Designs by Brit
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Marie: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast, where your host, Erica Rades and Marie Lifsholtz, a realtor and lender here in San Antonio, but most importantly, we're working moms just like you.
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We love connecting with local moms and business, hearing about their journeys and how they're balancing it all. Because let's be honest, it's not always easy, but it's so worth it.
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Marie: Now, on to today's [00:01:00] episode.
Grab a cup of coffee. Settle in and let's get started.
Erika: Welcome to this week's episode of the working moms of San Antonio podcast. I am here with Brittany of signature styles by Brit. She's our repeat guest. He's been on a couple of times before. Um, but just in case you haven't listened, we'll turn it over to her and just let her introduce herself a little bit more.
Brit: Thank you, Erica and Marie. I appreciate you guys having me back. My name is Brittany and I'm the owner of signature styles by Brit. I specialize in kitchen and bathroom designs, and I'm a budget friendly designer, so I can help you with your DIY projects all the way through renovations. Do you want to give people a little bit of your background and how you got into that?
Sure. So I started back in the early 2000s, uh, I worked for a big [00:02:00] box company as, uh, their appliance specialist. And then the store manager kept catching me over in the design center, helping people with selections and stuff. And I finally was promoted to a designer and was sent to the corporate office in Atlanta where I learned the design system.
Yeah. And then I Just started helping people with their small budgets to make their kitchen dreams come true. And I think that's where I really shine because I love working with people that give me that creative challenge with a budget and how do I make this grand design? Fit within your budget. Got it.
I love that.
Erika: Yeah. , we all need that, right? Yes. Especially in today's economy, , . And so today, I guess we're gonna talk about a specific subject or a few specific subjects, um, about maybe like the home buying process and what that looks like if you need renovations.
Brit: Yeah, I think it's important because. Right now the market, there's so many houses on [00:03:00] the market, but they're not all up to date and renovated.
And sometimes, when I was a first time homebuyer, it was really challenging finding a realtor, and I didn't know. That I could get renovation loans built into my mortgage. Yeah. And I think it would be smart to share that knowledge with people, especially if they're struggling or about to do the home buying process.
And what does that look like?
Erika: Right.
Marie: Well, I think the biggest thing is, um, that's hurt first time home buyers is they, they have a vision or they imagine what the home is going to look like. And they go to look at in their budget. They're like, wait, this is not what's on TV. That you know, I don't have the grand account of chops and the the you know The new glass doors or the earth the grand entrance and stuff like that.
So it's hard for them to Scale down to get into their budget So when I when I work with someone we always talk about budget and obviously what what they envision So bringing up the renovation talk [00:04:00] sometimes is a little much because they can't I know for me personally It's hard for me to envision what a house could be
Erika: Yeah, right.
That's a lot of that's a lot of buyers. It is.
Marie: It took me to my third. I'm on third home that my third home purchase that I'm like, Okay, I don't care what it looks like. Location was the most important thing no matter what I can fix. Well, not me, my husband could fix anything else. Like I knew I could find someone to come in to renovate the kitchen to renovate the back to to add add a room if I needed to, or whatever the case is, is location I couldn't change.
Yeah, so that's what I focused on at that time. Um, and we utilized a renovation loan for when I did my home. So it was something that, you know, that I, I actually personally did to make sure that I got the home that I wanted.
Erika: I feel like that's such good advice. And in fact, you recently gave me that advice.
We're in the process of selling and buying again, as we do from time to time. This is probably what number five, maybe? The life of a realtor is like that. You can never stop moving, but, um, that was really good advice that [00:05:00] Marie did give me where it was like, Hey, look, um. That's like the thing that you can't change, right?
Like you can't change where your home is. It is where it is. But you can change all these other things and I feel like even as a realtor I've seen a million homes but it made the personal home buying process easier for me, um, and I guess it does help that we like sort of a weird old home and we like doing all those things.
But um, I have a lot of buyers who go into these weirder older homes where I'm like, Hey, this is great. And they're like, what is this? Like they just can't. Um, and so, yeah, I mean, the fact that you can roll some of these costs into a home loan, um, a lot of them don't know that information. No,
Marie: no. Um, a lot of times I advise people, it, it, Depending on their every everybody's circumstance first off is going to be different everybody's financial circumstance completely different But if you're like, hey Marie, I'm buying this house and I want to put 30 percent down on my home And then I'm gonna renovate all the stuff.
Oh, hold on before we do that Let's look at does it make sense for you to put all the 30, 000 or 30 percent down? [00:06:00] Or does it make sense to put a little bit less down and save that cash to do your renovations? Because if you're just gonna put all that cash down buy the house and then go charge all these renovations on a Lowe's card whatever Part, you know, you want to put in new cabinets, you want to put in new flooring.
Where is that coming from? So before we do that, let's see What's the best financial decision for you? Or does it make sense to maybe roll some of those costs in to when you purchase the home? So it's gonna vary dependent on each person's circumstance, but there are options So if you're looking at homes and you can't find what you Want because of the style that can be changed and I think people need to know that
Brit: Absolutely, and things can be done in phases so you don't have to do it all at once and sometimes it can be just as simple as I have a Quality kitchen.
I like the layout. I don't mind it, but I hate the color we can paint it They have great cabinet paints We can change out the countertops and we can update your your backsplash and hardware is an easy fix and a lot of this can Be catered depending on [00:07:00] Is this a DIY project or is this a do it for me project?
Erika: Yeah,
Brit: it's it's that simple. We can come up with a game plan and and figure out what you know you need in your space and not everybody needs or wants the showroom kitchen or the magazine front and center Trifold, you know, some people just want it to feel cozy and for them to feel welcome and functional
Marie: and functional yes, but I We can do it all.
