-[narrator] House Hunters is getting the star treatment. -You could do a plunge pool.
No, I want a bigger pool.
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.
Mina 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.
[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.
You're in good hands here.
[narrator] Tonight in Denver, Colorado.
Rico León from Rico To The Rescue is helping Erin,
who's recently divorced, find a new home.
And keeping an eye out for any red flags.
Uh... What?
-[grunts] -Oh. [chuckles]
[theme music playing]
All right, so I got some new clients approved.
-Okay. -Looking for about 200K in reno.
And they're really looking to move the kitchen over here by the big bay window.
Okay, I'm glad we got this over with.
Because of a new client, Erin, coming in.
We're gonna be discussing finding her a new place.
I'm excited to help Erin, the Denver native,
ready to write the next chapter of her life,
starting with the purchase of her first home on her own.
I can't believe that we're gonna be working with Rico.
His expertise on construction's gonna help.
-Yeah. -[narrator] Since Erin is looking for an older home,
that's likely been updated and flipped over time.
She reached out to Rico for help.
My specialty is repairing damage done by shady contractors.
This is highly concerning.
The contractor obviously doesn't know what he's doing.
There's a lot of work to be done here.
The old contractor promised it.
I'm gonna deliver it.
Wow. This is an entirely different house.
I'm really thankful because we were at a really bad spot.
Then it's finally done.
I can't wait to help Erin with a new step in her journey.
I want to make sure that her dream
doesn't mean buying a potential money pit.
-Hey, how you guys doing? -[all] Hey.
-Hey. -Thanks. Wanted to meet you in person.
This is the first time that I'm making such
a large financial decision, all by myself.
So I think that he's going to be very valuable.
This is definitely a huge step for me.
I'm recently divorced, and so this is kind of
the first time I'm doing something because I want to do it.
I am someone who has always kind of put my kids and family and job first.
So this is really, like a fresh new start for me.
I mean, I got some basics over the phone with you.
-Yeah. -But now this is gonna be the fun part.
What are things that you need to have in this house?
I have lived in the suburbs for pretty much my whole life.
-All right. -I'm really excited
to get into more of an urban area, close to downtown.
Walkable to bars, restaurants nearby.
I need this house to be old.
-Okay. All right. -I really like that. Um...
I would like it to be charming.
Okay, so just a bunch of pictures of me everywhere.
-Yeah. [laughing] -Got it. Got it.
I would love at least two bedrooms.
[Heather] Well, she definitely needs two bathrooms
because she has a teenage daughter.
-[Rico] Mmm... -Yeah.
Feel like, them sharing a bathroom
-is maybe not feasible. -Okay.
And I would love to just have some outdoor space for entertaining.
I'd like to have friends over and do barbecues.
And then we're gonna be like, "Hey, we're gonna walk to the bar down the street."
-Yeah. Best day. -Yeah, that's... I would love that.
-[both chuckling] -Done.
All right, Heather, Is there anything she's not telling me?
Well, I definitely think, first of all, she does need turnkey.
She doesn't have time to renovate.
-Mmm-hmm. -She'll say she has time to to paint or do whatever.
-She doesn't. She's very busy. -Mmm, she knows you.
I think that's really good, 'cause these days, getting a "contractor"
-to come out there and do whatever... -[Heather] Yeah. You know.
-Uh-huh. [chuckling] -[laughing]
I deal with it on the daily.
So if you could avoid that, I mean, that would be amazing.
Price range. What are we looking at?
-I would like to not go any higher than $600,000. -Okay.
Not a lot of turnkey at that price point,
especially in the historic districts.
Now, with older, a lot of the times
there's stuff behind the walls you don't see,
so I'll make sure that I keep a good eye on it.
Yeah. That's another reason why I'm really happy to work with you.
You're... You're... You're in good hands here.
You're in good hands.
I feel like I have my work cut out for me.
But we're going to get you as close as possible
to your dream property.
[narrator] With the help of his real estate contacts,
Rico has lined up a home to see in Baker.
A historic Denver neighborhood.
[Rico] This whole strip, you could literally walk
like two miles and have just different food, different restaurants.
