The Problem Nobody Talks About
Here’s a scenario I see all the time: a homeowner hires a contractor to renovate their kitchen before selling. The contractor builds a beautiful kitchen — custom cabinets, high-end appliances, marble countertops. The total bill? $65,000. The added value to the home? Maybe $30,000.
That’s a $35,000 loss disguised as an improvement.
On the flip side, I see real estate agents advise sellers to “just paint and clean” because they don’t understand construction well enough to recommend anything more specific. The seller lists the home as-is, leaves $40,000 on the table, and wonders why the house sat on the market for three months.
Both of these situations happen because of the same gap: contractors don’t think about market value, and agents don’t understand construction. But what if you had someone who understood both?
Most Contractors Build Without Thinking About ROI
I say this with respect for the trade — most contractors are skilled at what they do. They can build you a gorgeous bathroom, a stunning deck, or a dream kitchen. But their job is to build what you ask for, not to tell you whether it makes financial sense.
A typical contractor doesn’t know:
- Which renovations actually increase your home’s market value (and by how much)
- What buyers in your specific neighborhood are looking for
- Where the point of diminishing returns is — the line between “smart investment” and “over-improvement”
- How comparable homes in your area are priced and what features they offer
Without this knowledge, it’s easy to over-build for the neighborhood (granite countertops in a $250,000 home) or under-build when the market would support more (builder-grade finishes in a $600,000 neighborhood).
Most Agents Advise Without Understanding Construction
Real estate agents are trained in marketing, negotiation, and market analysis. But most agents can’t:
- Accurately estimate renovation costs
- Distinguish between a cosmetic crack and a structural issue
- Evaluate the condition of a roof, HVAC system, or electrical panel
- Manage a renovation project from start to finish
- Know which improvements actually deliver ROI versus which just look good in a listing photo
This isn’t a knock on agents — it’s simply a different skill set. But when sellers and buyers only have one perspective, they’re making decisions with incomplete information.
What It Looks Like When You Have Both
I’m Tim Wangler — a licensed Illinois real estate agent and the owner of Redeveloped Properties LLC, a construction company serving Chicago’s western suburbs and DuPage County. Having both skill sets isn’t just a nice résumé line — it changes the way I work with clients.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- For sellers: I walk through your home and identify exactly which renovations will maximize your sale price — and which ones aren’t worth the money. Then my team handles the work. Through my Fix-N-List program, I even fund the renovations upfront so you don’t pay until closing.
- For buyers: When you’re looking at a fixer-upper, I can give you a real renovation estimate on the spot — not a guess, but a number based on actually doing this work every day. I’ll tell you whether a property is a smart investment or a money pit before you make an offer.
- For investors: I help you analyze deals with hard numbers — purchase price, realistic rehab costs, holding costs, and ARV — so you know your profit margin before you commit.
Real-World Experience, Not Just Theory
This isn’t something I learned from a book. My construction experience spans both commercial and residential projects:
- Commercial: I’ve handled complex buildouts like the Lucca Osteria restaurant and professional installations for MEIKO commercial equipment. Commercial projects teach you project management, timeline discipline, and how to work with inspectors and municipalities.
- Residential: Through Redeveloped Properties, I’ve flipped homes, managed renovations for sellers, and handled everything from minor cosmetic refreshes to full gut rehabs across the western suburbs.
That range of experience means I’ve seen just about every problem a property can throw at you — and I know how to solve it efficiently and cost-effectively.
From Concept to Completion
Redeveloped Properties LLC handles projects from the initial assessment through final walkthrough. We’re not a broker sending you to a random sub-contractor — we do the work, manage the timeline, and deliver results that are specifically designed to maximize your property’s value.
Whether it’s a pre-listing renovation, an investment property rehab, or a personal home improvement, every decision is filtered through the question: “Does this make financial sense?”
That’s the difference between a contractor who builds and a contractor who thinks like an investor.
Get a Contractor Who Thinks Like an Investor
If you’re planning renovations — whether to sell, to flip, or to improve your own home — you deserve advice from someone who understands both the construction and the market value side of the equation.
Call me at (630) 333-6393. Let’s talk about your project and make sure every dollar you spend is working as hard as you do.