So I bring, make sure I understand that. So you will help people who have a DIY project in mind but need help seeing it or putting it together. That's something you'd help with? Absolutely.
Brit: And I, the thing is, the DIYers, they have these grand ideas. And sometimes it just, guilty,
Erika: guilty, you start a project
Brit: and then do you finish it.
Erika: Sometimes you buy a table saw and then never take it out of the box.
Brit: Exactly. Or it's just these fancy stencils that you were going to do this beautiful [00:08:00] wall. I can be your cheerleader and make, and check in on you and make sure that we're staying on, on track. Or maybe, you know, it was a good idea at first and let's, let's just hire a professional and get it done and over with.
Let's get that. Visually yeah burden out of the way and then we can set up for the next project. Yeah
Marie: So that's awesome because I have things like I there's things I can do I you know that you may be for cost efficiency Maybe something I put in some elbow grease and get it done But I don't know how to make that work and how to do that.
That's something you can help with
Brit: Yeah, absolutely but sometimes you gotta figure out is this am I trying to save money and time or am I Do I need to just invest in a professional just to get it get it done and over with and we're gonna
Marie: break it more and Cost more money. That's what I
Brit: Buy all the things to start a project and then at the end I don't finish it and it would have just saved me money by hiring a professional Yeah, we ever
Marie: see those things on social media.
We're like, oh, [00:09:00] I I spent more money buying all the tools and whatever then it would have cost me to hire someone to do exactly.
Erika: I'm so guilty of that. Because in my mind, I'm like, I'm going to use these tools again for all these other projects. But like when you have five jobs and three kids and like everything else, it's like you're not You're not gonna do it.
I know realistically. I'm not gonna do that shit. Like it's never gonna
Brit: happen. No That's okay. Yeah, that's what like if you need a cheerleader, I'm here for you I will help you and I'll text you and I will call you to make sure that we're on track on the project if It's not something that is obtainable because of life Yeah, let's just hire a professional and budget that in and it might not be tomorrow But we could maybe work it in the next Six months.
Erika: Yeah,
Brit: so
Erika: when people decide like hey, I thought I was gonna DIY but just kidding Like I'm never gonna do this. Then what does that process look like going through you?
Brit: So I would figure out what your thought process was to achieve the certain Style once we figure [00:10:00] out what what you were trying to achieve.
I come up with a game plan I had a bathroom recently where they were gonna DIY it and then decided You know what, I have guests coming in a week, and I need this done now. So, uh, I found a contractor that I trust, we got it all done within three days, and then it was done. So, it's just figuring out your timeline, your budget, and what you were trying to achieve in the first place.
And then from there, we just come up with a game plan and get it, get the ball moving.
Erika: Yeah.
Marie: I think that's awesome. Um, I think we wanted to also touch base, like how to, a lot of people have questions. Okay, you have loans, you have renovations, you find a house that you really like, and the kitchen needs a full gut.
In order for this to function for your family, you want to, you need a full gut, and what does that look like? Um, so, I would like, I Talking with a lender ahead of time, in all cases, whether you're buying a home, doing a renovation, anything like that, is, is important. But at least have an [00:11:00] idea that it's something you want to do, because you need to have a team in place.
So when you, when you want to have renovations added to your financing, there has to be some things that you have to do. So you, when you go under contract, you need to get some bids. Right? Or having someone like you, Brittany, would be so great to help manage that. If they had, like, hey, I'm gonna look at a home, it's probably be something in order to fit in my budget.
I know it's not something I. I can afford today. So I need to make sure I, you know, find a home at a good price, but I want to add in renovations for a kitchen. So that's something you could help them with by finding contractors or getting budgets in place, right. To help them know. Cause as a lender, I'll need to know what the cost of those renovations are going to be in order to see what loan program fits you the best.
Brit: Absolutely. And I want to say that. Hiring a designer is not for the, just for the wealthy. Yeah. Yeah. It's for everybody. And finding the right designer is obtainable and achievable. Um, But it's super [00:12:00] important because getting your kitchen and the layout, there's a, there's an art to creating a functioning and flowing kitchen.
Um, and there's some safety precautions, like you're not going to want to install a gas range with a recirculating, uh, microwave because you don't want the gases coming back. So there's, there's things that, you know, a designer is going to have that. knowledge and make sure that your safety the functionality of your kitchen and the overall look is what you're after and they can present it in a paper or, um, like a floor plan for, for your contractor so they know exactly what was going on in your brain, what you agreed with for, uh, with your client and then the contractor can achieve that.
So there's, there's a full process and value To hiring a professional to help with that process. Absolutely.
Erika: Yeah, and I feel like now more than ever Um, it's totally doable [00:13:00] because there's more negotiations happening in the buying process than there have been in the last five years.
Marie: Yes.
Erika: You know, sellers are giving more concessions, homes are sitting a little bit longer, um, and so sellers are willing to come down and if you can come down and then roll some of that stuff into your loan, um, I feel like it's totally doable right now.
So maybe going to see some of these houses that have been sitting around a while, I mean if you have the eye to sort of, um, see the potential, I think you can ultimately really get. Pretty close to what you want now more than ever.
Marie: Well, you right now you have investors that do it
Erika: Yeah,
Marie: your investors that jump in and want to flip homes, right?
So, how are they doing that? Well, they do with different types of financing. They're not then a lot of them are not cash flowing it, right? So a first time homebuyer can do exactly the same thing and do it cost efficiently if you have the right people in place That's the biggest thing is knowing ahead of time and being prepared a lot of times that you can't go shopping for a house on a whim Yeah, I have a plan in place.
So and that's I think that's where it makes the home buying process Stressful when you don't have a plan.
Erika: Yeah,
Marie: so if it's something [00:14:00] like hey, you know If you're thinking right now that a home is just not in my future because I can't afford it Look at it again because rents are not going down.
