Building Behind the Scenes

In this episode, Lyssia sits down with Gregg Sulkin, an actor known for his work on screen who has quietly spent the last decade building a real estate portfolio rooted in long-term thinking, renovation, and understanding what actually makes a home work. Coming from an industry defined by uncertainty, Gregg shares how real estate became a way to create stability, structure, and something tangible to build on beyond the spotlight.

The conversation breaks down the difference between designing a home for how it looks versus how it functions over time, and why so many people underestimate the decisions that truly shape a space. They explore how small, overlooked details like drainage, electrical, layout, and material choices can have the biggest impact, why choosing the cheapest option often leads to more expensive problems, and how the “unseen” parts of a home are what ultimately determine whether it supports your life or works against it. Gregg also shares practical insights from his own projects, from navigating thousands of renovation decisions to learning how to think long-term, build the right team, and avoid costly mistakes. By the end of this episode, you may start to think differently about your home, not just as something you decorate, but as something you build… one decision at a time, often behind the scenes.

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Transcript

Why Home Changes Everything

Gregg Sulkin 0:00

I think when you grow up in a country that has a very bad weapon, you realize that you spend a lot of time in your house. Yes, everybody, yes, yes, yes, real estate.

Lyssia Katan 0:38

Anything that you learned as an actor help you in real estate?

Gregg Sulkin 0:42

Early on in my sort of real estate journey, I would choose the cheapest option and then three years down the line now have to rip open the wall and it costs double. The cheapest option isn't always the best option. My biggest mistake I ever made was.

Lyssia Katan 0:58

What if the space you come home to is doing more for your stability than anything else in your life? Welcome to Room to Think. Today I'm sitting down with Greggg Sulkin, an actor you've seen for years on the screen, from Disney to Marvel, but behind the scenes, he's been quietly building something very different: a real estate portfolio rooted in long-term thinking, renovation, and understanding what actually makes a space work. We talk about why home becomes your anchor in an unpredictable life, the thousands of decisions that go into shaping a space, and the small details from light switches to drainage that end up having the biggest impact on how you live and feel every single day. By the end of this episode, you'll start to see your home very differently. Not just as something you decorate, but as something that you design to support your life. Let's get into it. Gregg Sulkin, welcome to the show.

Gregg Sulkin 1:55

Thank you very much for having me.

Lyssia Katan 1:57

Gregg Sulkin is known for his roles on Disney Channel's Wizards of Waverly Place, As the Bell Rings, Pretty Little Liars, MTV's Faking It, Marvel's Runaways, among many, many others. You've seen him on the screen, but behind the scenes, he's been building something entirely different. Gregg has quietly built an impressive real estate portfolio since he was just 20 years old, developing a sharp understanding of investing, renovation, and how to identify real value beyond what's visible. Gregg, welcome to Room to Think.

Gregg Sulkin 2:28

Thank you. Thank you very much for having me. And that actually sounded very nice to hear. So I've actually been, like you said, I've been doing it uh for the past decade, if not more. So to hear that out loud uh for one of the first times actually felt kind of nice.

Lyssia Katan 2:42

I'm happy to hear that. Well, that's that's actually the first question I want to start with. Like, you're an actor, you've done a ton of things, we've all seen you on the screen. Why real estate and what made you go into it?

Gregg Sulkin 2:52

Uh I think growing up, my dad did real estate, my brother does real estate in the UK, my uncle, who lives in Spain now, but uh was partners with my dad growing up, they did real estate. And so for me, I think,

Choosing Real Estate For Stability

Gregg Sulkin 3:05

you know, in such an unstable business that I'm in when it comes to the entertainment industry, real estate was always an opportunity to have like a real pillar, like a real foundation in my life. And so, you know, I'd seen a lot of construction sites growing up, and so when the opportunity arose and I could afford to make my first investment, it was sort of a no-brainer. I never wanted to be that actor who blew through all their money at a young age. Uh, flashy jewelry and flashy cars have never been something that's, to be honest, excited me that much. And so the goal was okay, in an unstable uh business, how do I do the opposite and have as much stability in my life as possible? And real estate was that foundation.

Lyssia Katan 3:51

Did growing up in London at all shape um your idea of home?

