BROADCASTS.com

b"With Terry Story, 27-year veteran Real Estate Agent with Coldwell Banker in Boca Raton, FL

HGTV, one of the most popular TV channels, is all about today\\u2019s trend toward remodeling and renovating instead of buying a new home, which all looks very fun and easy on the screen. Someone comes in, takes the measure of things, does a little here, a little there, and you\\u2019re left smiling in the middle of your brand new living space at the end of the segment.\\xa0 This is fantasy TV, says Terry, who offers some valuable advice if you\\u2019re considering such a project on your own.

* Beware of knocking down walls since they may be there for support or to house electrical or plumbing.
* Permits must be pulled when doing many of these changes.
* Consider the character of a home before you make a design decision. You could be devaluing a historic home with contemporary updates.
* Be mindful of installing high-priced materials that may not pay off if you sell your home down the road.

Always consult with a professional before making decisions that could cost you.
We recently talked to Terry about the best pricing strategy when putting your home on the market. How to do this to your best advantage\\u2014especially considering that more and more people are checking listings online before they hit the streets\\u2014is to straddle both sides of the fence. As an example, if the appropriate value of your home is in the 190s or the 210s, placing it at $200,000 would catch both the lower and higher brackets and give you the most exposure.
Check back with us every week for Terry\\u2019s take on the current and ever-changing real estate climate.
Read The Entire Transcript HereCollapse Transcript
Steve Pomeranz: It's time for Real Estate Roundup.\\xa0 This is the time every single week we get together with noted real estate agent Terry Story.\\xa0 Terry is a 27-year veteran with Coldwell Banker located in Boca Raton, Florida.\\xa0 Welcome back to the show, Terry.
Terry Story: Thanks for having me, Steve.
Steve Pomeranz: There's a huge trend today towards renovating and remodeling your home and staying put as opposed to moving to a new home.\\xa0 What are some of the do's and don't's to consider?
Terry Story: Wow.\\xa0 Home renovation, you have all these great television shows that make it look fun and easy, and it can be done quickly\\u2026.
Steve Pomeranz: In a half hour, right?
Terry Story: Yeah.\\xa0 By the end of the show, your house is completely redone, and life is great.\\xa0 There were no headaches along the way.\\xa0 There is a big trend towards renovating homes.\\xa0 Here are some things that often turn out badly.\\xa0 Tearing down walls, while some walls\\u2014they look like they're easy to tear down\\u2014you might want to bring them halfway or actually rip them out.\\xa0 You need to know what you're getting into because many of the homeowners don't realize that they're load-bearing walls.\\xa0 They're holding up the floors, the framework of the house, and may be full of electrical and plumbing.\\xa0 Before you decide to start knocking down walls, make sure you consult professionals to see what's the implication of taking that down.\\xa0 Then, of course, there's also municipality codes.\\xa0 When you start getting into changing out electrical and plumbing and moving that around, you really need to pull permits.
Steve Pomeranz: Yeah, don't knock out a wall if it's a load-bearing wall, guys, okay?
Terry Story: Definitely don't. It won't be so pretty.
Steve Pomeranz: It's not going to work out really well for you if you do that.
Terry Story: No. A thing to rethink is modernizing a historic house.\\xa0 Removing some of the historic appeal and character of a home, such as like removing original woodwork, or built-ins, or those claw-foot bathtubs,"