[narrator] House Hunters is getting the star treatment.
You could probably do a plunge pool.
No, I want a bigger pool.
You you don't even swim!
[narrator] For the first time ever
our experts are leading the hunt...
Trust me, I have your back.
[narrator] ...taking buyers to see homes in the towns they know best...
Minna is synonymous with the city of Indianapolis.
[narrator] ...giving expert reno advice on the biggest fixers...
Having Jasmine is like having a magic genie here.
♪ Anything that you want You can have ♪
[narrator] ...and real estate know how to get buyers into their perfect home.
This is why you brought the pros in.
[narrator] It's House Hunters on a whole other level.
Let the house search begin.
Yes! This is fun.
The anticipation is killing me.
[narrator] Tonight in Indianapolis, Mina Starsiak Hawk
from Good Bones, helps artist Siena look
for a historic house to call home.
A little bit over your budget at $310,000.
-Okay. -You didn't yell or cry, so that's good. Okay.
[opening theme music playing]
♪ One, two, three and One, two, three ♪
♪ I got the moves I got my own beat ♪
The tile is ready.
And the cabinets are actually also ready,
the two extra ones that just came in.
I love my hometown of Indianapolis,
and I am beyond excited
to help artist Siena relocate from Hawaii to Indy,
close to her best friend Sylva,
and find the home of her dreams.
Oh, yeah. Almost there.
Living history.
Inspired by fun little Easter eggs
-from the neighborhood. -Yeah.
Siena is a creative type.
She is not afraid to roll up her sleeves
and get her hands dirty and is just my kind of gal.
We've been, like, blowing the minds
-of the paint mixing people. -It's true.
They're like, "What are you doing?"
[Mina] Siena's had an incredibly tough year,
and this move to Indy
really is an opportunity to reconnect
with her friends and her family.
-Feelgood madness. -[laughing] Yeah.
[narrator] And since she's looking for a fresh start
in a new city, she's reached out to Indy native, Mina,
to help guide her.
Not only do I know the Indy real estate market really well...
The one that we're going to is, like, four houses down from that.
It's had a fire...
...but I definitely know fixer uppers,
and I know buying a fixer upper not only helps the budget
but it also helps the community.
I love it so much.
I'm glad you guys like it.
And I'm very excited to help Siena use that knowledge
and find the perfect house for her.
♪ Gonna get it People gonna do it ♪
I'm excited to just pick her brain
and see what ideas she comes up with.
I'm happy to be in the hands of an expert.
[Sylva whimpers]
Whoa, coming in hot.
[both laughing]
Thank you. Bye.
Hello. It's so nice to meet you in person, finally.
-Come on in. -Hi!
Mina is synonymous with the city of Indianapolis.
I'm looking for a house that has historic details,
and I'm excited to see what she finds for me.
I hope you've got, like, your big girl pants on
because it gets really cold here in the winter.
-Yeah. -Well, I actually grew up north of Chicago, so...
So you're a hardy-- You're-- Okay.
We got you now.
I'm moving back
to be closer to family, and so is my best friend.
We've known each other since college.
We're gonna be starting a business together,
painting murals that make the city better for...
I love a good mural. We have one on the side of the store that a local artist did.
-Cool. -Very cool.
-Now she's a successful artist. -Very exciting.
I paint murals,
I make illustrations, my backgrounds in a lot of different art media.
So I like to just to make vibrant graphic work.
The other thing that happened last year was
my parents died in a car accident,
-which was obviously horrible and life changing. -[Mina] Yes.
That's definitely a big life change.
My husband actually lost both his parents recently
and being able to be in a place
that really, kind of, hugs you
and, like, keeps you comfortable and homey,
I think it's gonna be really good for you.
-Mm-hmm. -Um, 'cause that's a lot, that's a lot to process.
My older sister just had a baby.
That's really the gravitational pull
that's pulling me back from Hawaii.
All she had to do was make a person.
[Mina] Yeah, you made a human, I'll come home.
Yeah. One of the main things I'm looking for
is a walkable neighborhood downtown.
It's so nice to be able to jump on a bike
-and go get lunch with a friend. -Mm-hmm.
We've obviously in Fountain Square,
where I live and there's a coffee shop,
there's a music venue, there's so many things.
We can definitely look for some options like that.
[Siena] Okay, cool. I'm looking for a two bedroom, two bath minimum.
I'd like to have room for guests,
but I also like to have my own space.
