Before & After: My Own OBX Home Transformation!
Take it from me: Don't rule out a house before you take time to see its potential!
My wife and I bought our house in Kill Devil Hills back in the summer of 2020, and at the time, it looked like the “before” pictures below: Drab, dated, and a little boring.
But ultimately, we saw what no one else did in the 9 months it sat on the market - loads of natural light via south-facing windows, a former living room that would make a super cool dining room for the dinner parties we love to throw, and a general base that could be easily tailored to what we wanted. We also loved the location, and decided that was worth a bit of extra work.
We spent the first 6 months in the house making purely cosmetic changes to it. No walls came down, no rewiring had to be done - just some paint, new flooring, a DIY-ed island, a bit of shiplap, and some fresh decor & fixtures.
Okay, there was still a fair amount of work that went into it.. but at the end of those six months, it felt like a totally different house!
There are still lots of changes we plan to make & things we plan to update as time goes on, but it's been so cool to see how easily this "lots-of-potential" home has transformed into a space we love!
If you notice yourself questioning some of the cosmetic features of a home, but the house layout, location, and everything else is a YES - then think about the simple tweaks you might be able to do to make it your ultimate dream home! It might not take as much as you think.
