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On this episode of The Better Buy , actual estate investor Chris Lavergne offers top for discover the right investment holding and renovating a fixer - upper .
The Better Buy , a new podcast from Better Homes & Gardens , explores all thing home — from ornament and DIY to renovating and budgeting . Each week , we ’ll blab out with householder from around the land about the highs and lows of home ownership , and share stories , advice , and virtual tips you may put to figure out in your own rest home . We ’re on a commission to inhale and endow you to produce your dreaming dwelling . New episode every Wednesday !

Credit: courtesy of Chris Lavergne
On This Episode
boniface Mélanie Berliet talk with real estate investor Chris Lavergne . He share how he built a successful existent estate portfolio , includingClearing Farm , a multi - home compound in Upstate New York . Chris declare oneself tips for finding the veracious investment property , renovating a fixer - upper , and what first - metre home buyers should look for in a house .
Meet Chris Lavergne
Chris Lavergne , 34 , is a real estate investor in New York and Florida . animate by the toughest real the three estates securities industry in the country , he went from trying to find the staring place to focusing on upcoming markets . The result was a genuine estate company and its flagship dimension , Clearing Farm . This multi - national compound in Upstate New York that attracts short - term renters all year thanks to a record hop farm , Gallus gallus coup , outdoor wellness spa , Sir Henry Joseph Wood shop , office space , and originative studio specialise in video and picture taking on the prop .
Advice from the Episode
Chris shares his best tips for house hunting and renovation projects .
Chris Lavergne
I ’m really sort of opposed to red-hot markets . I late relocated permanently to Florida and the first kind of example would be , ' Hey , let ’s move to Miami . ' And that was our first impulse . But you see at the Miami marketplace and it ’s just , it ’s exploding and it ’s really red-hot . So … what ’s the upcoming grocery opposed to the hot market ? And that led me to Tampa , which has a lot of the same things as Miami , but is not nearly as hot — but it ’s also not a bland market . It ’s in spades up and coming . There ’s sort of those sort of three distinctions you have to make between is this a hot mart , an up and coming market or a reasonably stagnant market ? And , I really like to look for the upcoming food market .
House Hunting Deal Breakers
I really do n’t look for brainchild in the usual office . And , I do n’t even cognise if I attend for inhalation at all . I think taking a photograph you wish from Pinterest of a dreamy house or a languorous living room — it ’s kind of counterproductive because it ’s all contrive to look gorgeous and make you feel this amazing way about it . But is it really liveable ? Is it really running ? Is it really achievable ? So I attempt to stay away from fall into this dreamscape of what could be and really just [ talk ] to professionals and hoi polloi who have owned homes for a long sentence — What works ? What go wrong ? And really verbalize about the practical and functional elements of the family more than getting lost in a pin plank , which I used to do a band .
Where to Look for Home Renovation Inspiration
I have two peak and they controvert each other . First , you got ta just spend money . Like if you wanna do it right , do not stress and find the middle ground . Buy the right thing . pass [ on ] the right thing . And if you ca n’t , wait . Be patient . So my money saving tips are either drop a mickle of money or spend no money . I have piece of furniture in my sign of the zodiac that I literally beak up off of the street in New York City and just put in there , and I have stuff that I spent a great deal of money on . The main thing is to either go all out and buy exactly what you want , or find a way to practice sort of recycle material in the interim until you’re able to afford what you want .
Favorite Money-Saving Tips
There ’s two types of tenant homes . The first are one that are work up on beach and lakes in of import cities , and those pretty much deal themselves . Clearing Farm is … really prove to cut up out the home base as the destination itself . The maulers are n’t necessarily what you call up they ’re gon na be going in . I think for our homes that the hook shot was they ’re gon na be attractively designed historical home . turn out there ’s really not that big of a market for it . So the house became a pet well-disposed mansion for dog . I do n’t have a dearie . But it sort of just follow the datum of what multitude seem to want . And we installed a fence that covers a whole acre so the dogs can run around , and it ’s our most popular lease .