-Okay. -My family is very pro not sharing
bathrooms with each other.
Oh, no. I-- I support.
-My husband would probably love to not share with me. -[both laughing]
What is your vibe? What's your style of a house?
-I think quirky, eclectic. -Okay.
Just I grew up having, like, an older house with charm...
-Okay. -...and, like, just built to last,
-like, more craftsman... -You know, depending
on the neighborhoods we're looking
and you're going to see a lot of that.
Okay. Yeah. I'm not totally averse to putting in some work.
I've had my fair share of sweat equity
-on properties in the past. -Yeah. Okay.
And I think having the outdoor space
as, like, an extension of the indoor living space.
I mean, I know you guys have seasons.
But I want to take my coffee outside.
-Awesome. No, I-- -Are you okay with mowing the lawn, though?
-[sighs] -[Mina] There are people for that.
There are people for that. I can get you someone.
Maybe a low maintenance yard.
-Yes. -If we find you any grass,
you could just put turf in like I have, which is--
-which is kill your lawn. -[laughs]
I'm looking to spend between $225 and $300,000.
-Okay. -What about the possibility of a duplex or something
where there's an income producing aspect?
As an artist, having, like a stable,
predictable income that comes from your housing,
-that also lets you buy at a higher end... -Mm-hmm.
Yeah, I think that's a really smart idea.
I'm totally open to that.
They're starting a new business together.
And a new business is always risky.
So if we could find her a home
that's gonna have some stability as far as income,
it's gonna provide her some much needed sanity
while a lot of change is happening.
[upbeat music playing]
[narrator] Mina reached out
to her real estate contacts right away
and already found a property to look at today.
This neighborhood is Bates-Hendricks.
It is definitely one I'm partial to
'cause I've done a lot of work here.
There's a lot of development.
You're still very, very close to everything.
[Siena] Yeah, it seems like really
quaint, walkable neighborhoods.
[Mina] It is.
The anticipation is killing me!
[all laughing]
-Ooh. -Immediate thoughts?
Pretty dark facade, sort of, a moody exterior,
but I don't I hate the colors.
Don't hate. I will take that.
You can paint, you can paint.
[Mina] So this one is actually an 1895 craftsman split units.
So this one would be an option for income potential.
-[Siena] Okay. -I've got the keypad code
so we can go right in.
Okay, It's not what I expected.
-[Mina] It's character. -Very character-y.
It's character.
-[Sylva] A little bit of rope lights tucked in the crevices. -[Mina] Yes.
[Siena] It's definitely an intentional choice.
What would be very simple is just to paint it white,
and then you're going to get some texture
without that really aggressive dark impact when you come in.
-[Siena] Yeah. Sure. -This downstairs unit is two bedrooms,
so it could be you and guests.
And you could have steady rental income upstairs,
and it is a little bit over your budget at 310,000.
Okay.
You didn't yell or cry, so that's good. Okay.
Okay, well, this house is above the price range that Siena gave me,
A, it's just a jumping off point for negotiations
and because it's close to everything, the rental potential,
whether she did a long term lease or short term,
is going to get her probably well over $1500 a month.
-This is funny. -So you like the wall sconce?
-So you just you just plug it in over the sink. -Yeah.
-[gasps] -[all laughing]
[Mina] You have a disposal.
-That's great news. -That's great news.
And it sounds like it works.
-Thank you for finding it for me. -You're welcome.
I'm just trying to help.
It looks like some of the cabinets are in a little rough shape.
[Mina] Yeah.
Some of the cabinets are in a little rough shape.
Yeah, that little guy needs to be
tacked back, back together a bit.
-Oh, you fixed it. -Hey, that helps!
[all laughing]
Painting the cabinets is a couple gallons of paint,
and then some of your sweat equity.
Definitely make it yours.
I've been renovating homes and Bates-Hendricks
for, uh, over a decade,
and one of the things that Siena really hammered home
was wanting a home with character.
And I really think once the ceilings are a lighter color,
the richness of the cabinets she's gonna appreciate.
I think she could really feel at home here.
-First bedroom over here. -[Siena] I like the archway.
An original kind of detail,
I think the doors are original.
I think the hardware on the doors is original as well.
Are you a crystal chandelier girl, or would you swap that out?
-I don't think-- -I don't think I am.
Pop right around the corner and go see the bathroom
-that's down here. -One bathroom.
One bathroom down here.
Yeah. I think the two of us in here, it's a little tight,
but I probably won't be there most times to use the bathroom.