Erika: No
Marie: rents are going up Yeah, so if you're gonna find a home, maybe again, I think a lot of people like well in my price range I don't like any of them.
I don't you know, I don't want to live with a pink bathroom Well, we got options. We got options for that something to help you with that and not everybody's you know Raised with knowing how to fix things you don't have to it is there are some ways to doing renovations That's cost efficient to make a home a home.
Erika: Yeah Can you talk Marie a little bit about like what the process looks like if you find a home that needs some renovation? like in terms of I know you have to get bids and they have to be by professionals and like, how far down do you need, do you need, what would that house appraisal look like and that kind of stuff?
So, you know, you're thinking, Hey, look, you know, we're going to get this to be kind of a fancier looking place. What does that look like in the loan [00:15:00] process?
Marie: So the way it looks like, so when you're looking at financing a home purchase plus renovations, so we, we would need bids, right? And in addition to that, we want to make sure you have.
A team on your side to help you think we don't want to over and prove a home either, right? Right. We want to make sure the home appraises for the area appropriately So typically you you are looking for a deal in a home because if you want to roll in Renovation you don't want to exceed what the home could appraise for because the home is gonna be based on the acquisition cost Which is the cost of the home plus renovation.
We don't want it to be under that So for example, let's say you buy you find a home for 180, 000 and you want to put in 40, 000 worth of repairs. Well, the home has to at least price for 220 Right, we have to at least add. Now, if it appraises for 250, great, but again, we don't want it to. But not
Erika: in its current, it doesn't have to appraise in its current condition.
It's in its improved condition. Correct. So
Marie: the reason we need a little bit extra time in the buying process is because not only do you have to do your inspections, we have to [00:16:00] get Brittany out there to look at the home get contractors and get the bids in place. Okay. This is what we want to do and then Along with your purchase contract and the the bids for what you're going to do an improvement will have to be supplied to the appraiser
Erika: I see
Marie: so it's kind of like plans and specs when you're when you when you build a home An appraiser goes out to the land and there's no house there.
They just see the plans So they will appraise a home based on those plans. Same concept. You have a home that you're purchasing at a certain price. We're going to add in x amount for renovations and he's going to take that into account when he appraises the house. So we have to have a detailed list, bids of some sort to show him these are the things that we're going to be doing.
So what does that timeline look like? I would say if, if you have everything in place and you kind of know your budget already, you know what you want to do, I would say I would at least give typically on a contract, you have about 30 days from the time that you accept the offer to the time you get the keys in your hand, right?
That's typical. Can it be less? Absolutely. This will probably add another [00:17:00] 15 to 20 days, depending on your team. So my time frame is only like if you have the bids the next day, then we move faster But I would say it would take time on your contractor's Plate like whatever's on their plate to get out to the home Do the bids and get them back to you and then you get them back to the lender So it just depends on that.
So if you have like hey, you know that going in that i'm gonna find out I want to find a good deal in the house knowing We're gonna do some renovations have your team in place, right? Have those people have those relationships built So when you go into home, maybe they can go look at this house with you Sure before you put in an offer and you're like, hey, you can do this You can do you can do the kitchen you can do the bathroom and maybe have a rough estimate before you even put in an offer
Erika: Yeah I think that's why it's important to have somebody like Brittany because I mean you and I have both done some renovations on our Home, you've done some renovations on your home as well and Hiring the right contractors to do things in sort of like a speedy manner can sometimes be difficult.
And so if time is of the [00:18:00] essence, you're trying to maybe schedule closings and different things like that. Um, to get those bids, you've got to know some people that like are really on their stuff, you know?
Marie: Yeah, we've all heard horror stories about contractors I can tell you Lots, so they're
Brit: yes, they're you've got to find the right people make sure they're licensed and insured Especially if they're going to be doing any type of structural changes having an engineer come out like there's some there's important steps that need to be Taken care of but making really making sure that they are.
Um, if they're going to be doing any Structural changes to the property Make sure they're a general contractor and make sure they are insured.
Marie: I think the biggest thing I would take away from, from something, if you're looking to do renovations, is just having your team in place. Knowing ahead of time who you're working with and knowing that they have your back.
Like your lender understands your financial goals. Your realtor understands where you want to [00:19:00] live and then you have a designer or a contractor or whomever to know that hey, this is my budget, help me stick with my budget because I can't tell you how many times I'm like, hey, I want to spend X amount and I'm 29, 000 over.
Yeah, well, what happened?
Erika: Yeah,
Marie: like I said, this is the amount I had and at the end of the project like they have to be your team has to have your back. Well, not
Erika: it's
Marie: a
Erika: it's a horrible process. Yeah, and I think they have to know. The real info, like how often do we have clients that maybe, and I don't know what it is.
I don't know why people feel like they have to lie to us, why they think we're going to judge them or, you know, we're not, we're here to help you. So we need to know the real information about, um, what you're looking for.
Marie: Yeah.
Erika: I need, you need to know the real information about their financial situation.
Like we have to know all the real stuff. Because it all comes out eventually anyway, and if you don't know all that stuff, we can't help you with a home loan renovation. You know, like all of those things. We just, we can't. But people don't want to share it. They don't.
Marie: No, I think it's [00:20:00] just maybe they feel embarrassed or they don't know.
Like I think if you were to ask me, What do you want in a home? My first house, I'm like, uh, uh, uh. A bed? I don't know. We asked, uh, a cute story, we have a friend here looking to move and like, what do you need at home? What do you need more room? Okay, but what area? We don't know. Yeah, so I asked the son like, hey, 86 What do you want in the house?
