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C O N T E N T S There's a kit for your inefficient garage door The right plant for the right place helps avoid an uphill struggle Five things to look for when selecting a lawn service A publication of the Waukesha Freeman and Oconomowoc Enterprise • APRIL 2019 By Catherine Jozwik Special to Waukesha County Home A distressed home might not look pretty on the outside, but might be just the ticket for handy homebuyers who want to save money and put their own stamp on the property. "I look at these homes as a blank slate," said Milwaukee homeown- er Dana Lynn Hintz. Hintz and her husband recently purchased two fixer-upper proper- ties in Milwaukee's trendy Bay View neighborhood, for a total of $90,000 in an area where the medi- an home price is about $190,000. "We realized what a gold mine we had here in Bay View," Hintz said. The properties, Polish flats locat- ed on the same lot, were owned by Hintz's husband's family. Pur- chased in the 1970s, the flats were in serious need of repair. "We had raccoons living in the ceiling," she said. But Hintz and her husband were up for the challenge. "We're both incredibly handy," she added. "It's been fun." Renovations, which included a new roof, enlarging a small bath- room, and replacing cracked tile floors, have cost the couple around $40,000. The Hintzes, who live in the lower unit of one of the flats, have tenants occupying the second flat. The couple plans to convert the upper level of the flat they live in to an Airbnb. Shorewest real estate agent and Waukesha resident Mike Koll- mansberger noted that homes in need of TLC typically sell for about 80 percent of the purchase price of a typical home. For exam- ple, a client of his recently pur- chased a fixer-upper home in Muk- wonago for $180,000. According to Zillow.com, the average Mukwona- go home price is $279,000; $229,400 in Waukesha. Some things that dissuade first-time homebuyers — like bad-smelling carpets and chipped Fixer-upper? Photo courtesy of Dana Lynn Hintz Dana Lynn Hintz and her husband, who purchased two distressed flats in Milwaukee's Bay View neighborhood, have converted one of the upper units in one of the flats into an Airbnb. Are you ready for a ... See FIXER-UPPER, Page 2 Spring Home & Garden Special Edition

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