Gregg Sulkin 3:55

Well, I think when you grow up in a country that has very bad weather, you realize that uh you spend a lot of time in your house. And so if you can make your space as nice as possible, then that's probably a good thing. And so I think the importance of a house around the world, also when you move to Southern California, I know we talk about design a lot and we talk about um colour palettes and architecture and all the things that and engineering that go into uh building a home. Having I went on a mission trip many years ago to Peru, and I went to this community that I mean, I unfortunately I couldn't believe communities like this existed. Like the level of poverty was insane. And the first thing that human beings do and need, uh, aside from food uh and water, the second thing is shelter. And so we can talk about paint colours and doors and framing and all the things that go with you know building a home, but shelter is absolutely necess uh a necessity. And so even when you think about the future of real estate and where AI is heading us and going to disrupt many markets, I still think real estate at the end of the day is such a strong pillar to have in your life. I at the end of the day, we all need a roof over our head. And um yeah, so maybe growing up in London uh when the rain is pouring, I soon realize that yeah, having a roof over your head is pretty important.

Lyssia Katan 5:25

Absolutely. And and moving from London to LA, the architecture is so different. Did anything about the way homes are designed in LA feel off to you, or was it instantly like, okay, this is how they do it here?

Gregg Sulkin 5:38

Well, for sure. I think the first thing I know all of the homes in LA are built by you know with wood, which in London that is not the case. Um obviously, what's scary about when a home when homes are built with wood, obviously, you know, it it can be very destructive when it comes to fires. So that's always been in the back of my mind, and obviously we saw that with the Palisades fire and the fires in LA. So so but on the flip side, wood is a lot cheaper than you know other materials, for example, that they use in London. So uh it definitely does not scare me, but it is just very interesting that that all homes pretty much are built with wood in LA.

Lyssia Katan 6:24

Yeah, it's crazy. And like when one is goes on fire, it's just like dominoes, unfortunately, but that's the standard in the US.

Gregg Sulkin 6:31

Yeah, and we saw that. And but you know, then you start getting into you know, there's already an affordability sort of crisis when it comes to real estate in, you know, California, for example, and I think just across the United States. So it's like, hold on, if you're gonna start using even more expensive materials to build homes, then we're really gonna have um a bit of an issue. But safety is also incredibly important too. So I think that's for the the the powers, the powers that be above my pay grade, you know, someone's gotta figure it out.

Lyssia Katan 7:01

Of course. And certain places like like where I am down in Florida, like it's concrete because of hurricanes and storms. So it's very standard. But a place like LA that

London Vs LA Building Tradeoffs

Lyssia Katan 7:10

consistently has really great weather most of the time, it's not, it hasn't become a part of the norm and also pricing, like you said.

Gregg Sulkin 7:17

Yeah, and obviously, you know, we deal potentially and hopefully not for a very long time, but always there's the earthquake um fear. So, you know, I'm sure from a from a building point of view and regulations point of view, I think they've probably learnt from the 90s. So I'm sure there's many factors that go into it.

Lyssia Katan 7:34

Yeah, absolutely. Did growing up in so many different environments affect um or make you more aware of how space affects you?

Gregg Sulkin 7:42

Uh I definitely think that, you know, being an actor, I've traveled so much throughout my life, which has been such a blessing. I've been to so many countries around the world, and I've traveled to so many states in the United States. And that has really allowed me to develop an appreciation for other cultures, for other cuisines, for architecture around the world. You know, the more you travel, the more hopefully worldly you you become. And the one thing I I sort of believe is that you know, home home is everything to me, for sure. You know, yes, you can stay in really nice hotels, yes, you can go and travel the world. That's all absolutely incredible and such a blessing. But for me, um having a ha having a sort of a center, so to speak, has been so important for my soul, uh, especially in an industry where you're always you're getting pulled into so many different directions. And so I think emotionally and physically, a home means a lot to me. You know, you can't just, you know, it's there's a foundation in the ground, and and I think that sort of represents sort of the foundation of your life.

Lyssia Katan 9:01

Yeah, and in such a high pressure industry where you're playing so many different roles, what role does home play for helping you reset when you're back home at the end of the day?

