Mary Pope-Handy and Clair Handy 408 204-7673 mary@popehandy.com

Fully remodeled

by , | Sep 23, 2026 | Remodeling, Buying Tips

What do you expect of a home when you read that it’s fully remodeled? This phrase can mean widely different things to different people.

 

Fully remodeled - a closer look - house with nice finishes but older hidden components - made with Claude on 2026-09-23 by MPH

 

Fully remodeled: what’s included?

“Fully remodeled!” “Completely remodeled!” “Extensively remodeled!” “Remodeled down to the studs!” If you’ve been looking at property listings, you’ve probably run into these phrases a few times, and you might be wondering what they really mean. It might be less than you expect.

The most important thing to know is this: when a seller or contractor asserts that the home is completely redone, you’ll want to know what specifically was done, by whom, and what permits and finals were obtained, if any. Ask for a list. Better still is getting receipts. And always review the disclosures carefully!

A “fully remodeled home” suggests that there’s nothing left to be done, which is seldom the case. It’s usually just puffing. Remodeling to sell is often limited to what is visible, such as:

  • kitchen
  • bathrooms
  • lighting
  • floor coverings
  • windows
  • painting
  • interior doors
  • sometimes landscaping, driveways, patios, decks

At times, we’ll hear that a remodel is “down to the studs”. This is a more specific descriptor and typically indicates a deeper remodel and may mean that the contractor replaced these items:
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Building Permits Are Online and Easy to View in San Jose

by | May 2, 2022 | Home Improvement, Remodeling

Building permits search page at SJPermits.org - click to go to that siteBuilding permits are not hard to research online in San Jose.

Why would you want to check building permits?

Whether you are checking on your own home to make sure the records for the building permits and finals are accurate or if you are considering a property to buy that has had renovations, it’s a good idea to check the permits if possible. (You might also be surprised at what need a permit, such as replacing a water heater or a furnace.)

Most towns and cities now make building permit files available to view online and at no cost. (Exceptions that I know about are the county and the City of Monte Sereno.) That doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be able to understand everything in the file or that what’s online is complete. But it is a help!

Here’s the link for the city of San Jose’s site SJPermits.org, which takes you to https://sjpermits.org/permits/online-permits.html

That said, navigating through the site will take time. In my experience, when I locate a property with multiple records, which is typical, I’ll click through to view a PDF or image of the permit. When done, I usually end up having to do the majority of the search over. It’s a lot of clicking through. It’s not hard, but it’s not efficient, either.

Online permits may be viewed in many other Silicon Valley areas too. Just do a web search for your city or town!

Related reading

How important are permits and finals?

Los Gatos: View permits online (Live in Los Gatos blog)

Monte Sereno building permit nightmare (from 2009, Live in Los Gatos blog, a warning story to always keep copies of all of your home’s permits!)

Valley of Heart's Delight blog
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