I want a big pantry with lots of food. That was his thing. Okay Well, you just have a big pantry, but most people the Don't know what they want. So maybe going out and looking and if they can't find something, then this is a great option of a renovation loan. Or having someone come out and help you find what you, what would you like.
You know, you find, like I said, location is the biggest thing for me. You can't change that. But you can typically change the bulk of everything else.
Erika: Yeah.
Marie: Now,
Erika: Brittany, when you work with people, is it usually like, Hey, we want to do this project, we've already saved up all this money and now we're going to do this thing?
Or would you say things maybe sometimes look a little bit different? I [00:21:00]
Brit: would say no, because people really don't know the cost of renovations and they don't know, um, they may understand how taxing it can be living in a house that's. Um, but they really don't know what it's going to cost as a, as a whole for a kitchen.
Um, an example 15 years ago when I was designing at a big box, a big kitchen was 20, 000.
Erika: Yeah.
Brit: And that was huge. That was all bells and whistles. That's when they upgraded the hardware to be the soft close.
Erika: Sure.
Brit: Yeah. And now, I mean, you're pushing 50, 60, 000 for, you know, a B basic kitchen. And that's because the cost, Of everything has gone up, and then you're paying for labor, professional labor.
Um, so, no, I don't think they understand realistically, um, How much it does cost for major renovations. And then also, um,[00:22:00]
I'm trying to say, um, It's overwhelming, and you get all this News and media and thrown at you, and then you're getting the cost from, you know, Washington state or New York, and it's just not realistic to our, our area. So, um, I think. Sitting down and talking to multiple contractors to figure out what their cost for labor, because that's not going to change.
And then we can shop around for cabinets, because those do change. We can figure out what's going to fit in your budget, what's a value to you. And same with countertops. There's different grades of countertops, and there's different grades of countertops in each level. It goes from entry level all the way to the luxury.
So, it's figuring out what's important to you, what you find value in, and where we want to invest your dollars in, whether it's a tie in flooring, and maybe middle of the road cabinets to middle of the road countertops. Sure. It, it just, that, that [00:23:00] is where, um, The cost can kind of vary because materials, uh, change, but the labor, my costs aren't going to change.
So we can plug that in and then figure out a budget and then talk to Marie about, um, what that budget, how to how to obtain that budget.
Marie: I think the biggest takeaway for for this is like. If you think you're unable to buy a home because you can't find a home in your budget that you like, there is a way to make it something that you like.
Oh, absolutely. Absolutely. So is this the only option for people? No, but it is definitely an option that people do not use very often. Yeah. It's rare. It is very rare.
Brit: And, and it's also okay to buy a house and live in the space for a few years to figure out what you don't like about the space, too. There's some value into that.
Um, for me, uh, for example, we lived in our space seven years before we did a kitchen renovation and we discovered we did not like the [00:24:00] hallway and we didn't like the two, three different levels of ceiling and the placement of our fridge. Got it. And so we were able to come up with a game plan on how to eliminate the, the wall and get the structural engineer in and figure out a game plan from there.
But we lived in the space and it, it took us, uh, I hate where the stupid fridge is, you know, constantly. So there's value to living in the space and figuring out what you
Erika: don't like about it. Absolutely. You don't figure out. What you don't like until you're in there.
Marie: Yeah,
Erika: it's happened with me for every house.
There's always things, you know You're like, oh this house is perfect. Like no it isn't, you know, there's there's stuff And so that's so true. And maybe that's something you know that I should be talking to my clients about more I don't know that I've ever had that conversation with them but that's a really good point where it's like hey, look you're gonna get in here and you're gonna Maybe not like something or really like something and figure out you want more of that thing or whatever it is um But yeah, I mean, coming in and just busting up a house, which I have been [00:25:00] guilty of, only to find out that the, even the way that I renovated it, I decided I didn't like, you know?
Um, so maybe spending some time and saving some money, um, to do it the right way the first time. And that's a lesson my dad always says. Sometimes your, sometimes your first cost is your cheapest cost, right? And so sometimes you want that to be a little bit longer after you've learned some things.
Marie: Yeah, absolutely.
But also if you live in the space, sometimes you're also building equity. Yeah. Right? If you're just renting, you're never building equity. So at least if you're in the space for a couple of years, you're building equity. Can you still do a renovation loan? Absolutely. There's ways to get equity out of your home to utilize your home as your bank in a sense to do your renovations.
Brit: And there are also ways to make it pretty enough within a budget, a smaller budget until you can achieve the bigger renovations that you're after. So it's, it's not always a matter of, um, doing the hard renovation at first. It can be as [00:26:00] simple as let's just paint the walls and make it livable for you to come in and be like, oh, okay, I can live in here.
And then we can come up with a game plan about what it's going to take to really do the space that you want. In, in baby steps.
Marie: I have to say, a fresh coat of paint always makes the It makes the difference. And
Erika: that's such a good point too. Again, I'll go back to my personal experience. In my last house, we knew there was all kinds of stuff that had to be done.
Um, and obviously you can't do it all at once. You know, it's just the way. And so I even like refrained from hanging stuff up because I was like, I'm going to, we're going to do stuff here. Like, why would I hang stuff, like something as dumb as that? But then the whole time it was like, we didn't put up family pictures really.
And we didn't do all this stuff. Cause you know, and I was there four years.
Brit: And it didn't feel like a home. No, it
Erika: never really, I mean, it was, it was nice. Our house was nice, but it just was, it wasn't the way I would have done it if I had thought it was like the way it should have been, you know? Um, and so I refrained from doing a lot of things.
Marie: I'm still in the renovation process and I'm almost, uh, [00:27:00] ten years in. Yeah. Right? We've been, we've made renovations in our home and we still have our, the master bedroom to do. We've done the bulk of the rest of the house, but have that, and I'm like, I don't have Because it's not the way I want it. It's not there yet because we have to do, I do it in phases, right?