Gregg Sulkin 9:11

Probably been the biggest role of my life, to be honest. I think from you know, finances aside, which it's I, you know, I have many mentors in my life that I look up to, and there's many wealthy people in the world. Um, and obviously everyone has a different definition of wealth, but when we're just talking strictly financial, I look at you know, many wealthy people, a large port of their portfolio is through real estate. So I've looked at that, understood it. Um, historically, it's always been a safe place to invest your money. And then emotionally, I think it's probably done even more for me than financially, to be honest. Um, having that base, having that center, having that place that I can sit and just have a morning coffee in in peace. Um, you know, and it's something that I've worked really hard for. And I know that there's many people around the world that, you know, you don't need to go and live in a Beverly Hills mansion uh in order to feel that inner peace. I think throughout um society, we all work hard for what we have, whether that's a studio flat, whether that's a one-bedroom apartment, two-bedroom apartment, uh, you know, people who have just bought their first home, you know, a lot of hard work has gone into that home and being able to purchase it or even being even able to rent it. Um so home is that place that you for me, you could I've always been able to be myself. I to be honest, I'm at the age now where I'm myself, to be honest, whether I go to events on set, but when you're in your you know early 20s and you're trying to figure out who you are, like every person in their 20s, even in their 30s, even in their 40s, that's sort of the I guess the the chapter of a chapter of life. Um yeah, it's been very special to be able to close the door behind me and uh have that safe, quiet space. And I'm also relatively clean

Home As A Daily Reset

Gregg Sulkin 11:05

too. So um, so that's been nice.

Lyssia Katan 11:08

Yeah, it's it's a place where you there are not many places in the world where we can control things, but in our home we can.

Gregg Sulkin 11:14

Yeah, I think you're right. I think maybe it's also maybe partly a control freak where I like a little bit. So maybe that's why I also like real estate.

Lyssia Katan 11:23

Since you've been acting for so long, did anything that you learned as an actor help you in real estate?

Gregg Sulkin 11:28

Definitely being an actor has helped in real estate for sure. I think the one thing that I've learned through acting, and to be honest, even before I was acting, I was playing sports, and the idea of teamwork has been something that I've carried through my whole life. So, for example, you know, in a team sport such as soccer, which I played growing up, it was, you know, you're only as good as your teammates. Uh, same as acting. Um, you're only as good as your castmates and your crew, and the crew are never really spoken about in the acting industry. But, you know, any chance I get the opportunity to talk about how important crew members are, I do because they really are the unsung heroes of the film industry. And, you know, as an actor, I'm not saying it's easy, but you also, you know, you get in uh still early, to be honest. But the crew members work really, really hard. And without them, your performance is not even in focus. So um, we you know, we owe a lot to all departments in in the film industry, and so that collaborative need in the film industry definitely carries over into the real estate industry. So, for example, the house that I'm remodeling right now, yes, I have a vision, and yes, uh, it needs execution. And in order to do that, you need a team of people that you trust, a team of people who are there for you uh in stressful moments, because I read the other day, not sure if it's true, but you make 3,000 decisions during a remodel. And that doesn't when I first read it, I'm like 3,000 decisions. And the other day, I think I'd gone through maybe 100 decisions in an hour, and I was like, hmm, actually, that could be accurate.

Lyssia Katan 13:08

Might be low, actually.

Gregg Sulkin 13:10

Yeah, 100%. And it and it's about finding that team, finding a contracting team, um, design team, whoever you need for that project for your vision to come to life, to surround yourself with people who are also patient and understand you as a person and understand sort of your your whole process. Because, yes, a before and after transformation on Instagram is one thing, but there's so many decisions and a lot of hard work that goes into making that transformation happen. So I think the one thing I've taken from the acting industry is to surround yourself with a good team and to also be open to ideas. You know, I as an actor could have a specific way in my head that I want to play this scene and I go to set and my castmate wants to maybe play it a different way, the director wants it a different way, the producers have a different idea. Oh, and actually, maybe they were right. And it's the same thing with your contractor. You know, you may have a specific uh belief that, oh, okay, if I put the bathtub here, the faucets can go here. And it's like, hold on, if you do that, you limit the space, maybe it's limiting the space here, and you can actually do it over here, and it will be have a much nicer flow over here. So I think it's

Teamwork And Thousands Of Decisions

Gregg Sulkin 14:25

really important to not believe that you know everything and be open to suggestions. But at the same time, also you are the boss when you're when you're you know, you're the leader of the team, and so you also need to be making decisions and you need to and you need and you're not always gonna get the decisions right. So I think you just have to be okay with making those mistakes. Um, ideally, you want to make mistakes when it comes to paint rather than um electrical and plumbing before you open up the walls. But um, you know, I I think just just being open to collaborating with a team is is the one thing that I've probably taken.