Boundaries in friendships are important.
You know you don't want to share a bathroom,
so it's not actually going to be great for having guests.
You probably would be putting
-guests in the second unit. -[Siena] Mm-hmm.
[Mina] Bedroom number two down here.
It is also the laundry room.
-[Siena] Okay. -[Mina] Because the washer and dryer
have, kind of, taken the space that could potentially be the closet.
I would be inclined to stack both units...
-[Siena] Okay. -...and then you would have this space over here
-to be the closet space. -Yeah.
On the plus side, you have washer and dryer in the unit.
-That definitely is a big plus. -Yeah.
Since you guys have weather here.
We have weather.
It's a great yard.
We'll come back to this,
but I want to show you upstairs first.
Cool. Nice that it has its own entrance.
[Mina] This is the original staircase,
which is why it's a little steep.
[Siena] Cozy vibes.
[Mina] It's pretty good for short term rental.
Up here, you could probably get around 75 a night
because your proximity to downtown, the convention center,
so many of the sporting events...
What's behind that door?
Well, this little baby door is a toilet and a shower.
-And this is your sink. -[laughs]
[Mina] It's definitely not a two person bathroom.
-[Siena] No. -[Mina] You guys are making it work.
[Siena] I mean, I do like this tile.
[Mina] This is newer. Definitely.
-Watch your head. -[Siena] Ooh.
-Oh, yeah. -It's so spacious.
This feels kind of amazing,
like, it would photograph well for online listing.
[Mina] Yeah, definitely.
Honestly, I'm a little concerned
it might be too much yard for your taste.
[Siena] Could be slightly big,
just because of the maintenance.
The house, it is over my budget.
And so that is a little bit uncomfortable.
But you have immediate rental potential upstairs.
Great point.
♪ Hands up let me see Your hands up ♪
♪ Hands up let me see You up ♪
[narrator] But Mina has a less expensive duplex that she wants to show Siena
in the Ransom Place neighborhood of Indy
where Sylva lives.
[Sylva] I would love to have you live this close.
[Siena] That would be really fun.
-[Mina] Hello. -[Sylva] Hello.
[Mina] Come on up. What do you think?
It definitely feels historic.
-Yeah. -It's got a lot of layers.
[Mina] It does. It's got a lot of layers of paint.
It is historic. All wood siding.
It looks like it's probably original.
Well, it's definitely on a little bit of a busier road.
It is. So you're right next to
one of the hospitals, one of the colleges.
So great rental options
but a busier street until business hours kind of die down.
-Sure. -I've got the keys. Let's go.
[Siena] Hm. Interesting.
-Huh. -[all laughing]
All right. I'll give you a moment to process.
-[Siena] Okay. -[Mina] It's a 1920s craftsman,
but it has two units,
each one with a bed and a bath.
You can see which one feels more like you...
-Mm-hmm. -...and then it would give you
that opportunity for the secondary one for guests
or for a short term rental.
[Sylva] What do you think about this for a mural wall?
Yeah, I can definitely see
adding some color to the walls.
-It's very quirky. -[laughs]
[Siena] Interesting.
Having a full kitchen is really important to me 'cause I do like to cook.
I see the range top, but no oven.
Yes. What I would I suggest doing
is leaving everything kind of where it is,
get new cabinets, so you have a U
with a freestanding electric range
that you could push in.
And then instead of this, I would actually just set
the refrigerator right here and not utilize the side door.
-Okay. -You know, somewhere between 6 and 10,000.
You are so close to the college,
you could probably rent it as is,
and be totally fine.
[Siena] Interesting.
[Mina] Siena used the word interesting lot,
which, when I use interesting,
it's like, I don't really know what else to say.
But I think if we walked into a home that had a brand new,
all white kitchen, that's not her either.
This property gives her the opportunity
to make it hers.
It's a little bit different.
There's not actually a doorway...
[Siena] It looks like original floors?
Yes, you could very easily frame that in and put a door if you wanted.
Probably for under $1500.
-Check out the bathroom. -Go ahead.
-Okay. -[Mina] It's very cute and quirky.
Interesting roof lines.
You do have the staircase going upstairs above that.
When I say charm and character,
then seeing it in real life,
I'm like, "Is this really what I wanted?"
But this house does actually need a lot of work.
[Mina] So we're gonna walk through your nice little patio area.
Very charming.
[Siena] This yard feels low maintenance.