Because it's good to be cost efficient and I try to cash flow a lot of the stuff as well But I you can do a home in phase in phases that you don't have to do all at a one time either That's something that you like. Hey, here's the here's the big plan, right? You can show them, you know through the whole house here all the things you can do, but we can start with one We don't do all of it at one time.
Absolutely, but you
Brit: also need It's so important to To, and just make the space feel like it's yours, even if you're planning on doing renovations, put your pictures up and enjoy your family, you know, pictures and enjoy your space. And then when it comes to that phase, we will take down the pictures and we will do it up how you want it.
And we'll put the pictures back up, but you still have to, you still have to live in your house. [00:28:00] I needed you four years ago.
Erika: Yeah. I mean, that's so true. There's another gal in our membership, um, who's a. Uh, family therapist and, um, I'm helping her buy a home and she, yes, oh my God, it is. It's so exciting.
But she sent me a, like a tick tock or something that kind of talked about how we keep our homes now like gray and white and, and beige because resale, right? Like we, you know, if we have to sell this house, we almost like live in a state of like temporary living. In case you have to sell that place.
People aren't putting color in their homes as much anymore. They're not doing the wallpaper and stuff. I mean you see a little bit of it on Instagram and all of that. Um, but I think Especially post COVID, like we are in a constant state of like almost fight or flight, right? Like what if we, like, what if we have to move?
Um, and so she sent me that reel or whatever it was, and she wants like her next house to be like, like, feel like home. It's important for her. [00:29:00] Um, and it was really almost even something that I needed to hear. Even as a realtor, you just don't think about it. But like, as a realtor, I'm advising people like, yeah, paint this neutral because people can't look past it, so you've gotta, you know, everything's gotta be beige and everything's gotta be white so people can put their own stamp on it, but people aren't putting their own stamp on it, and that's the wild part.
They're just leaving it like that in case they need to go again, because why do the effort if you're gonna leave again? It's a weird time that we're in, I think, as a society, where everything feels very temporary.
Brit: You know what, I never thought of it that way and I know that the gray trend is in and a lot of designers don't care for it but it is a neutral but some people, like for my personality, I, I can't have the bright colors.
I can design with the bright colors and have the fun spaces.
Erika: Yeah.
Brit: But my mental, um, too much. It's too much. I have, it has to be soft like the greens and just mellow and. Yeah. But it's still warm and cozy. Oh sure. Yeah. But, and then some people, um, Angela [00:30:00] with, um, the organizer, Finding Functions, she has the funnest house.
It's all bright colors and it's all cherry. It's, it, I love when I walk into
Erika: a house like that. I love
Brit: that. It's cherry and it's, and it's beautiful. And her guest bedroom that she's doing is stunning. It's greens and it's, it's bright and it just makes you kind of go, Oh, happy.
Erika: Yeah.
Brit: And some people need that, but like, it just depends on your personality, but I never thought of it that way of being in a constant state of.
Marie: Well, I have to say when I bought my home, that's what they told me. What about resale value? Like I ain't moving again. Like, I don't plan to move. You know, I never
Erika: planned to move. Marie, I know, I never plan it. And yet here we are doing, and it's
Marie: okay if it is. I mean, like, I, I think you, you need to live in your space.
You need to live in your space, a home. I mean, then it's just a house and it's not a home, right? Just a. Yeah, absolutely. And it can,
Brit: it can be, like I said before, it can be done in phases, but you, you, you still need to feel comfortable and welcome in your own space [00:31:00] regardless of the resale value. I guess that's a good takeaway.
You need to, you need to have your own stamp on it regardless of the resale value because The gray paint is going to, is, is at the store. We can, we can find it. Go back
Marie: and put gray. We can put it in. There's primer. We're good. With that color. You put the yellow wall up. There you go. Well, I think, I mean, I remember buying a home and We were concerned about was in the back and I'm like, it didn't bother me.
Erika: Yeah,
Marie: it didn't bother me I know I can't what did your
Erika: realtor say? He
Marie: said it might not be good for resale. I mean I mean if I'm buying the home with someone else might like it I mean, but again, I wasn't thinking I wanted to be a space Yeah That we we loved and I know that we we had major I bought the home knowing I was gonna put a lot of money Into making it to what I really wanted.
Erika: Yeah, so
Marie: I again at the end of the day I wanted location that was very important and I think like
Erika: From our perspective, cause I, I do it to clients all the time. I'm like, just so you know, this might like, you would just hate to not say it in case they would come back later and be like, Oh my gosh, you never told me that [00:32:00] this was going to be like a big problem, you know?
And so we kind of have to say it and then you have to leave it up to the buyer to kind of decide what's a problem for them.
Brit: But don't you also like tell people to look past the
Erika: ugly wallpaper? You have gray walls, but yeah. And everything is so up to like interpretation, right? So like, I can't tell you how many times I have shown.
A couple, 10 homes, right? And in my mind, I'm like, God, this is the best one. Like, this is the one. This is everything they want. They don't have to do that much. Look at how, you know. Of course, I can't tell them, like, the schools are good. But in my mind, I'm like, hey, this would be great for your kids. Like, um, or whatever.
Um, and then they pick the one that I am like, What the fuck is this? Like, what, what has happened you just do? What has happened to you in life where you feel like this is the one? You know? It's the strangest thing. And if they love it, they love it. And I'm happy to give them whatever they love and help them do whatever.
But it's interesting, like, people's tastes are different. You know? And so, I imagine design is the same. Like, you go [00:33:00] into these places and, you know, Something that someone wants you're probably like, what is that? But then, you know, it's what they want. So it's what it is You know, I love it. I never I
Marie: never thought like, oh I want this because it's on trend No, I just like white cabinet.
