Max ROI Renovations for Selling Your Home Fast

Melanie (00:00)
been remediated by the time I got there

she told me that I was her fifth

of the contractors after they walked in and looked at her project, they’re just like, nope, we’re

she hasn’t been able to have, you know, her house together in the past, you know, 10 months.

we’re not just doing house renovations, we’re helping people get their lives back together

Erika (01:51)
Hey everyone, welcome to the Real Estate Pro Show. I’m your host, Erika, and today I’m thrilled to be joined by Melanie Forness, who’s been making waves in the renovation space right here in Houston. Melanie, it’s awesome to have you on the show.

Melanie (02:06)
Thank you. Happy to be here.

Erika (02:08)
So let’s dive on in. For those who may not know you yet or your story, give us the rundown. How did you get started in renovation?

Melanie (02:17)
So that’s a really good question. ⁓ And that’s

I also like about real estate too. You always find out people kind of came from different angles. But for me, I actually started out as a engineering and math major in college. And right after I graduated from Texas A ⁓ I went straight into teaching. So I taught high school math at a local high school here in Houston for about 10 years while my husband was also an engineer and went into oil and gas. And so.

On the side, started learning about renovations. We were big DIYers. We bought a fixed-rupper home here in Cyprus. And so we learned the trades really, really quickly. And we found that ⁓ finding good contractors here in Houston, that someone that you could rely on and trust was really, really difficult. And so that was something that we felt like, hey, how do we make this process easier for homeowners and home buyers?

you know, fell in love with just renovations. And then after teaching for about 10 years, after COVID, me and my husband looked into different opportunities and we found this franchise out of Chicago. And we really loved the idea of having a network to kind of back us up, but then give us the support moving forward in the Houston market.

Erika (03:38)
That’s awesome. Melanie, what’s your specialty in the renovation space?

Melanie (03:43)
So renovation cells, what we do is we specialize on quick cosmetic strategic renovations and we partner with realtors to help their clients sell their homes faster and for more money on the market. So really focusing on those strategic ROI renovations, kitchens and bathrooms. ⁓ We offer a design team that will cater to as much as you need.

And we also offer financing up to $80,000, no interest or payments for six months. And so that is really, really key if you’re trying to get your house sold on the market and it’s just sitting, you know, not budging with the big inventory with these interest rates, this financing helps, you know, pay for the renovation so that way we can get your house sold quick.

Erika (04:33)
That’s awesome. And, you know, I’m sure you’ve seen a lot with your business, with, you know, different expectations that people have when they’re, you when they want a renovation. What would you say is the biggest misconception when it comes to renovation?

Melanie (04:53)
Biggest misconception. I would say people just don’t know how much things cost

what, you know, and I think that’s the hard part with renovations is, you know, people will get quotes and they’re kind of all over the place, right? And so they might get, you know, I always think in the power of three, really, you know, find different bids and get different numbers. But I do think it’s a real, it’s a personal piece. So when you go into the client’s home, you know, this is where they’re vulnerable.

You have to be honest with them, give them set timelines and communicate the process. And I feel like there’s a lot of general contractors out there that don’t do that. ⁓ Or they’ll just ghost people and say, hey, I don’t really want this job. And you don’t hear from them. So I think the big misconception is people just don’t understand how things cost going into a renovation. So I think it’s really important that you have that relationship with your general contractor when you’re going into a project and make sure you have

you know, everything upfront.

Erika (06:42)
Yeah, yeah, absolutely. ⁓ What kind of trends are you seeing within the renovation space?

Melanie (06:50)
Yeah, so right now, especially since we do a lot of partnerships with realtors, we are looking for a lot of neutral spaces. So whites, the grays are kind of fading a little bit, but whites, neutral colors, creams, beige is coming back, but not early 2000 beiges. And so we always tell people when they’re about to do a renovation project, especially if they’re selling their home, right? Whenever that time is, you have to remember that this is probably one of the biggest investments that you have.

So when you’re putting in a renovation that’s so expensive, you wanna make sure that whatever you put in isn’t crazy and that it’s gonna sell in the market whenever that time is. So you don’t want something that’s too trendy, you want something that’s timeless and classic. And again, that’s going for lot of your whites and your neutrals. There’ll be some fun, we just looked at a house here in Houston that was, recently renovated, but it was very like black and bachelor pad, which was fun, but it also just kind of articulated to a certain type of buyer.

And so we’re trying to make people focus on neutral renovations. ⁓ Again,

give them the best return on their investment when they sell. So kitchens and bathroom renovations are always a great way to start for sure.

Erika (08:02)
Yeah, yeah, literally my next question was like, how do you help? How do you help clients get the best return on investment? there other factors that come into play with that when it comes to getting a good return?

Melanie (08:16)
Right, excellent question. Yes, and I think that’s where we take a lot of pride in working with realtors. So anytime I go look at a home, I ask, they have a realtor? And so we will actually bring the realtor in and we’ll discuss the project, whether they’re selling, buying, or just, they don’t have a realtor. I love bringing the realtor in because they know the area, they know the comps, I know the cost of the renovations and all the different pieces. And we kind of put our heads together.

we put forth, where’s the best? We’re turning on the investment or we can put it. And one of the biggest things I tell people, paint and carpet. Paint and carpet is really inexpensive, but it’s one of the biggest changes that you can do at little cost that’ll make a huge difference. ⁓ I tell people, when you walk into a house, when you have a showing, the first thing people are gonna notice is the smell. So having like new paint smell and new carpet just adds that extra new factor, even though you might have an older home.

