OUR TWO FAMILY

Buying a House what makes a good real estate investment – 4 ways to buy a superior home

Noreen

The question of the day: what makes a good real estate investment? We’ve been sitting on our two family house for almost 6 years now, mystified that it’s actually worked out so far. It was a true ugly duckling when we purchased it. After putting our heads down to work for so long, we looked up to discover it’s doubled in value since then. Bug-eyed and practically surprised, we have to ask ourselves: How? How did that even happen? And how is it that this one singular investment has so drastically affected our net worth? In other words… what has made our real…

Planning a Renovation Project how to prioritize home projects

Noreen

This post is all about how to prioritize home projects. Ah, the age old question: “Where do we even start?!?!?!” There’s that pull between, “I want this screaming Joanna-Gaines-wuz-here” and, “how much is left in my bank account?” We know this feeling. When we closed on our two family, we had one functional sink amid 2 kitchens & 3 bathrooms, the roof was leaking, the windows were broken… Where do you even start? Thanks to living through it, we have a few ideas. Here’s our best advice on how to prioritize home projects. Insurance If you’ve newly purchased your house, your…

Living Through a Kitchen Remodel cheap temporary kitchen – how to set up shop when your kitchen is in a dumpster

Noreen

Welcome! I take it you’re looking for cheap temporary kitchen ideas. You’ve come to the right place! If you’re preparing for a kitchen remodel and wondering how to get by during the process, fear not. You CAN create a cheap temporary kitchen space so that you can cook, eat, and clean up while your kitchen is under construction. We have lived this process before – read all about our makeshift kitchen during our remodel here. We fortunately were able to use most of our kitchen gadgets and appliances from our regular kitchen. If that’s not an option for you, don’t worry! We’re about to…

Living Through a Kitchen Remodel 7 complete meals when you have no kitchen – crockpot edition (under 6 ingredients!)

Noreen

Are you looking for meals when you have no kitchen? You’ve come to the right place. Here at our two family house, we know how difficult it can be to cook during a kitchen renovation. From setting up a makeshift kitchen to plowing through a stack of freezer meals in a week, we are here to say… we’ve been there. The project takes longer than expected, the materials are on back order, and your family just wants to eat a proper meal that isn’t takeout. Fear not! Now is the time to invest in a great slow cooker and use…

Living Through a Kitchen Remodel how to prepare for a kitchen remodel

Noreen

Are you wondering how to prepare for a kitchen remodel? You’ve come to the right place! Preparing for a kitchen renovation can be overwhelming, but there are plenty of steps you can take to keep the overwhelm to a minimum. If it’s your first time swinging by our two family house, we recommend you start here: The Ultimate Home Renovation Survival Guide. That post has a broader perspective of entire home renovations. Now, as for kitchen renovations. If we can do it, so can you. Here at OTF we’ve managed not one but two kitchen renovations in the last six years: Our 2nd floor…

Renovation Tips and Tricks things found during renovations – the weird stuff within our walls!

Noreen

Anyone else out there decide to purchase a house that was built before the Titanic sunk? And then decide to renovate it yourselves? Perhaps you’re familiar, then, with super cool things found during renovations. When working through home renovation survival, it is important to find the joy, even when your kitchen is in a dumpster. Giggling at the random things found within our walls helped our renovation projects seem shorter, more bearable, and downright fun! Here’s a tour of the things found during renovations -and thus learned about! – in our century-old two family home. Ironing board Now, I know what you’re…

Living Through a Kitchen Remodel how to survive a kitchen renovation with just one small appliance

Noreen

Welcome back to our two family house! Today we’ve got a sweet round-up for you. We are talking how to survive a kitchen renovation with ONE magical small appliance. That’s it! Just one. If you’re doing a kitchen renovation, please know that you’re going to want to eat! And takeout gets old, fast. When we renovated our first floor kitchen, we moved it contents to a sweet temporary kitchen in the basement. With limited time and limited tools, we discovered that small appliances would be clutch. The small appliance that constantly saved the day? The rice cooker. The Backstory Why…

Planning a Renovation Project how to plan a bathroom renovation

Noreen

Welcome to our two family house! Today we are exploring how to plan a bathroom renovation. We’ve renovated three bathrooms here at our two family, which is totally crazy to think about! We’ve only lived here for six years. That’s one bathroom remodel every other year. Craving the details of our bathroom renovations? Here you go: First floor bathroom renovationSecond floor bathroom renovationBasement bathroom renovation (this one was the biggest transformation!) Anyway, I bet you’re here for some advice on how to plan a bathroom renovation. You’re about to remodel, your family needs a place to do their business, and you’re just a little concerned about…

Buying a House buying a forever home – the harsh truth that will set you free

Noreen

Buying a forever home. Sigh… we have a few thoughts about this. There’s a whole mess of nonsense out there about buying a forever home. People talk about it like it’s this rite of passage – like you can’t be a functioning adult without buying a forever home, or it’s a prerequisite to having children, or if you don’t have one, you’ll never actually be successful. Buyers also assume that you can’t have a “forever home” until you’ve had a “starter home,” whatever that means. The whole “forever home” conversation is not serving us. In fact, I’m going to join the…

Buying a House buying a multi family home to live in – 58 quick questions to ask yourself

Noreen

Are you interested in buying a multifamily home to live in? Great! Here is a list of 58 quick questions to ask yourself before you start. This list also doubles a great game to play with your business partner or spouse who might be in on the deal with you. Happy questioning! Basics When buying a multifamily home to live in, there are some basic questions to consider: Do I want to invest in a house?Do I want to be a landlord?Does my spouse want to invest?Does my spouse want to be a landlord?Do I really want to house hack?Will…