I mean, it's not because I liked it before it was trendy Yeah Like I've never done the whole trendy thing and the grays and the whatever the things come in and out of phases
Brit: and what I've noticed about a lot of people is they say they like one style and then when they send me their like, inspo pictures, they really don't like the one style.
Erika: They like a mix. Yes. Yes. I get that all the time. Even like with the types of houses they want, they'll be like, these are the things that are like non negotiables. This is the most important thing that has ever happened in life and this is what we need. And I'm like, cool. I'm gonna find it. And then, they start sending me off of Zillow all of these homes, they're like, well, you didn't send us these, Erica.
And I'm like, because those don't have those things that you said you absolutely had to have. So I don't know [00:34:00] if it's like that over time their expectations get more realistic and so they're like maybe we brought in this a little bit But yeah, it's wild like the way, you know They send you these photos or they say what they want and then it's really none of those things
Brit: and I think part of it is um They're following the trends and they're following what the mass is saying that you need from the space.
But then when you actually break down what your really needs and what your really likes are, it's, it's not the trends. And so I think that's part of, part of the problem. And part of home buying, because when I was, when I was a first time home buyer, I didn't know what I wanted. And I didn't have kids or a husband.
Um, I just knew that I wanted to be a grown up and buy a house. That's, that's all I, all I knew. Um, and then over time things, things changed and I knew that I could change the, the wall color or change out the, the hardware, you know, whatever, and make it my own. But when I was a first time [00:35:00] home buyer, I got what I got because that's what I could afford.
Yeah. Um, and now being a second time home buyer, we had a little bit more, we needed a good school. I thought I wanted two stories and I, after living in the space, I do not like two story houses. Where is your
Erika: laundry and where's your bedroom?
Brit: Exactly. I didn't think about that. We can
Erika: do two story if the laundry room is upstairs and if they have a pan under the washing machine, we can do that. Yeah. Yeah. But you don't think about that until you live in the space. That's just 10 years of conversations with people that makes me think now.
Otherwise I wouldn't. You know,
Marie: I think also people do the same thing with their budget. Like I really want to keep my budget here X amount whatever that is but their taste buds are way On the other side of it. Yeah, I'm like, okay. Well, this is this is your range I said, but I'm gonna help you stay accountable.
You said you wanted your budget here and this is your price range Yeah, so but what's more important the home or your budget? So I you know, if it's not you [00:36:00] can't find something within this price range that we need to be more realistic about your budget
Erika: Otherwise, you may go into a panic. Yes.
Marie: Gotta talk about budget.
And look at things. You know, so maybe the renovation part of a deal might be more, okay, I get a lesser expensive home knowing I'm gonna put some money in it to make it to the space I want versus buying the new construction that's overpriced at this moment and not built to what you think it should be built for and, you know, overspending.
Erika: And we know what those conversations look like on the buying and lending side, but what do those conversations look like for you? They obviously probably have like pie in the sky dreams of what they're going to get. And then do you have to kind of like bring them down to reality about what's feasible in today's time?
Yeah.
Brit: So a lot of the time they think they want one style and then it turns out when you, when you look at The one person's inspo pictures and then the other person that's, you know, co inhabitating and trying to figure out the two. And usually, I'm gonna say, usually it's the [00:37:00] husbands that are like, I don't care, whatever they like.
And then you go off of, Okay, so they say they don't have an opinion. They do have an opinion. Oh, they do. Absolutely. I would be so
Erika: curious I don't think Frank cares about any of that stuff.
Brit: Oh, Roger does
Because what happens is you you hire me for X amount of hours I Satisfy the X amount of hours and I come up with this beautifully designed kitchen for usually the wife and It's everything she wants and then the husband goes, huh? I don't want to spend 50, 000 on that. And then all of a sudden they do have all of the opinions.
So it does sound on brand. Exactly. So, um, it's, you have to get both. If there's two people, you have to get both, both people on board. Figure out both styles and then set out the realistic expectation of okay, you're looking [00:38:00] probably at six weeks of tear up time and you're looking at a probably, you know, 30, 000 or 40, 50, whatever that is in on budget and then it's Oh, well, I don't know if I want to invest that kind of money.
Okay, well, then how to like, where do we want to go? Do we want to do some DIY projects? Or are we wanting to Maybe scale back some of this grand design, but People, people do have, they want the whole, the big vision. And then when you have the real talk, usually it's, it's, it comes down to the finances. No, I mean, that's the
Marie: biggest part I have to say, I I'm guilty of, of not sticking to a budget and I teach people all day long.
So we had, we had a landscape, a very large landscaping job that we needed. And I just, I couldn't get a budget from something like I didn't, I didn't even know where to start in cost. And, um, I had someone, Come out I said, okay This is how much I would like to spend and it was a decent amount like is that realistic?
They came back with these drawings. [00:39:00] It was great. I'm like, oh, I love all that. That's 50 I'm like, I don't know we said 30 like that's why but I I couldn't Get them to like, okay, what does a 30, 000 budget look like versus a 50, 000 and does like they were trying to upsell you? I don't know maybe he could have said hey That's not realistic like for your large of a yard.
It would be nice if
Erika: someone would just say that. No, just talk
Marie: to me I'm playing. I'm I will tell people when they're looking for a home. I'm like, okay You're looking for an 1, 100 payment, that's not realistic in today's world. Like, it's just not, they're not home. And, and what you want, that's not gonna happen today.
Yeah. You know, and I, I doubt your rent's gonna stay that way too. So, just, we need to be prepared for that. So, I, I do have those conversations, but I'm also, I don't sugar coat things for people. No, you do not. Not, when, when it comes to finance, it's because numbers, math doesn't lie. Yeah. So, when I say, I wish they would have said, Hey, because I was like, yes, I love that.