And I like the brick pavers.
[Sylva] Wow.
[Siena] Nice, private entrance.
[Mina] In both units doors were not a priority.
[Siena] This one is pretty small and weird.
But I think this would even be easier to do a refresh on than downstairs.
Just because it's a little simpler.
-Yeah. -Obviously, the cost of a stove,
but I think probably around like that 6000 mark?
I really appreciate Minas suggestions
for ways to make the kitchens more affordable.
Based on what we talked about,
it wouldn't break my price range.
[Mina] Up here, you could probably get around a 100 night.
Downstairs, maybe 75 a night.
-Mm-hmm. -So actually, right behind me
is the full bathroom for the unit.
So if you want to go ahead and take a look in there...
Mm-hmm.
[Mina] And if you thought the downstairs was quirky, this is even quirkier.
[Siena] Okay. I do really like the mosaic tile.
-[Mina] They made it work. -They made it look intentional. So...
Yeah. And then this is your main bedroom.
[Siena] It feels even quieter up here.
-[Mina] Yeah. -[Siena] Which is nice.
-Yeah. -So, feel like,
I would prefer the upstairs.
It's really hitting the mark
with location, being close to Sylva.
-It's, you know... -[Mina] Okay.
-The vibe I've been-- -This house is definitely not cookie cutter.
Yeah. It's definitely not. It's been cut up.
But not in a cookie cutter way.
It has two kitchens, but they do both need work.
So that's sort of an added expense.
[narrator] So Mina lines up an option with far fewer projects.
There's just one important thing missing.
Does it have a door?
[upbeat music playing]
Welcome.
[Siena] Hello.
-You guys are so cute with your bikes. -[chuckles]
It's too nice a day not to.
It's just a too nice a day not to ride.
[narrator] Today, Mina is showing Siena,
a single family home in the Fountain Square neighborhood of Indianapolis.
Just five minutes away from downtown.
This is Fountain Square.
-Mm-hmm. -So I wanna show you something here.
We're just a few blocks from my house,
so I'm obviously biased to the neighborhood.
This is the only one we're looking at
that does not have an income suite,
but we are on the very, very low end
of your comfort zone.
-Really? -Just great at 225.
-[Siena] Okay. -[Sylva] Great curb appeal.
You know, not the cookie cutter...
[Mina] Exactly.
I think Siena would fit right into the fabric of Fountain Square.
There are art festivals and music fest--
I mean, you name it.
It is a cultural hub of the city.
It's a great location.
You guys wanna go inside?
Yeah. Let's see it.
[Siena] Ooh!
[Siena] My eye goes straight to the exposed brick.
[Mina] With the level of renovation,
it could feel a little like white boxy, without that character.
Yeah, it definitely has, like,
a freshly painted, clean aesthetic.
[Mina] Mm-hmm. I want you to take note of the staircase
because this is where the floor plan
gets a little unique.
When we go this way and look at the first bedroom.
-Okay. -[Mina] I'm not sure how you feel about barn doors,
but it does give it a little character.
Yeah, it's nice to offset all the gray.
[Mina] There's no wall here as you can see.
-[Siena] Right. -It'd be very easy to close this wall in and drywall it,
and then you'd have a really proper bedroom down here.
This is all brand new, obviously.
[Siena] Cabinets look fresh and clean.
[Mina] You have a full bath down here.
-Does it have a door? -It does have a door.
It has another barn door
that matches this one, which is nice.
-Okay. -Okay, I see the door now.
This home has the most potential for the least amount of money
for Siena to be able to personalize it.
The home is just where she can come and rest her head.
And really not have any stress about it.
I wanna show you this back area.
-It just looks like a giant laundry room. -[laughs]
[Mina] It would be very easy to move the washer and dryer
up to the second floor,
and then this could all be open.
It is more updated than I would have thought I would be drawn to.
But I've heard a lot of really
great things about Fountain Square,
and it does have a really nice balance of the old and the new.
Oh. Yeah, nice big space.
-[Mina] Mm-hmm. -[Siena] Nice and bright.
We're gonna walk through your walk in closet
to your main en-suite bathroom.
[Siena] Add all those winter clothes back in.
And this whole rack right here could be winter coats.
-Yeah. -Lots of space in here as well.
-[Siena] So much space, almost... -Too much space.
[all laughing]
And it is the only property
that we've seen that has an actual en-suite.
Feels like the essence of growing up is having an en-suite.