[Rico breathes deeply]
-I know, the smell. Very... Yes. -The smell's making me hungry.
I'm close to getting hangry.
-Oh, cute. -Oh, this is really cute.
[Rico] You wanted old school. This is over 140 years old.
Break 585,000 on this one.
I know you said you wanted two bathrooms,
-two bedrooms. -Yes.
-This is two bedroom, one bath. -Aw.
-Okay. -So there's gonna be some sacrifices here.
-But I'm hoping that you love the charm. -[women] Okay.
I absolutely love it already.
I love the colors on it.
I love the white picket fence.
Everything on it is just exactly my style.
Hold on.
[all laughing]
[Erin] It feels modern, but has charm.
I like that it's open concept. I like that I can entertain.
This was renovated, but at least, like, ten years ago.
[Erin] Okay.
I kind of like things a little bit lighter.
[Rico] We could definitely take cabinets out.
-[Erin] Okay. -[Rico] Put new countertops in.
Something like that would honestly be, like,
-$5,000-$10,000, depending on the materials that you get. -[Erin] Yeah.
-Okay, awesome. -Let's check out the bathroom.
Hmm?
[Erin] Oh, wow.
[Heather] What?
-[Erin] I love this bathroom. -[Heather] This is great.
[Rico] This is sexy.
-This is sexy. -[Erin] This is amazing.
It's super modern.
It's super clean.
[Erin] It's awesome.
[Rico] The materials are high quality, way better than builder grade.
[Erin] This is exactly my style.
-But having to share the space with a teenager... -That's what I said.
...I'm not sure about that.
Double sinks.
-[Erin] I know, that like... -[Rico] Those sinks kind of help.
[Erin] Yeah, that helps a little.
This, honestly, could be the primary or the guest.
-Okay. -Really depends on your vibe.
[Erin] It's a little small.
It's tight, the ceiling...
Height's a little tight. Yeah.
[Erin] Uh, I could probably handle this.
This is the other room.
-[Erin] I like that the ceiling is higher in here. -[Heather] Yeah.
[Rico] We've got the cool pocket doors as well.
Oh, I love those.
-That makes it so charming. -[Heather] That's nice.
[Rico] They look original to the house.
And are in great shape.
[Erin] And it's cute.
I do want to show you something else.
-[Erin] Okay. Uh... -[Heather] I was wondering...
-[Rico] Are you guys ready for this? -[Erin] What?
Maybe.
-[grunts] -Oh.
-[Rico] I do wanna show you something else. -[Erin] Okay, I'm...
I was wondering...
-Are you guys ready for this? -What?
-Yeah. -Maybe.
-[grunts] -[chuckling]
-Okay. -Ladies.
I will go first.
-Okay. -I will go first.
Don't worry about it.
This right here is the basement.
-Actually, a decent amount of space down here. -Yeah.
[Rico] Full disclosure.
There was a fire here previously.
Okay.
As you can see, all this kind of fire damage.
But I do want to let you know I did my due diligence.
I definitely checked in on it first.
This was remediated, cleaned.
And everything's structurally sound.
-[both] Okay. -So it's not gonna be an issue.
-That's good to know. -Yeah.
I'm really glad Rico is here.
I don't know that I would have noticed it,
and it makes me feel better having him here to assess it.
Okay, interesting.
I'm picturing, like putting some patio furniture out here.
Maybe having a fire pit. A hot tub would be amazing.
-[both] Hot tub! -[Heather] I like that idea.
This is perfect for having people over.
I really like it. I mean, the bathroom.
-Yeah. The one-bathroom. -It's probably the biggest deal-breaker...
-I agree. -...but I love that bathroom so much.
So I... It's... It's definitely a contender.
-We're under the price point now. -[Rico] Mmm-hmm.
But if I could come down even lower,
that would be ideal.
All right, don't worry. I got a few more options coming your way.
[narrator] So, Rico lines up a home at a lower price point
in the Garfield Heights neighborhood of Denver.
But it's not as walkable to downtown bars and restaurants.
I wanted to get out of the suburbs.
This is feeling a little bit suburban to me.
Yeah, it's getting a little suburbia,
but this is only, like, eight minutes away from downtown Denver.