I love that. Oh, that's great. So my, I saw this big picture and it never, I'm like, well, how did we spend? Wait, [00:40:00] wait, wait, why am I broke? Where did all my money go? And I went to, and I'm very happy we did it. But the fact is they didn't help me stay within my budget, nor did they say, hey, that budget's not realistic.
Erika: Yeah.
Marie: Like if someone comes and tell you, like, I want a luxury kitchen for 10, 000, you're going to say. Uh, uh, no, not going to happen,
Brit: but the thing is a lot of those places, they have like sales per hour that they have to meet. Or back in the day when I worked for the big box, I had an, a countertop attachment rate and I had a, uh, sales per hour and I had, um, did you sell so many items per department?
And so you had to be aggressive salesmen and you had to upsell and you had to sell the value. For me, it, I, I get what I get. This is the cost that it is to use my services. Yeah. That's it. Like, unless you're having me source all these materials out there, my cost doesn't change. So, For me, I'm not going to upsell you or downsell you or, [00:41:00] um, you know, over promise you the world, because at the end of the day, I,
Erika: it is what it is.
It is what it is. I
Brit: just want to make you happy with whatever parameters you set with me. But a lot of those companies do have. Incentives for sales associates to upsell you and and be aggressive sales people So or
Marie: they don't tell you things change as they as you chill like for example. Yeah, I had where they came in We have a very at the this particular job was uh, we have a very steep yard.
So they needed to Do a routine he goes. Hey, you want us to add these blah blah blah blah cuz we bought a whole lot of rock And like what can we I'm like, why don't I bought those rocks? I don't want them to go away You can't take them leave them. We bought them, but he's like I can put him around here and whatever it was I didn't realize that was a charge.
I'm like I already bought the rock but for him to put it does that make sense? I'm like Why is this 1, 000 more? Like, I couldn't figure that out, so there was no, there was no [00:42:00] explanation there. So having someone who's helping you with a project, like if I decide, like for example, if it's an in the kitchen, and I want to add an additional cabinet or additional whatever, you know, that like, hey, there's gonna have that explanation.
Does that make sense? And that is
Erika: something that you can facilitate, right? I mean, if people are going less from the DIY and more, like you can almost act as like a project manager type situation, um, should they need that, and you, they would pay for that.
Brit: Yeah, absolutely. I'm, I'm here for all. I'm, I am hands on and I will be your biggest advocate to ensure that, you know, the things stay on track and the, that the contractor stays on, on budget and that they gave you what they promised.
I have no problem being that sassy person. I am in your corner because you're paying me to be in your corner, but Um, being realistic with, um, expectation and your budget and knowing that if you're going to be adding another cabinet, you're going to be adding more money to what we agreed on. [00:43:00]
Erika: I think I would just pay someone to like, tell me if contractor bids were outrageous or not.
Yeah. Cause you don't know. That's the thing. It's like going to a mechanic, right? Like I go and they see me go over there and I'm just a lady, you know, and all that stuff, which is BS, but it's what it is. You go into a mechanic and they're like, you need this and you need this and you need this. And if he goes, if Frank goes in, all of a sudden we don't need any of that stuff.
And I'm like, well, that's very interesting. And so sometimes I feel like contractors as well. I have no idea what it costs to do this stuff.
Brit: You know? No, you're, you're right. And, but the thing, the thing is, maybe we need to have a conversation about contractors. It's just like teaching women on, on, on advocating for yourself.
Um, a lot of the time the, the woman is what's driving their sales. Yeah. And so it behooves them to treat them kindly with respect and be upfront and honest, because ultimately, we're the ones that want things pretty and shiny. And, um, a lot of the time, [00:44:00] they, they do, they, they, uh, pad. She's still watching what she says.
They pad, yes, they do pad.
Erika: We are
Brit: professionals. We are professionals, damn it. But it's, um, it's nice to have somebody that can be in your corner and advocate for you because I'll, you know, my experience was I had, I had the male contractor tell me that I, um, made them uncomfortable because I made them fix.
The things that they had damaged and it it always happened They would fix one thing and then five things else got damaged in its wake Yeah And then it got to the point where they didn't like that at the end of the day I would create a little list and say this is this is what needs to be happening They feel like they're stepping over me to my husband.
Erika: Yeah
Brit: Which he then has to come back and tell me like, oh, well, they don't want you in the house right now because You're because you're making them uncomfortable You're making them uncomfortable because you're [00:45:00] watching them, you know work and making sure they're doing what they're supposed to be doing
Erika: Maybe just do what you're supposed to be doing from the start like that feels easy
Brit: Maybe don't insult the wife.
Yeah, so like don't wow, that's wild. I mean really it is It's insulting it when a man Feels the need to not address the, the person. It's usually the woman, because we're the ones that will take the time off of work. Sure. Sure. And, and be there. Let them in the house. Let them in the house, make sure they have water and a clean bathroom to use.
Like we're the, we're the ones that welcome them in. And we're the ones that drove the project to start. Yeah. And they, I think they need to remember that too. Like, but, but, um. Where was I going? You have
Marie: to say I mean like you you have to have the right professionals in your home Like having someone as an advocate would be helpful if you're a single woman like so I I'm very grateful Roger is My husband into construction So we had a contractor coming that we paid we pay lots of money and we were moving water lines and we were replacing the water line that went to [00:46:00] our refrigerator and I Don't kill me Roger.
I don't remember the name. It was some kind of pipe going into another pipe, and it was, he had a specific, he was, please make sure that that, because we have an old home, make sure that pipe is something, because if, if, if it's not a certain type of pipe, it will corrode, it will do something over time. And the guy's like, okay, yeah, yeah, yeah, like he didn't know what he was talking about, and Roger left.