And so a lot of people will be like, I don’t want to put new carpet, I’ll just clean it. But there is a difference of having that like new home smell. And I personally think buying a home is a feeling. So trying to get your house, you know, ready to sell for that feeling makes a huge difference and a huge impact.

Erika (09:31)
absolutely. Melanie, I know that you offer financing and that it’s pretty unique from other business models. Can you explain that to our listeners?

Melanie (09:42)
Yes, absolutely. So that’s one of things I love about our franchise and our partnership is they work really hard on the national level. So we are a national franchise. They have a relationship with the bank. And so we’re able to offer our clients through us with this partnership with the bank $80,000, no interest or

for six months. And so this helps, especially a client, if they’re trying to sell their home, right? And they need to put some money into the renovations, but they don’t have the cash on hand.

What’s unique about this financing option is it’s not tied to the home at all. So there’s no lien on the house. It’s actually not tied to the homeowner either. It’s a credit-based loan. And so it can be put on the owner or anybody else that kind of wants to, you know, technically co-sign, but not tied to the home. And so that way we can go in, do the renovations. And if they want to just pay at closing, they’re more welcome to do that. They have that six month window after the project is complete to start.

pain on that loan.

Erika (11:19)
That’s really awesome. Melanie, I want to pivot a little bit. So as I’m sure you know, every business owner has a moment where things, things get real. And I know that you work closely with others in this industry on, on, you know, the different renovation projects. Has there ever been a project that, you know, went sideways or maybe you had the pivot quickly? Was there, you know, some sort of valuable lesson from that on your journey so far?

Melanie (11:47)
100 % and I always tell my clients that to you like, hey, renovations are messy, right? But I want you to partner with somebody that’s gonna communicate to you and tell you, know, honesty. And that’s something that I truly believe in and that’s how I get more clients. We actually just had a project down in the Heights area where, you know, we were getting the house ready for market. We had a couple of like fixer upper things that were broken that we needed to fix and we wanted to power, it was a condo. So like a three story condo. We wanted to power wash the whole front area. Well.

We had my power washing guys come in and power wash ⁓ their stucco on the outside and the garage door is wood, like stained wood and for whatever reason the builder didn’t stain it properly so it wasn’t sealed. So my guys power washed the driveway, it splashed up and just totally just messed up the garage door. So the garage door just looked horrible afterwards. And so I got a call from my guy and said, hey Melanie, just wanted to give you a heads up.

So I went down there to go check it out and our clients had already moved out. So they were they already moved out to California. They’re about to get this house on a market within a week. And I straight up just called my client said, hey, I want to be completely honest with you. This is what happened. You know, it was our fault. We should have covered the garage door had we known that, it wasn’t properly sealed, but we should have still done that to begin with. But we’re going to we’re going to get this fixed and we’re going to make it right. And so I ended up having

you know, our power-ish guys get our painters in there and they restained it, you know, the next day. But again, that stuff happens. And I think it’s important that, you know, you never know what’s behind a wall when you cut it out. And so talking to your clients ahead of time, you know, getting as much information as possible to know about the house and the year it was built is really, really important. But having that honest conversation saying, hey, we messed up, but we’re gonna get it fixed goes a long way.

Erika (13:39)
yeah absolutely and it’s it’s got to be nice that you you have those painters to work with so that was a you know quick solution for you.

Melanie (13:50)
Yeah, for sure. think we I took probably the first six months of my business. I spent a lot of time vetting and interviewing my guys. You know, all my guys are insured. We make sure that, you know, we’re all covered. So I know like if something if there’s a hiccup gonna gonna happen, we’re gonna have the best problem solving team going moving forward. ⁓ And that’s what I also like about the franchise too is I get to connect with, you know, 40 other owners nationwide where I’m like, hey, here’s a construction problem. What is going on here? And so I get their support as long with

the construction support team with the franchise, I know not all general contractors have, especially in the Houston area.

Erika (14:28)
Yeah, as I’m sure you know, relationships are huge in the real estate world. For you, what’s been the biggest impact when it comes to making those connections, especially starting out?

Melanie (14:42)
Yeah, I think probably one of my third projects that we did, ⁓ fun story, I had it, I found out their renovations isn’t just about profit and making houses look pretty. We actually had a client where her house had flooded and know, Houston’s very known for flooding.

had a pipe burst and her house flooded and so her bathroom, her master bathroom, her closet and her bedroom had all been flooded.

been remediated by the time I got there and so.

Unfortunately, everything was ripped out. There’s a bunch of holes in the walls. You know, the plumbers had to come in and fix

And so she told me that I was her fifth contractor to come in to give her a quote. And I was like, really? And what I found out is it was such a messy project that, you know, three of the contractors after they walked in and looked at her project, they’re just like, nope, we’re done. They didn’t even, you know, give her a bit or a quote. They ghosted her. And then the other contractor that did give her a quote.