Lyssia Katan 15:03

That's a really good point, especially with the experience of your team members. Like you have a contractor that's been doing this for 20, 30 years. He probably knows a thing or two about, you know, maybe something that you may not have experience with. So you're kind of like a collection of experience, like your whole team's experience comes together.

Gregg Sulkin 15:24

Yeah. And obviously everyone has a budget that's relative to them. And I think my one piece of advice for anybody in the, you know, that's maybe starting, so to speak, because I think people maybe who have a bit more experience will probably agree with this and know it. But the cheapest option isn't always the best option. And so when I first started with uh in in real estate, you know, you get my advice is first off, before you just accept someone's quote, maybe you get three, four, five different quotes to, you know, to make sure you're not being ripped off because at times there are special skills or special um sort of areas that I'm maybe uneducated in. So in order to make sure that I'm protecting sort of my lack of intelligence in or knowledge in one area, you know, you sort of try to get five different companies and then you know if you're being ripped off or not. Um and then aside from that, it it's the, you know, and then early on in my sort of real estate journey, I would take, I would choose the cheapest option. And then three years down the line, five years down the line, I'm calling them back. Now I have to rip open the wall, now we're doing the work all again, and it costs double. So I think if you can, um, you know, if if you can just spend a little bit more, um, not just to spend a little bit more, but if you're if if you're able to buy a little bit more experience and skill, um, then that's probably what I would recommend.

Lyssia Katan 16:54

And you started relatively young, right? 20 years old was your first deal, correct?

Gregg Sulkin 16:59

Yeah.

Lyssia Katan 16:59

What did it teach you that you couldn't have learned any other way besides getting in there and getting your hands dirty?

Gregg Sulkin 17:05

I think the first thing I noticed when I fur bought my first property was that, wow, that is uh very intimidating. It takes a lot of boldness to do because you know I I wasn't able to buy the property in cash. I just had enough around me at the time to go and you know purchase, uh purchase the home through a down payment. And I just remember being saying to my dad, like, Dad, I'm gonna have no money left. And he's like, Yeah, you've got to figure it out, but I want you to get onto the property ladder, like invest the money. And that's really scary because you go to sleep at night, and I'm not encouraging anybody to over-leverage themselves at all, because I definitely do not encourage people over-leveraging themselves. I think to build wealth and to build a strong foundation in real estate, um, I would only advise someone what my plan is, which is to really play the long game, you know, acquire as much, sell as little as possible, and just own real estate for as long as possible. Um, that would be my

Why Cheap Work Gets Expensive

Gregg Sulkin 18:05

sort of approach and my advice if anybody ever asked me. Um, but I think it is really scary to potentially look at your bank account. You've worked hard throughout a specific age, and suddenly you've, you know, you've put your down payment and you've got nothing really left in your bank account. It's not it's not the nicest feeling to go to sleep at night. Um, and so I think definitely I'm really happy I did it. I'm really happy I made I took that leap, but also make sure you don't leap too too far. Like be bold, but don't be stupid, I would say. And so I think that's probably the lesson that I learned from my first property was I was actually really happy that I was bold, and I was also really happy that I was um that I wasn't stupid. Um, and then another and then another lesson probably from that specific property I learned, which is actually interesting, and it's more of a financing um sort of question, but I think the biggest regret at the time was I actually bought that property on a 30-year fixed mortgage at an incredibly low rate, and I actually paid off the when I was able to, I was able to pay off that property in full, which is such a great position. Everyone always dreams of being able to pay off a property, but what I should have actually done was now that I've you know become more educated in the space and understood interest rates a little bit more and um sort of just educated myself was I probably should have not paid off that debt um because the rate was extremely low and I could have used that fire could have used the funds that I used to pay off the property for potentially another property. So I think that's my probably biggest mistake actually on the property, which sounds actually crazy to say, um, because it's such a blessing and such a great position to be able to be in. But at the same time, when we talk about real estate and we talk about leveraging debt wisely, it was probably um a financial move that look, it's never the worst thing in the world to pay off a property. It's not like I went to sleep, you know, I go to sleep crying at night. But I do think, you know, in 20 years' time, it will always be something where I will probably have one or two less properties because of that financial decision. So yeah, that probably that.