He came back, he pulled that refrigerator out, because he was like, leave the refrigerator, I can see it, they put it back, attached it, he's like, he pulled that shit out, and went, he goes, he did exactly what I told him not to do. Like, no, he made him take it out, redo it, but I wouldn't have known, does that make sense?
Yeah, absolutely. So he was my advocate, and I'm blessed with a bad hat, if I was, They didn't have that. I had you to say, Hey, no, that's not what they asked for. They're paying for a specific product. Put that product in. It can go with a lower grade or you know, whatever the case is that no, they're paying for a specific product.
You get what you, you paying for. And some of us wouldn't know that because [00:47:00] some things you don't see, right? You're not going to see some of the things are replacing and putting in.
Brit: No, you're absolutely right. And also, um, there is no shame to hiring somebody to do background checks on. On the contractors because I found out that I had had A gang member in my house.
Oh, yeah. Yeah And but I didn't know that until because i'm one of those people that I like to talk and I chat with people I thought I did my due diligence. I did the background check on the contractor He he was fine But it was the people that he brought into the house into the space that um, we're probably not the the most appropriate for
Marie: you For what you, what you would want.
Exactly.
Brit: So, I mean, I, I have aligned myself with a security company that can do background checks and make sure that they're safe for people's homes. Cause the last thing you want is like six months later after you get your beautifully renovated space, somebody breaks in and steals stuff. Oh, I guess I never really thought about
Erika: that.
Brit: Well, it was a, there [00:48:00] was a big, um, ring up, up north where I'm, where I was from where they would, um, like lay carpet down and then, You know, uh, check out where like the jewelry was and all this stuff. And then, uh, next thing you know, when somebody was out of town and their, their stuff stolen.
Marie: They do. I wouldn't have ever thought we've had, we've had contractors, multiple occasions come in and, um, uh, our problem is we would hire a company and they would then outsource some stuff.
Right. Which is, they don't have, they have subcontractors and they, they've vetted their people, but they didn't vet their subcontractor sometimes. So I'd go out, I'm like. Why is there food and weed on the side of like, there's stuff. Oh my God, like what is going on? I'm like, okay, they can't come back in. I have young kids like, no, that's not especially the job that you're doing.
And you can I don't need you high doing it.
Erika: Yeah.
Marie: So I lost it. So I'm like, you come back and call the cops. Like, don't come back. Get another another people's. So you have to have someone who's vetted like we didn't know. I [00:49:00] didn't know that was a thing. No. What are you doing? But that's part of
Brit: like. Having some learning aches.
Yes, yes. That, that with homeowners. But sometimes if we can prevent, you know, that kind of a struggle, let's educate everybody and, and know that you can do background checks on people and everybody that's coming into your house. Um, finding the right contractor when it's appropriate to say, you know what, this person isn't fulfilling what?
They promised you to do and how to let go and find another one. I mean, San Antonio has some
Marie: definitely, but if wonderful contractors and you're just trying to Do it and you don't have someone who you've built those those relationships. That's the biggest thing is having the right team in places to advocate, advocate for you because they've built those connections.
You don't have to do all that work that they've written for you.
Erika: Someone like Britney has probably a vendor list of people that she would recommend because she's worked with them before. And they've been great. So
Marie: I want to say like the starting
Erika: point, I [00:50:00] feel like
Marie: renovations can be a blessing or it can be a curse.
Like if you don't do it the right way. Like Reddit people, I think they, oh, this is cheap way of doing it or doing like taking the easy, you know, that kind of way. I think people, like on your head, oh, I can do it myself, turns into be a mess and then you're spending more money. So having the right people in place to guide you, first off, is it a really truly a D Y I, D Y I, DIY project?
Or do you really need a contractor? And if you do need a contractor, let me help you find those people. Right. So it's a pleasant experience, it's not a heartache, because we've all been through those horror stories. Yeah.
Erika: Well, this conversation has been excellent. Is there anything else that you wanted to touch on today, Brittany?
No, not that I can think of. Me neither. I could talk about this all day. I know, I mean, I
Marie: have to say, I have, I love the renovations in my home and the getting to the point of a finished project, it, it, it, you just have to be aware of what to expect if you've never gone through it, have some, I mean, someone to advocate for you and talk to you about it and understanding the process would be heavenly for those who are thinking about it.
[00:51:00] Yeah.
Brit: Yeah.
Marie: Yeah. And
Brit: if, if you. Even if you're not going through the renovation process, but you still want, you know, you, you got your cute first home by Erica and you got your, you know, your Morgan's Lendage Needs by Marie. And then you're like, I need some help with color selections. Like, we can do small projects and make it cozy for you.
Like, that's the important takeaway is the space doesn't have to stay where it's at. We can, we can change it and make it what you want it to be. Make it your home.
Erika: Yes, for sure. And then Brittany, do you wanna share with everybody how they can get ahold of you for your services?
Brit: Yes, absolutely. So you can find me on my business website at ww dot.
Is it www.signaturestylesbybrit.com or on Facebook? Signature styles by Brit. And same with Instagram.
Erika: Okay, perfect.
Brit: And we can put that in our
Erika: show notes. Yay! Well, thank you so much for being here today. Being here again. We love having you on. Yes, thank you. I appreciate you guys having me back again. Yes, and I'm also going to thank our listeners for tuning in to this week's [00:52:00] episode and we will catch you next week.
See you guys next week.
Thanks so much for tuning in to this episode of the Working Moms of San Antonio podcast. We hope you loved today's chat and found a little inspiration to take with you into your week. If you have a podcast topic suggestion or a question you'd love for us to cover, definitely send us an email at hello at workingmomsofsanantonio.
com. We'd love to hear from you. And until next time, see you in the community.
