I am in the process of buying a home that that needs a few major repairs, this is the first home me and my wife plan to live in. i have been researching many financial aids and i have got no straight answer on weather or not we would be able to get some kind of financial aid like grants.
We live in the Hampton Roads area in Virginia and the property is also in the area, and we are looking at about $50K to $70K in renovation. So if anyone has any information that could help us get any financial, preferably a grant, it would be much appreciated.
Thank you for your time.
Asked by:David G
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What has given you the idea if you buy a house that needs repairs, that someone will give you a grant to fix it (free)? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of this really happening, although I can imagine a lot of people would like to receive one of these. I wouldn’t mind it, myself…
there no Free lunches
Many people ask about grants,endowments for home repairs.
There is generally no grant money available for anyone wanting to fix up a home.
The only grants available are through some State/County Historical societies for buildings that are historic (as defined by them), and are in danger of collapse and or being sold and demolished.
Grants you hear about are usually for these very specific types of buildings or research done by universities,hospitals,etc.
I suggest you call a good General Contractor. We are General Contractors and by that I mean on a project like yours, the General Contractor is your one source contact for all other trades involved.
The General Contractor gives you one price that includes all the work you need performed. He/She hires all the subcontractors and gets prices from them, they schedule everything,submit all the subs payments which are included in their invoice to you. You pay the General Contractor and he/she pays the subs. A good general Contractor can usually work without the added cost of an Architect. Architects are worth every penny on larger complicated projects where the homeowner has the finances to add another 5-8% to the total project price for their services. On our remodeling projects, I meet with the owners at least once every two weeks in an informal meeting usually at their home where we can walk around and look at areas that need discussed. Meetings usually last an hour or so.
Ask friends, stop by your local lumber center and ask for 3 good General Contractors names. Take time to meet with each one and make sure they all price the same things in their proposals.
In other words have them all bid apples to apples. Base your decision on several things including the price. Some bigger General Contractors may have a sales person (on commission) come out to talk to you. Some will promote all the organizations they belong to, and how many adwards they have won,etc. Remember you are hiring a General Contractor not a Interior Designer. They don’t have to be dressed in a $500 suite or drive a Cadillac Escalade – in fact it would better if they pulled up in a nice truck. Ask serious questions about what if you decide to change something in mid-stream, payments, how clean will they leave your home over the weekends, starting/quit times, holidays,workmens comp coverage. You will soon get a feel for the Contractor you trust the most. A good General Contractor will want to have his/her subs visit your house to look at the work they need to do. This is always good, because you will get a much better informed price from the General Contractor who has his/her subs come out before giving you a price.
Lots of info – but you will need it to pick a Good Contractor