Lyssia Katan 20:35

But that's an important distinction to make because nobody's really taught this. It's not something we're taught in school. It's really a lot of it if you have people in your life that have experience, that's one thing. But a lot of it you learn from experience. And sometimes hindsight is 2020. You say, Oh, I should have done this differently. But you learn. That's that's the price

First Deal Fear And Long Game

Lyssia Katan 20:55

to pay.

Gregg Sulkin 20:55

Yeah, and also, especially during, you know, I mean, COVID interest rates, for example, were extremely low. Um also, and you know, during that time, like you said, um, hindsight's you know, there's hindsight, right? So yeah, I think I think I exactly all you can do is do your best during the present and hope it will work out in the future, but also give yourself some slack if you don't get it right, because you're not always gonna get it right. So um yeah, and you learn and you educate yourself, and so you know that's why the earlier you can invest, the you'll make the mistakes sooner, so that you're able to then grow quicker once you've made the mistakes. Even in my current remodel, um, you know, you I'm thinking of so many decisions, and like something as simple as I forgot to put an outlet on one of the walls in the bedroom. Um, and and and thankfully, I caught it before we put the drive. Wall up, but they were about to put the drywall up, and I thought to myself, oh wait, hold on. What if someone wants to put a bedroom? Oh, what if someone wants to put a TV on this wall? Like that's such a basic thing to miss. Um, and such an easy thing to do. You've got access, there's no drywall, you've got all it's exposed framing. Like now's the time to do it. And thankfully I caught it, but mistakes happen. And I think it's just about learning. Like, you know, I never make hopefully you just never want to make the same mistake twice.

Lyssia Katan 22:35

Do you mainly work on new bills or are you renovating?

Gregg Sulkin 22:37

What's what's the majority of normally renovating? So I would say my biggest mistake I ever made was when it came to actually a backyard remodel, and I went with aesthetics over function. And when I say function, I mean drainage. And that is the worst thing to do. Drainage is so important now. The first thing I talked to contractors is drainage because people are like, Oh, it's sunny in California. Yes, it's really sunny in California, but when it rains, it rains. And suddenly I'd spent, you know, a decent amount of money on this backyard, emotionally taxing, financially taxing, and it was beautiful. And then the rain came and I looked and I was, and my contractor did talk to me about it ahead of time. But I was set on my mind in my mind about it looking a specific way. And look, it's it's sometimes, in fact, a lot of the time, listen to your contractors, especially when they talk about something so important, such as drainage. Um, even if you have to sacrifice aesthetic, you cannot have um poor drainage. And it cost me a lot of uh time and a lot of money to uh fix that problem. And so on the current remodel, thankfully, I'm using the same team in the backyard. It was uh it was sort of we we chuckled, you know. It was a it was a we've got to make sure we do this right. The grading is so important, and obviously, when you're completely

The Low-Rate Mortgage Regret

Gregg Sulkin 24:10

like breaking all concrete tile in the backyard, and you can then create the grading and the slopes, then of course, then you you're not gonna get it wrong. But in this uh in this remodel, I'm actually keeping some of the existing concrete, broke breaking up specific areas, um, but trying to keep some areas just mainly for cost. So you do sacrifice a little bit. So, for example, I you know, we did a water test the other day. There are some areas that still don't drain perfectly, but they're away from the foundation of the house, and it's just something that you accept. But in the previous mistake that I made, it was around the foundation of the house, and you can't have water near your foundation.

Lyssia Katan 24:52

The weather has been so unpredictable. Like maybe it's not raining right now in California, but it might be in a few years, and you're trying to build something that's long-term.

Gregg Sulkin 25:00

For sure, for sure. And foundations and drainage, electrical plumbing, all such. It's sort of where the unsexy money is spent. You know, people want to talk about light fixtures and paint colors and nice finishes and you know, antique knobs. Um, but you make sure that you get all of the electrical and plumbing and foundation and drainage correct.