I kind of want you to get, like, a grasp of price points in the city.
Price points outside.
-[Erin] Okay. -[Rico] And how much more house you're gonna get.
[Erin] Okay.
Huh.
[Rico] This house is a two-bedroom,
one and a half bathroom. 1950s.
This is at $455,000.
It's not exactly hitting it,
the nail on the head for me,
when it comes to the aesthetic of the house.
Imagine I just paint this like white and black.
All of a sudden, it's modern.
-[women] Okay. -[Rico] So keep that in mind as well.
I'm open to it, depending on how much work it is.
Okay. All right. Let's check it out inside.
Well.
This house does lack some charm.
But with the house being way below her budget,
honestly, this is a clean canvas for her to put her own charm in it.
-Got the keys. -[Erin] Okay.
[Rico] I just need to help her visualize the possibilities.
-All right. -Okay.
[Erin] All right. I mean, this is a pretty decent sized space.
It needs some paint.
-Yeah. -For sure.
-Original hardwoods. -[Rico] Yes.
-[Heather] That I love. -[Erin] Yeah, that's great.
-All right. So this is the primary room. -Okay.
Well, it feels okay in size.
-It's nothing huge. -[Rico] Yeah.
Keep in mind, it would not cost a lot to actually make this really charming.
-Yeah, that's true. -I mean, that's true.
I mean, it is just paint and fixtures.
Yeah, and custom shelving.
[Erin] Yeah, I don't hate it.
Mental note.
-"I don't hate it" with a subtle undertone. -Yeah, yeah.
-[all chuckling] -Yeah.
All right.
This could be room number two.
-Guest room. -[Erin] Okay.
It feels about the same size as the other one.
I mean, I think my daughter could use this room now,
and it would be a decent, like, office or guest room in the future.
All right, so here's the first bathroom.
[Erin] I would want to redo everything in here.
That would cost some money and more than money, time.
Let's say this. If you were gonna do remodel,
I'll do it for you.
-Hey. -If you end up getting this house,
I'll do all the upgrades for it.
-So then, you know you have someone that's... -Okay.
-...amazing doing it. -Well, that's something to keep in mind then.
-I mean, that changes things a little bit. -Yeah.
-[Erin] This obviously is a no. -[Rico] For sure.
-[Heather] Yeah. -[Rico] For sure.
-What do you think? Is there potential to, kind of... -So...
remodel or repurpose this to make it a full bathroom?
So there's a couple options. I would say put, like, a closet door here.
-To just kind of hide the washer and dryer. -[Erin] Yeah.
You can definitely put a stand-up shower here.
-Okay. -Boom.
-Bam! Right here. -Okay.
I would definitely reposition this toilet seat, actually, over here.
Have the vanity over here, and then upgrade everything.
Awesome.
[Rico] And honestly, it wouldn't be super expensive
because we'd already have the plumbing here.
It would still be, like, under 10k.
Okay, I'm open to that.
Cool.
All right,
[Erin] I would change everything.
Yeah.
-Kind of. Yeah. -For sure.
[Erin] I would love more of an open concept.
Imagine this entire wall being gone.
So now everything is open.
Add like a nice little island with a sink, updated countertops
Get the barstools on the other side.
That's kind of what I was picturing
with the money that you're saving.
Yeah, that would be money well spent, in my opinion.
Just to open this up and really combine both spaces.
It's really nice having Rico here to talk through this home.
There's a lot of potential here
that I wouldn't have necessarily seen on my own.
-Oh, wow! This is huge. -[Heather] This is massive.
[Rico] This is entertainment, right here.
I mean, look, they used to have a garden back here.
I mean, this is, like, a fire pit.
-This is... hot tubs. -[Rico] Hot tubs out here.
I mean, there's so much you could do with this.
-Imagine, like, beginning of summertime. -Yeah.
Everything's, like, super green.
Having this painted something cool.
That makes this more of an option to me
-than I originally thought, first coming into it. -Yeah.
[Erin] I love that it's under budget.
I like that it's one and a half bath.
Could potentially even rework the half bath there
to make it a full bathroom.
I do see the potential here.