He was trying to upscale her. He was like, well, you really need to renovate this bathroom because the house is from the 1970s and you really need to renovate this. And so me going in, looking at this, you know, poor client, she’s very overwhelmed. Lived with two kids, had been recently divorced and her house, she hasn’t been able to have, you know, her house together in the past, you know, 10 months. And so I walked in there and said, hey, why don’t we just, like, yes, your bathroom is outdated, right? And your kitchen’s outdated, but like, why don’t we just do step one and fix what’s broken?

Like, let’s just fix what’s broken. Let’s patch up everything, make sure there’s no mold, let’s put your flooring down. And then in a year or two, if you wanna come back and do your bathroom, we’ll go and renovate your bathroom. And I think for that moment, it was just like a, like I won the job, you know? And it was just showing that compassion and being real with, this is what’s going on and I don’t need to do a full bathroom renovation, cause she’s not ready for that right now. But anyway, so we took about a week, we got everything in there, cleaned out, we, you know, patched all the.

textured them, got some new brand new flooring in there. And when she saw the end of the job, she gave me this big hug and started crying. And that’s when I knew like starting as a business owner is like, we’re not just doing house renovations, we’re helping people get their lives back together

helping them, you know, just fix their homes. And to me, that was so powerful.

And even though it wasn’t a huge, expensive job that it could have been with like a full house renovation, like that to me was worth it. And I know that this is going to help me get future jobs because of that relationship piece that me and that client had together.

Erika (17:49)
Yeah, absolutely. And with what you were sharing, you were the only one that was listening to what she actually needed.

Melanie (17:55)
Right, and sometimes the client doesn’t know. They go in there and they’re like, well, I need to do this bathroom and I need to do this kitchen and I need to do this and the flooring and they just get very overwhelmed, especially if it’s a husband and wife combo. But yeah, it’s just like, hey, let’s take it down a notch and do this in phases and that’s okay, for sure.

Erika (18:14)
Yeah, absolutely. Melanie, for our listeners who are new to construction and renovation, what’s one piece of advice that you would get them if they’re starting out?

Melanie (18:26)
I really do think partnering up with a realtor, whether they have one now or they’re gonna sell later, finding out a realtor, like I said, it’s a huge investment property. The market changes all the time. So partnering with your realtor and talking to them, hey, what are things that you look for when you’re selling at home? Because realtors are up to date with the trends. They know the comps, they know the areas, and that’s why I think it’s really, really important to just have a client partner with them because it’s like ongoing communication.

about how to get the best return their investment on their home. And so that’s what I would give them that advice and then have them again, partner with their contractor, whoever they go. And most realtors, when I meet them, most realtors have their own painter or they have somebody that they go to, they have a handyman. But a lot of them, what I’m

out is they don’t have a full general contractor that can do design and construction. And so that’s where we try to be different and we try to be that turnkey service for the realtor. And so.

to me for a homeowner and get your realtor involved. They’re really smart and good at what they do and they will help you make that smart renovation.

Erika (19:33)
Yeah, absolutely. Melanie, what’s the next on the horizon for you in renovation cells? Do you have a big vision in mind, a goal?

Melanie (19:43)
Yeah, think for me is again, I’m pretty new in my business. I’ve been doing this for about a year. And so having so much fun, would love to scale it. Houston’s a beast for people that know and live in Houston. You know, it’s an hour away from Houston is what everybody says. And so if I could find a way to help more clients and give them, you know, our financing option or our design team, we have a great team that works behind us. And so trying to scale it and hire more project managers so that way we can go and

get to other places of the city would be my dream.

Erika (20:16)
Awesome, awesome. Well, that’s so exciting. If we have a listener that wants to partner

with you, maybe they need some renovations, what’s the best way for them to reach you?

Melanie (20:27)
Yeah, so they can actually, I’m on social media, so they can search me on Facebook and social media. So, ⁓ renovation cells, Northwest Houston. My Instagram is mel.renovates, or they can give me a call to my personal number, 281-785-6141. We offer free estimates, and the biggest thing that I take pride in is we, before we even get the design team going, we come up with a budget beforehand. So I go in and I’ll view the house.

whether it’s just with you or with your realtor, we’ll take our measurements and we’ll come up with a set budget. So that way our design team, when they pick out options for you, it stays on budget. It’s not something that’s gonna go out crazy the window when you’re trying to figure out the financing option.

Erika (21:13)
Yeah, absolutely. I love your approach. It’s definitely, you know, your community and people focused and you’re making things stress free. It’s just really awesome to see.

Melanie (21:24)
Trying to, especially when you’re doing renovations. For sure.

Erika (21:28)
Thanks so much for coming on the show today, Melanie.

Melanie (21:31)
No, I appreciate it. Thank you for having me.

Erika (21:34)
For everyone tuning in, if you got value from this episode, make sure that you’re subscribed to the Real Estate Pro Show. We’ve got more conversations coming up with incredible owners like Melanie who are transforming the real estate world. We’ll see you on the next episode. Bye.