-No one else gets to use your toilet. -[giggles]
[Mina] Let's go back downstairs and see the backyard.
All right. Backyard.
-[Siena] Wow. -[Sylva] This is bigger than I thought it would be.
-It's huge. -I can see lots of different ways
that this could be turned into, like,
bocce ball court...
-[Mina] Do you play bags in Hawaii. -Cornhole?
-Yes. -I mean, I'm from the Midwest, so I--
-Yes, okay. -Have the--
So, I just see, like, the most epic cornhole tournament out here.
-[Siena] I can see that. -[Mina] The most Indiana thing you could do.
I would love to hear your feedback.
There's no income property,
but because it is on such a low price point,
that doesn't feel as critical.
-Okay. -It has the character of an older home
but all the wrinkles have been ironed out.
It is very much a blank slate.
Take some time to weigh your pros and cons.
It's a big decision, okay?
-Yeah, for sure. -Yeah.
♪ Looking out my window Think I see blue skies ahead ♪
[Mina] How are you doing?
I feel like I have a big decision ahead of me.
You do? You're still committed.
We've got you convinced that Indy is the place for you?
Yeah. I'm happy with my choice to move here.
Let's talk about the 1895 craftsman with the two bedrooms
and one bath downstairs
and then the one bedroom, one bath upstairs.
Great neighborhood, a good long term hold
because Bates-Hendricks is developing.
I definitely love the front of the house.
It had a very striking appearance.
I like the size of the kitchen for you
and the ability to have
a second bedroom in a single unit.
You would have the opportunity
to have guests and have an income unit.
Both bathrooms were special.
[all laughing]
And it was at the very top of my budget, actually beyond it.
-But there's always room for negotiation. -Mm-hmm.
[Mina] The quirky craftsman is a 1920s build
with one bedroom and one bath in each unit.
Obviously, as far as downtown neighborhoods go,
Ransom Place is what you're most familiar with.
It is a really busy street, but you have the proximity to your best friend.
Definitely some road noise you could hear inside.
But like the upstairs unit was actually surprisingly quiet.
The yard was also the lowest maintenance.
There's not a single blade of grass to mow for you.
-[laughs] -[sighs in relief] The downstairs unit,
there's a lot of flexibility for rental income now or guests.
Even though it's within what I want to spend,
there are a handful of projects
that, you know, I know are going to add up.
[Mina] So the third house we saw was the renovated
single family in Fountain Square,
my neighborhood. Great price.
[Siena] The kitchen was updated and nice.
They made some effort to keep the charm of, like, the brick chimney elements.
-[Mina] Mm-hmm. -[Siena] It had space for friends and family.
But the upstairs we talked about
that potentially being like my sort of sanctuary level.
-[Mina] Yeah. -So the single family home doesn't have the opportunity
for rental income.
[Mina] So we have two properties that are
gonna offer you some secondary income,
but both of them are at the top,
or if not over your comfort zone.
And then we have this other one
single family that would leave you
so much money to do projects, but none are even required.
So it's really this difference
in, kind of, like, what lifestyle you want.
[upbeat music playing]
[Siena] Come on in.
[Mina] Hello.
[Siena] Hi.
-It looks so good. -Thank you.
I purchased the quirky craftsman.
It was the best fit for me,
based on outdoor space and having multiple units.
And the best part of the location is
it's in the same neighborhood as my best friend.
I love what you've done with it so far.
Is this gonna be your unit, or is this the rental?
And you're upstairs?
I've decorated this one to be
the rental unit and my guest area.
[Mina] Okay. Yeah.
You know, just I'm having fun adding my personal touch.
My plans are to live upstairs and then have the downstairs
as my space for guests as well as short term rentals.
[Sylva] Ready to grab a paintbrush?
[Mina] I am. Can I have that guy?
-Yeah. -Okay.
-If you want to do that spot in the green... -I do.
...get right to work.
The asking price was 275.
I made an offer of 270 and they accepted.
This is just the beginning of my creative additions to this house.
I love working with first time home buyers
and Siena is an amazing, creative, fun addition
to the Indy artist community,
and I'm so excited to see what she does.
I brought you a little housewarming gift.
Thank you.
I know this is a really important time in your life,
and I just want a little reminder that you're never alone.
-Thank you. -They'd be really proud of you. I'm sure.
I know my parents would have been the first people to come visit me here.
And they would really love this house for me.
I'm really excited about this new chapter.
I know they would be excited for me.