However, it's not walking distance to things.
This one worries me.
I don't think you can take on this project.
Yeah, I could see the stress.
I could see it.
[narrator] So Rico finds an option
that he thinks needs less work.
Oh.
This is very unique.
[narrator] Today, Rico is taking Erin and her best friend, Heather,
to see a home in downtown Denver
that he thinks will deliver
on more charm with less renovation.
[Erin] I love that we're back downtown.
There's so many restaurants and bars around.
There are lots of charming homes in this neighborhood that have been redone.
-Yeah. -A lot of people
like to buy something, like, older
and then just completely redo everything.
-Yeah. -[Rico] So you have to be careful
and make sure that there isn't any shoddy work done.
-Yep. -Uh...
The house I'm bringing you to...
Like, I legit think you're gonna love this.
[Erin] Oh, wow, I love this one.
-Ooh! -This one's so cute.
I love the colors.
I love the little architectural detail,
-even that weird little eagle thing over the door. -[Heather laughs]
Honestly, I think it has really good bones.
The price point is $550,000,
so $50,000 less than her budget.
At this price, this close to downtown Denver,
I think this is a steal.
Let's check it out.
[Erin] Oh, I'm excited.
[Rico] Ladies first.
[Heather] Oh, wow, I love this.
-[Erin] This is really cute. -[Rico] Huh?
I love the exposed brick.
I love the framing around the windows and the door.
[Rico] These features are all original to the house,
and the craftsmanship is incredible.
I love how open the space is.
Uh, could be a really good space for entertaining.
-Look how much room! -Oh, I love this.
Oh, this is so cute.
-And I love the built-in. -The built-in.
[Erin] The carpet, I'm not a huge fan of.
Being that this is 120 years-plus old,
there might be hardwood under this carpet.
[Erin] That would be a plus.
-That would be a huge plus. -I would love to restore the original hardwood
Pulling up carpet on hardwood floor...
-Super easy. -Okay.
[Rico] Depending on the condition of the floors,
you may have to sand them down, refinish and stain them.
How much do you think it would be to do something like that?
You could probably have someone do this for under 10 grand.
Erin is already remodeling the house in her head, which is a really good sign.
-Decent sized kitchen. -Yeah.
[Rico] I mean, you've got, like, a nice line of sight
-through the house. -[Erin] I agree.
[Rico] You know, there's no walls blocking, you know, the feel, the vibe.
Yeah. It's a little outdated, but it is large.
[Rico] It wouldn't be too much to redo this.
-These... Eh, old. -Yeah.
Get rid of them. The sink, old. Get rid o this.
-[Erin] Yeah. -[Rico] The good news is,
is I don't see any cracking or mold.
And the listing says they replaced over a 100-year-old piping
so you can live in this house for quite a while.
The kitchen, I do think I would want to renovate it down the road.
I think it still is essentially turnkey.
I could move in there without needing to do anything right away.
-Well, I love all the little detail in here, too. -[Rico] Right?
Kind of weird to have a full bath off the kitchen.
But I do like having two full baths.
-Yeah. -Yeah.
We got the high ceilings.
[Erin] Okay.
-[Rico] Huh? -[Heather] Oh...
[Erin] This is pretty cool.
I like it. I think this would be a good room for my daughter.
[Rico] The upstairs is all primary bedroom.
Kind of unique.
Oh.
This is very unique.
[all laughing]
-But kind of... -Digging it?
-I kinda like this room. Yeah. -I mean, it's got character.
I know it's kind of weird and quirky,
but that is actually my style.
Let's check out the next room. The bathroom.
Oh.
-It's a little bit misshapen and... -Small.
-I don't really know what to do with the space. -[Rico] Right.
-[Erin] The shower's pretty tiny. -[Rico] Yeah.
The bathroom is definitely weird,
but simple little fixes that can honestly, aesthetically, change everything.
Including her mindset.
-Get rid of this wall, opening up a little bit. -[Erin] Okay.
Add a new vanity with a custom mirror.
Redo the shower with a vintage tile that fits the age of the home.
-[Erin] Okay. -[Rico] See that?
Now, the feng shui is feng shui-ing.
