An experienced builder, Lon Oberpriller of Replacement Housing Services Consortium, LLC, comes armed with three invaluable tools to help his clients: expertise, research, and a unique sense of service.
“My approach is considerably different from that of many contractors,” he states. “I’m old school: As a professional, I owe it to my customers to look out for their best interests. It’s about the client, not about how much money I can make—how successful the client and their project will be in the long run. So I have a responsibility to give the best counsel and provide the best building expertise I can. Many of my clients are young, with children. They need to ensure that the money they invest in their home has potential for return.”
“In today’s economy, it’s no longer good enough to just build well,” Lon maintains. “Each building project must be looked at in its larger context, how it will add value if the clients need to re-sell their home.
Major building mistakes, upon resale, can end up costing $50,000 to $200,000, or more, losses that do significant damage to the household financial structure.”
Since 2000, Lon notes, housing replacement and revitalization (when homeowners build new or transform older homes in existing neighborhoods) have created a community-wide building renaissance. However, he cautions, this approach needs to be backed by solid financial and market research, as not all building decisions are wise. Above all, it’s important to understand the market dynamics and context of each individual situation. “Do you want to build an expensive home?” he asks. “It depends on the context. Some neighborhoods won’t support it.” Even smaller decisions have ramifications: “Should you remodel your kitchen or install new windows? What will the consequences be down the road?” Lon’s extensive research shows that the answer depends on where a house fits into the larger dynamic. In rapidly revitalizing neighborhoods, many improvements are meaningless and actually lead to losses if the market deems the home a teardown.
