What Are Your Remodeling Priorities?
This blog is going to help you understand your remodeling priorities — what they are, and how to achieve them. No matter what you’re doing every day, your priorities are present, even if you’re not conscious about them. That’s how we make decisions!
In the last segment of “Today’s Home,” I talked about making lists to help you decide between staying and remodeling your existing home or moving to a new home. I offered a free copy of the Homeowner Surveys, which are focused on helping you select and prioritize your product choices to help you make informed decisions. You can still get a free copy of the 27-page Homeowner Surveys. You can request a copy of the Homeowner Surveys at any time!
I intended write about a different subject for this blog, but a call from a contractor kicked me in a different direction. I’m so grateful for his call! Here’s why he called:
A Change In Priorities For Homeowners?
The cabinet maker for my clients’ kitchen project is running behind schedule, and he probably won’t have the cabinets ready for installation until August instead of early July. So my clients may get upset. They have the right to be upset, because they signed the contract and paid the deposit thinking that the cabinet maker was agreeing to the schedule. We won’t know what’s going to happen until after the contractor talks with the cabinet maker and sends a message to my clients and me. The contractor and I agreed that all homeowners have three major remodeling priorities. Here’s what they want:
- To remodel NOW (although they may have been thinking about their remodeling project for several years)
- Results similar to pictures they’ve seen online and exactly what’s shown in their design plans
- Their investment to be as low as possible
Only ONE #1 Priority
These are all important priorities for homeowners. Life, and 35 years of experience in remodeling has taught me that we can have only ONE #1 priority at any time. Other priorities have to fall in line behind the #1 priority. For this reason, I’m an advocate for lists! If you make a list first, no matter how long it is, your next step is to assign priority numbers to that list to help you make informed decisions.
Priorities Can Be Changed!
The contractor and I agreed that if our clients want to remodel their kitchen now, they’ll have to:
- Pay more money to move to the top of the cabinet maker’s projects, or
- Find a cabinet maker who’s immediately available
In today’s hot remodeling market, and considering my clients’ budget, neither of these options are possible. This is why I’m going to talk about contractors and custom products not being available immediately in an upcoming segment of “Today’s Home.” Many homeowners are facing the reality of having to postpone their remodeling projects until sometime in the Spring of 2020 because the great contractors are booked that far in advance..
If my clients are willing to wait a month or two, they’ll get the same results they wanted for the same investment. It’s that simple. All they have to do is to adjust their priorities and move their project start date to later. We’re not talking about asking them to put off their kitchen remodeling project until next year. If my clients’ kitchen project doesn’t start until August, their new kitchen will be finished by the holidays so they can entertain! Starting their project in August won’t impact their decision to cook meals on their barbecue, but it might impact other activities and events they’ve scheduled.
Communicate About Priorities; They’re Important!
We’ll discover and explore the reality, reasons and ramifications of the project delay in discussions and messages over the next several days. I don’t know their whole story, why they want and need to remodel their kitchen right now. I want to understand so I can help them get through a challenging time. It’s all about Communication: speaking honestly and listening compassionately. Communication is going to be another topic in an upcoming segment of “Today’s Home.”
Why are remodeling priorities so important? They will:
- Help you set and maintain a realistic budget, a realistic time frame, and realistic expectations
- Open up conversation with family members who have different priorities
- Benefit your communication with design professionals and contractors
What’s Your #1 Remodeling Priority?
If you’re planning to remodel your home, think about your priorities. What’s more important:
- Starting and completing your project on your schedule?
- Getting the results you want? -or-
- Staying within your maximum budget?
The bottom line is: You have choices, always! But every choice, every decision has priorities attached. What’s your #1 remodeling priority?
If you’re overwhelmed by your choices, I can help you! Contact me through my website. I’m also on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Houzz. Follow me, and subscribe to my emails about Today’s Home!
Listen to the Podcast: