I bought my first tiny home on a budget – renovations were only $12,000, plus I sold it for $36,000 more… – The US Sun
ONE tiny home buyer has considered her finances carefully before purchasing her first house on a budget.
She spent just $12,000 on renovations in the new tiny digs – and then was able to sell her home for $36,000 more.
Posting to her TikTok account (@rstate), she shared a how-to video to give some ideas to other first-time buyers, or to those who want to make some upgrades to their home.
Buyers have been scooping up smaller spaces recently and it seems to be a trend that's been gaining some traction in the face of high real estate prices and mortgages rising.
The new property owner said she spent about $12,000 on the renovations at the Des Moines, Iowa place.
She even said she could have done it for even less "but I hired an outrageously expensive electrical company." She also hired an outside plumber.
She did say, however, she did most of the renovations by herself, even though she said she was not an expert and it was her first time renovating a house.
Luckily, she said she did have friends and family available to help her with a lot of the work that went into sprucing up the house.
She said the work began on day one with ripping out cabinets and tearing down a wall. She said her dad provided the tools she needed and taught her how to use them.
She then had her dad help her install luxury vinyl tiles, which she got on sale at Nebraska Furniture Mart. Most tiles range from $3 to $7 on its website.
For the backsplash in the kitchen, she used a peel-off and stick backsplash, and for the fridge and microwave, she headed to Facebook Marketplace to score a deal.
The frugal homeowner also spruced up other areas in the home. She said she simply gave the concrete floor in the basement a new coat of paint.
And in the laundry room she removed all of the cabinetry and put down a new floor using peel-and-stick flooring which she got from Walmart.
In the bathroom she had to hire a specialist to come in and remove some rotten floor tiles.
When that was done she used a peel-and-stick floor tile that she found for just $10 on Facebook Marketplace. Then friends helped install the new toilet, vanity, and mirror.
All in all, she said the home didn't need a huge amount of renovation. She said it "already had a ton of character" and that she loved the hardwood floors already in place.
After all the work she put in to the new home, she revealed on TikTok that she sold it for about $36,000 more than what she bought it for.
She added "this was just as the market really started to change due to interest rates increasing."
Her how-to video got a few comments. One follower said "looks awesome!"
However, another video she posted with images of closing on the house and clips of the various renovations garnered 671,000 views.
Followers raved about the upgrades, one saying she was "obsessed."
Another commented: "I feel like this is my sign to buy a slight fixer upper I have my eye on!"
And another said "unbelievable before-and-after, you nailed it!"
While some think it's a fad, many smaller homes have gone mainstream, according to Judy Dutton, the executive editor at Realtor.com.
She previously told The U.S. Sun that on average homes sell for more than $350,000, whereas tiny homes can cost between $50,000 and $100,000.
"I've even heard of one tiny house community in South Carolina where tiny homeowners have housing expenses as low as $99 per month," she revealed.
Here's more on our Lets Get Real section, including more in an exclusive on a tiny home that costs just $99 a month.
Plus, the 10 worst places in the US to buy a home.
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