HGTV’s Cristy Lee Renovates a Beautiful Home That Has a lot of Problems
HGTV’s Cristy Lee helps another couple find a home they love. Andrew and Chelsea constantly get outbid when trying to buy a home they like. The couple currently lives in a very small house, and they feel like the homes are too close to each other. They want more space, a yard for their dogs, and they want to be in a specific location.
Watch what unfolds when Lee puts her team to work. Here’s what happened last time on Steal This House Season 1 Episode 3, titled “Location, Location, Locomotive.”
Cristy Lee helps Andrew and Chelsea with their home search
Andrew says $600,000 is the most they can pay for a home. However, it doesn’t seem to be enough money because someone usually outbids them. He and Chelsea are growing more frustrated each day.
“You can bid as much as you can; count up every penny that you’ve got in your account, and all of a sudden it’s like, ‘Man, we lost again; we’ve gotta keep looking,” says Andrew.
Chelsea is open to the idea of buying a cheap home and renovating it because she can get exactly what she wants. However, Andrew says renovation seems like “a daunting task.”
Lee says the couple’s problem is that they’re looking at homes at a price point that’s too high so they could avoid a renovation. She says they need to embrace a renovation and lower their search range.
Cristy Lee presents two potential homes to Andrew and Chelsea
The first home Lee shows the couple has great curb appeal, but the space on the inside isn’t exactly what they wanted. Lee says the home is “extremely outdated” and it’s been roughly 45 years since it was last renovated. This is likely why it was on the market for 30 days. There isn’t a lot of open space, so Lee suggests blowing out some walls so they can open up the space.
Some of the good points of this ranch home are that it has four bedrooms and a lot of space for the couple’s dogs to run. There are also two fireplaces and wood flooring.
The second home has a lot of problems
The second home Lee shows the couple isn’t as outdated but there’s a problem a lot of potential home buyers have an issue with. The home is close to the train tracks, so there’s a lot of noise. There’s also a sunroom in the home, which Lee says is a “bonus feature,” but there’s visible water damage.
Another problem is that there are a lot of things in the home that are not up to code. “Any work that we do on this house will mean an entire kitchen overhaul to get things up to code,” says Lee.
This home is listed at $450,000, so that leaves a lot of wiggle room in Adam and Chelsea’s $600,000 budget. However, the home doesn’t have the necessary clearance in the kitchen and it’s missing required electrical, which means it’s not up to code, says Lee.
Chelsea likes the location of the homes, but she isn’t confident in either option because of all the work that needs to be done. Andrew is concerned there will be unexpected surprises once they start knocking down walls. Chelsea says renovation is their only option right now because they continue to get priced out of the homes they really like.
Andrew and Chelsea decide to go with the second home. It required a lot of updates, but they finally got the home of their dreams.
Follow Sheiresa Ngo on Twitter.