Lyssia Katan 25:21

Right. Not having to deal with it down the line is much sexier than an antique.

Gregg Sulkin 25:25

Oh, it's the best. It's the best. If you could tell me like no maintenance in the in the future, oh it's the most blissful and romantic vision that I have in my life. It's priceless.

Lyssia Katan 25:38

So you recently renovated your own home. What was your vision going into that project?

Gregg Sulkin 25:43

So my vision when it came to this house was to respect the existing architecture, but also modernize it a lot. So the plan was to make it feel so much brighter. I mean, the house needed a lot of TLC. I mean, it was built in the 50s and it hadn't been loved um in the way that honestly real estate needs to be loved. Um, and I don't mean that from an emotional point of view, they were amazing people. I knew the sellers very well, they're great. But it's just, you know, property requires a lot of maintenance. And if you neglect it, um it make you know, bad problems become even worse. They don't just go away. So there was a lot of TLC that we needed to do on the property when it came to electrical plumbing, sort of all the necessities. And then from a sort of superficial level, I wanted to make it so much brighter. I wanted to make it a lot more modern. So, for example, I've added six skylights in the in the house, um, which just allows it to feel much bigger, brighter. The paint on the walls, there was yellow, there was pink, there was, I think, a green wall. And it's just not my not my taste to each their own. But I think when you're you know trying to create a space not only that you'll like, but also that many people will like in the future. Let's just say I need to rent the home or sell the home for whatever reason, not that I want to, but just in case, um, wanted to create a space that was universally liked. And that's why when I chose the tile, for example, in the backyard, I you know, I don't I didn't want to just do a cookie-cutter basic sort of choice. I wanted it to be universally liked, but I also wanted to have my own flair and my own personality and try to create uh a swimming pool, you know, that looks

Catching Mistakes Before Drywall

Gregg Sulkin 27:40

really clean, that looks really classy, that has a fresh feel, um, but at the same time also allows the backyard to be complemented and also for the back to choose a tile that the backyard would also complement. So stick in neutral tones was sort of my my plan. Don't make it boring because the tile is definitely not boring. If in fact, if you actually each specific tile is different, and when the sun hits it, it's gorgeous. Like it it's actually quite magical, to be honest, when you look at it, especially when the sun hits, because every day, every moment is different. So it's sort of each tile tells its own story, but at the same time, I did need it to not like overwhelm the space. I wanted everything to just be, you know, come together beautifully.

Lyssia Katan 28:29

Right. And that tile, while uh we're referring to the same tile, right? The Coca-White.

Gregg Sulkin 28:34

Yeah.

Lyssia Katan 28:34

It is, it's very durable, but it's also the crystals in it are so unique. And like, I'm curious what went into your mind when you were considering the different tiles, because, like you said, there's so many cookie cutter things, but it's about finding the balance of something that looks good, but is also durable and and pool grade and is actually going to be lasting a long time.

Gregg Sulkin 28:56

Yeah, and also I think from experience, um, in in a pool that I had, I had very dark blue tile. And there's nothing wrong with dark blue tile at all, but the calcium buildup can eventually over time show a lot more than a lighter tile. So that's why in previous pools I've been like, hmm, it looks beautiful when it's installed. But when you're when I'm thinking long term, which I am, to choose in, you know, I hope I own this home for a very, very, very long time. So

Drainage Foundations Plumbing Electrical First

Gregg Sulkin 29:25

I wanted a tile that that that was durable, that lasted, that calcium buildup will happen. That's just life. That's the nature of swimming pools. But how do you how do you not allow it to show for as long as possible? And uh whilst at the same time, not just going for like a just a simple white tile that looks stain, uh stale and stark, I wanted to also, you know, have a neutral tile, but also bring in some elements of just warmth um as well, which I think, you know, those sort of crystals though and and the gold little sparkles on it really it just brings a bit of depth to it too.

Lyssia Katan 30:02

Creates a little bit of movement and also it's it's also, I believe it's all in the details, right? You taught from far away, sure, it's a tile, but when the sun hits it just right, or when you get get up close, like whoa, it's cool.

