Is it cheaper to buy a home that needs a remodel?

It can be, but the comparison that matters is the total: the purchase price plus the cost of the work from written contractor bids, set against what a finished home on the same street sells for. What a remodel reliably gives you is choice of location and a home finished to your taste rather than a previous owner’s.

Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen in Florida?

In most South Florida cities a kitchen renovation that touches plumbing, electrical or gas needs a permit, pulled by a licensed contractor. Replacing countertops or painting cabinets generally does not. Each city’s building department sets its own rules, so the contractor confirms it for the address.

Can I finance a remodel with my mortgage?

Some loan programs combine the purchase and the renovation in one loan, each with its own rules for the contractor, the bid and the timeline. Consult a mortgage lender about renovation loans before you start touring homes.

How does BreakThru Realty help with a small project?

By finding homes where a small project is all that is needed, having a licensed contractor look at the home with you before you are committed, and introducing designers and contractors whose work fits the job. The professionals you choose do the work under your own agreement with them.

Buy a Home and Remodel It: Kitchens, Baths and Cosmetic Updates

The smallest projects make the biggest difference to what you can buy

BreakThru Realty helps buyers find a home in the right location that needs work, then coordinates the architects, designers and licensed contractors who turn it into the home they wanted. Refresh and Remodel are the two smaller sizes of project: cosmetic updates, and the kitchens, bathrooms and outdoor spaces that change how a home lives without changing its structure.

BreakThru Realty · Founder and Broker of Record: Tyson E. Sam, Florida License 3565210

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A kitchen before and after a remodel: dated cabinets and white appliances on the left, a bright kitchen with a stone island on the right — Kitchen. An illustration of the kind of change a project can make, not a completed project, a design or a statement of what a particular home can become.

A bathroom before and after a remodel: a tub with sliding doors on the left, a freestanding tub and glass shower on the right — Bathroom. An illustration of the kind of change a project can make, not a completed project, a design or a statement of what a particular home can become.

A backyard before and after: an overgrown yard on the left, a pool, covered terrace and fire pit on the right — Outdoor living. An illustration of the kind of change a project can make, not a completed project, a design or a statement of what a particular home can become.

What a Refresh Covers

A refresh changes how a home looks and feels without moving walls, plumbing or wiring. It is the work that makes a sound but dated house feel new, and it is the reason a buyer willing to do a little can choose from many more homes than a buyer who needs everything finished. Most of it can be done in the weeks after closing, sometimes before you move in.

Interior and exterior paint
Flooring: tile, wood, vinyl plank and carpet
Lighting, fans, hardware and plumbing fixtures
Cabinet refacing or painting, and new countertops on existing cabinets
Landscaping, sod, exterior lighting and fencing

What a Remodel Covers

A remodel rebuilds a room or a system. Kitchens and bathrooms are the usual ones, because they date a house fastest and return the most in daily use. In South Florida a remodel also often includes the items that decide what the home costs to insure: impact windows and doors, and the roof. Outdoor living belongs here too, since a pool, a covered patio or a summer kitchen changes a house as much as any room does.

Full kitchen and bathroom renovations
Impact windows and doors, and roof replacement
Air conditioning, electrical panel and plumbing updates
Pools, patios, pergolas and outdoor kitchens
Garage, laundry and closet rebuilds

Which Jobs Need a Permit

Painting and most flooring do not need a permit. Much of the rest does: work on plumbing, electrical and air conditioning systems, windows and doors, roofs, pools, fences and most kitchen and bathroom renovations are permitted work in South Florida cities, and the rules differ from one city to the next. A licensed contractor pulls the permit and closes it. Work finished without one can surface years later as a problem at your own sale, which is why we check a home’s permit history before you buy it and why your contractor closes every permit before the project is called done.

Plan It Before Closing

The time between an accepted offer and closing is when a remodel should be planned, because you have access to the home and nothing yet to lose. During the inspection period a licensed contractor can measure, look behind the obvious and tell you what the kitchen you have in mind involves in this particular house. With bids in hand before closing, the work can start soon after, and you are not paying for two homes while waiting on drawings.

Condominiums Are Different

In a condominium even a refresh can need the association’s approval. Many buildings require a sound-control underlayment under hard flooring, restrict working hours and elevator use, ask for the contractor’s license and insurance certificate, and review any change to plumbing or to windows and doors. None of that is a reason to avoid a condo that needs work, but all of it should be read before the offer, not discovered after it. The condo renovation approvals guide on this site covers what to ask for.

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A few questions about where and how you want to live. An agent reads every answer and follows up personally. Nothing here asks about credit, income or debts.

Prefer to talk? (786) 914-1017 · sales@breakthrurealty.com

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it cheaper to buy a home that needs a remodel?: It can be, but the comparison that matters is the total: the purchase price plus the cost of the work from written contractor bids, set against what a finished home on the same street sells for. What a remodel reliably gives you is choice of location and a home finished to your taste rather than a previous owner’s.
Do I need a permit to remodel a kitchen in Florida?: In most South Florida cities a kitchen renovation that touches plumbing, electrical or gas needs a permit, pulled by a licensed contractor. Replacing countertops or painting cabinets generally does not. Each city’s building department sets its own rules, so the contractor confirms it for the address.
Can I finance a remodel with my mortgage?: Some loan programs combine the purchase and the renovation in one loan, each with its own rules for the contractor, the bid and the timeline. Consult a mortgage lender about renovation loans before you start touring homes.
How does BreakThru Realty help with a small project?: By finding homes where a small project is all that is needed, having a licensed contractor look at the home with you before you are committed, and introducing designers and contractors whose work fits the job. The professionals you choose do the work under your own agreement with them.

BreakThru Realty is a licensed Florida real estate brokerage. Design and construction are performed by licensed, insured professionals you choose, under your own agreements with them.

Buy a Home and Remodel It: Kitchens, Baths and Cosmetic Updates

What a Refresh Covers

What a Remodel Covers

Which Jobs Need a Permit

Plan It Before Closing

Condominiums Are Different

Start My Project

Frequently Asked Questions

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