The ideal diamond in the rough is a house that packs no curb appeal, often because it lacks an inviting front lawn. You can instantly add value by planting a few hundred dollars worth of flowers and shrubs or adding rocks, paving stones and other decorative elements.
"When we bought our house, the front lawn was a disaster — no flower beds, no winding path," says Martina.
"My husband and I took our trailer, loaded up $40 worth of river rock, brought them home and laid them ourselves. We then power-sprayed the whole front patio, got some new white numbers and front entrance door, and painted the garage door and front shutters. When you look at it now, it looks like a completely different house."
As serial renovators can attest, it's easier than you may think to find a diamond in the rough. Carole Dobson has accepted a job offer in Toronto and is already hunting for her next fixer-upper. "I don't have to move until fall," she says, "but I've already started learning a bit about the neighborhoods in Toronto and where some of the more attractively priced homes near my new work can be found." As for her home back in Calgary? "It's listed for $599,000," says Dobson. "That's more than double what I bought it for three and a half years ago."
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