Gregg Sulkin 30:16

And also it's the first thing it it was really important to me to choose a good tile because as you walk in the door, which I love in California, you know, I've always had a dream as a kid, you know, especially being from London, you open up the doors, you see the swimming pool. In London, we don't really have swimming pools unless families are extremely, extremely wealthy and they usually have them underground, uh, especially in the in the heart in the heart of London, that's sort of indoors, sort of downstairs in like very expensive homes. Like a couple of friends growing up had them and they were beautiful. Or if you move out to the countryside, I had friends that had swimming pools outside. But to be honest, even then it's not very common because of the weather and also the expense. Whereas, like for me, California, you open the door, you see the swimming pool, you see the backyard, which is exactly what you see in this house. The tile is that it's it's it you see it. It's it's one of the first things you see. And so I didn't want a crazy colour, um, but I also wanted, I wanted you to be drawn to go outside. And I think that tile does that, does exactly that.

Lyssia Katan 31:19

So, talking about these kinds of decisions, what are other decisions that you made that might have seemed small but really have the biggest impact on how you live day to day?

Gregg Sulkin 31:29

I think there's just so many areas in a home when it comes to remodeling that uh it's all in the it's all you know, it's all in the details. So, for example, where your light switches are. Like when you go into a laundry room the other day, my contractor said to me, okay, we put the we'll we'll put the switch there. And I looked at it and I thought, okay, hold on. So if someone, including myself, whoever lives in the home, whoever is carrying that laundry basket into the laundry room, their hands are gonna be like full. So potentially, actually, we may need to put it here because if you think about where you're actually gonna move, you you may need you to actually use the switch with your elbow. So we actually move the switch to that place. Whereas like most people probably wouldn't think of that, right? But that's just a very small detail of you know, making sure that your television is not too high, it's not too low, you know, don't just put it up where you think, like measure your sofa before you know, even if it's imaginary. Okay, now g sit on a bucket wherever you think you're gonna, you know, sit on your couch and then look at the TV. Um, what uh what other um sort of decisions? Also, cat, you know, cabinetry, the flow of when you walk into a space, you know, really think about the flow of the home. I think that's really important to me. You know, decisions, which way does the door swing open? Does it swing open left?

Brightening A 1950s Home

Gregg Sulkin 33:05

Does it swing open right? What feels nicer? What when you walk in has a nicer view, you know, all the things, all the small details that add up to your whole experience of walking through a home. You know, little thing the other day, my mum and dad are in town. My mum's in her 70s, and my parents are in their 70s, and I love them a lot. They've been unbelievable parents to me growing up. And having my dad on a construction site was really helpful because he does know better than me, just um, but he does. Even when you don't want to admit that. He does, and I've still got lots to learn. But um, my mum, for example, said, Okay, but where's in in the bathroom that let's just say they were to stay in the house and the bedroom that they would stay in, I've created an ensuite uh area, which wasn't even an area to be honest. It was it was just a living room space, but I've sort of created a wall and I'm gonna access you're gonna use it as a bathroom that you can access from the bedroom. And my mum says to me, Well, Gregg, where's the walk-in shower? And I said, No, no, no, there's no walk-in shower, it's gonna be a shower tub combo. And she said, Well, I'm 70, I'm not gonna be able to get in there. And I was like, Oh my god, I didn't even think about like not as a bad son, but I just assumed that, you know, I'm in my early 30s. I thought to myself, okay, well, just you can just hop on over and just you know. But another decision where hold on, okay, can I now reconfigure this bathroom? Is there enough space? Because sometimes you just don't have enough space. Is there enough space to create a standalone tub, you know, uh a vanity, a toilet, and a shower? Thankfully, there were four or five of us in this small space, all kind of hearing each other out. And eventually we actually figured it out. And now, you know, when my mum and dad come to stay, there will be a walk-in shower for her, there'll be a standalone tub. And so we created um the space that you know is is personal, and also, you know, her raising a potential issue has only made the property property better. So there are so many different little decisions that that that you can make um that all go into the final outcome. And every decision's as important as as the other because it all, you know, if you do something wrong here, then you'll it it could affect over here. So the goal is to make as few mistakes as possible.