-Yeah. -[chuckles]
-Wow. -I mean...
This is literally no maintenance.
It's just a big slab of concrete.
It's a little bit industrial feeling.
[Rico] We could soften it up with some turf or even some nice pavers.
I just don't really picture myself
having people over and entertaining in that.
I'm not sure about the backyard
-because... Yeah. -[Rico] It's industrial,
[Erin] Yeah, it's a little industrial.
But I like the house, though.
I think it's really cute.
Yeah, the house is really cute.
I love all the character in this house.
That's something that you really nailed it on.
You got a lot to think about.
-Yes. -We walked a few.
I'm hoping that one of them is the winner here.
-Thank you. -Thank you.
-[man] Enjoy. -[both] Thank you.
Oh, okay, I see... I see the drinks.
-[both] Hey. -Hi, ladies.
-How you guys been? -I wanted to order it for you.
Thank you.
This is definitely a harder decision than I thought it would be.
You gave me so many good options.
[Rico] Let's start off with the bungalow.
[Erin] I love the neighborhood that it's in.
I love that it's in walking distance to so many things.
I love the charm of all of it.
-[Rico] Awesome. -[Erin] And the outdoor space is fantastic.
However, the the fire damage makes me a little nervous.
[Rico] And that house being over 140 years old.
You would think it wouldn't be sound,
but honestly, like, it's amazing.
It's in phenomenal shape.
My concern, of course, is the bathroom situation,
only because you have a teenage daughter.
-And we know teenage daughters need their own space. -[Rico] Yeah.
[Erin] But I loved that bathroom.
[Rico] What about the ranch?
[Erin] It is well below my budget
and I would have that money to put into a renovation.
And the outdoor space is pretty amazing.
I could see myself entertaining a lot there.
My concern is that it is the furthest from downtown.
-There's so much work to be done there... -[Rico] Right.
...in order for it to feel like a home to me.
I totally agree. You could see the potential,
-but the potential... you have to spend $75,000. -Right.
[Rico] All right. How about the downtown house?
What did you think about that one?
[Erin] I loved all the charming details of that house.
I love that it's downtown, and I loved the layout.
Some of the things, not exactly my style,
but I wouldn't feel pressured
to try to renovate something right away.
Um, did not love the backyard.
-[Rico] Parking lot. -[Erin] And I think I would like something
a little more inviting
-when I have people over to entertain them. -[Rico] Right.
[Erin] This decision is really hard.
I have spent the last, almost, 20 years
just putting other people ahead of myself.
And I am really excited
to truly do something that is just for me.
It is probably the most important decision
I've ever made, just for myself.
-For yourself. Yeah. -Yeah.
[doorbell rings]
-Hey! -Hey!
-Congratulations. -Come on in.
-Thank you so much. -Yeah, of course.
I ended up choosing the bungalow house.
-[Heather squeals] -[Erin] So...
I was so lucky to have Rico with me during this process.
I'm not sure I would have selected this house,
given the history, fire damage,
But this feels like home to me.
You did a lot in little time.
[Erin] I know. What do you think?
[Rico] This is awesome.
-I love this. - [Erin] Yeah. I love it too.
It was listed for $585,000 and I bought it for $585,000.
Denver is a very competitive market.
So I feel very lucky getting it at listing price.
I 100% know this was the right house for me to pick.
I really wanted two bathrooms,
but I love this bathroom so much.
And the two sinks helped with this scenario.
it was worth not having a second one.
-Hi. -Hey.
-[Erin] This is Rico, everybody. -[Rico] Nice to meet you guys.
This experience was amazing.
I really enjoyed working with Rico.
I'm very, very grateful.
How do you guys like the fire pit that Rico gave me?
-[all praising] -Thank you.
Of course.
-This space is actually meant for a fireplace. -Yeah.
I think we're all gonna be here all the time.
-Yeah. -[Rico laughs]
Erin seems to be super happy and excited,
and I'm honored that she trusted me to help her find her dream home.
It's a new chapter of her life,
and honestly, I'm just so happy for her.
Erin, congratulations.
This place is awesome.
-You chose well. -Thank you.
-Cheers! -[all] Cheers!