You've purchased the house and now you need to decide where to start. We have already talked about surveying the property and looking at how much stuff there is to haul off. You should have made a determination about getting a dumpster based on your onsite survey.

One of the things to consider now is how much brush, overgrowth, grass, limbs, etc. needs to be removed. Yard waste will fill a dumpster very quickly. Nearly every house that we buy requires one to three day's work to cut back the overgrown landscaping from the previous occupants. Normally we let the weather and the condition of the property determine where we start.

I know of at least one remodeler who always starts outside and does the yard work and installs a white picket fence on every property. He believes that the resulting curb appeal gives him a jump start on the process of selling the house. He also believes that it will cause him to have to do less renovation on the inside. He lives in California where the climate is more temperate and he can do outside work year round. Here in Oklahoma, we can work outside nine months a year and sometimes during the other three. There are a lot of times in the winter when it's just not feasible because of the snow and ice or the cold temperatures.

Here's the decision process for me. If the weather permits, I start outside and trim the lawn, cut back or remove the bushes and take out or trim any trees. I don't usually replace any landscaping until after the rest of the project is finished and I am ready to put up a for sale sign.

If we start inside, then the process goes like this: Clean out the junk. We have furnished our home and found many useful items while cleaning out rentals or newly acquired property. The more properties that we do, the more we become aware of just how fleeting material things are.

We have bought several houses from estates and "inherited" nearly a household full of someone's things. It becomes obvious that we spend a lifetime accumulating and treasuring things that are sold cheaply or given away by our children or relatives when we die. Strangers will end up pawing through your stuff or throwing it away. You really can't take it with you. (Matthew 6:19-20 for reference)

The next step is to begin the demolition. We start by going over the walls and pulling all of the nails, screws, hangers, etc. It is amazing how many nails and hangers people put in the walls over a period of time and what sort of things are used for hangers.

We have found everything from drywall screws to 16 and even 20 penny nails being used as picture hangers. A 16-penny nail is a standard framing nail and is about 4 and ½ inches long - a 20-penny nail is even longer. Both are serious overkill for hanging a sconce.

Once the nails are pulled, you can begin filling the holes with drywall mud or spackle. I prefer drywall mud because it can also be used to patch larger holes or cuts in the sheet rock. You will need to let the mud dry and then lightly sand it before you begin painting or priming. In the next article of this series, we will talk about painting and priming and discuss what to do with the carpet.