Sometimes, the scope of a client’s dreams outstrip the return they’ll see on the home—or the joy they’ll ever find there. “For me, it’s a red flag when a homeowner starts talking about moving the stairs,” says Sass. “There's a lot of engineering that comes into play, and it's not usually the best bang for your buck. That’s when I take the conversation to a more abstract level and say, ‘What is it you
really want out of a house?’ It's probably going to be cheaper to move and get the house that you actually want, or at least start closer to where you want to end up.”