to save one of her clients thousands of dollars by using inexpensive flooring.

Lee also visited an antique shop for some of the home’s finishing touches. She found attractive replacement kitchen doors for a great price. “I also saved money in the budget by finding salvage doors at an antique shop,” says Lee. “It was cost-efficient, just $400 or $500.”

3. Consider what you can keep

You don’t have to replace everything when you renovate your home. One of Lee’s clients decided to keep the existing kitchen cabinets. This saved them a total of $17,000 and freed up the budget so they could focus on the updates that were most important to them.

4. Look at the big picture

It can be tough to get past the way an older home that needs some TLC looks. A home may have been sitting on the market for an extended period because of a small kitchen or an ugly family room with tons of wood paneling. Try to envision the way the home will look after renovations are complete. Don’t pass up a steal.

Follow Sheiresa Ngo on Twitter.

RELATED: Cristy Lee Helps a Couple Increase Their Home’s Value With a Kitchen Renovation

Best in Entertainment