Lyssia Katan 35:30

Well, recognizing you you may make mistakes, but something that I think a lot of people overlook is the space, the design of the space looks beautiful, but who's actually using it? And in that that point with your mom, like you wouldn't even think, like, sure, a tub shower combo looks great, but when it comes to practicality, it it makes a big difference in quality of life, too.

Gregg Sulkin 35:52

For sure. Yeah. All of those, all of those uh decisions, you know, to make sure, you know, if you can get a double vanity in a bathroom and it doesn't make it too crowded, then honestly, add a double vanity because you never know. Two siblings may need to share the bathroom growing up, husband and wife, two husbands, whoever. Just you never know someone's, you know, you never know, you never know who may use a home to make it as accessible and universally sort of appreciated and functional for as many people as possible. I think that's the goal.

Lyssia Katan 36:27

Having the experience that you do now, when you're walking a property for the first time, what are some things that you're looking at that someone else would completely ignore?

Gregg Sulkin 36:37

If I'm buying it, I'd like for it to be in as bad condition as possible. Um because it doesn't, you know, a yellow carpet, you know, a house that hasn't been loved and appreciated uh is usually a uh an attractive opportunity. Um not only so much the financial sort of margin that you could potentially profit from, but it's more the idea of, and I think I've just maybe it's come from being an actor, but the idea of you know, you take a script and you try to make it better. I think that for me is why I do love real estate. Um, I love beautiful homes. I really do. I have so much appreciation, but I think I don't know if I would enjoy getting a key and moving into a home that's already built for me. Um, and I understand why a lot of people do, and that's why there's a premium to pay for it because it's ease and it's gorgeous. Um, but there's something very special about creating the space yourself and uh taking something that maybe isn't so great and and you know making it better, whether that's for you, whether that's for tenants in the future. Um, for example, I have uh some tenants who are the loveliest couple, they're a beautiful family, they have children, and there's an area in one of the homes that uh I created more for me, to be honest, but I also thought, okay, well, if it's not me, it could be somebody else. And growing up in England, I played a lot of soccer growing up, and um I created just a turf little area, but long enough so that you know a father and son or whoever could go and play uh soccer in the backyard and put a goal up and just have a kickabout. And in one of the homes, I saw a photo,

Pool Tile That Ages Well

Gregg Sulkin 38:25

and that's exactly what they used it for. Like I didn't put the goal up, but in my mind I was like, okay, this is enough space. And so to see that, um, look, it doesn't affect my pocket in any way. I don't earn more money whether they play baseball or soccer or do yoga or whatever. But having that space for someone to come in and do whatever they want with it, sunbathe, be fit, you know, whatever someone wants to do with it, the space is there. So to create that space, to create that opportunity for people to enjoy. But I think in particular, to see a soccer goal and a father and son actually playing in the backyard was really, really special to me. So I think that's also very appealing about real estate for me is that you can look, I'm net you don't get instant gratification in acting either, really, unless you're on Broadway, where you perform and then get that live reaction. So I've never really had that live reaction and real estate, you definitely don't get that live reaction really. But at least, you know, you know that when the house is built, a family or a couple or two friends or whoever is enjoying that space, creating memories, um, you know, creating memories in in the space that you built, which is really cool to me.

Lyssia Katan 39:36

Yeah, and you're responsible for some of the core memories those kids are gonna have on that turf.

Gregg Sulkin 39:42

I'm a local hero. I'm a local hero.

Lyssia Katan 39:44

You're a local hero. Put them in the news.

Gregg Sulkin 39:46

Yeah.

Lyssia Katan 39:46

Yeah, but it's the things that you put in for yourself, but someone else is benefiting because you had that forethought to be able to think someone's gonna be able to use this. Because there's nothing like a space that's used terribly.

Gregg Sulkin 39:57

Yeah, and also you have to sort of adapt your space and the home to also how we're all living, right? Which is probably we probably need more electrical outlets than ever before in a home today than maybe 30 years ago, right? Like we're always on our phone, the phones are always losing battery. Small little detail, for example, in this house, I figured, okay, in the kitchen, I don't as much as you can hide outlets, in my opinion, the better. But of course, sometimes you just can't. Um, but you know, I thought to myself, okay, I don't want to be on my laptop or I don't want to be on my computer. Um, and funny enough, in the house I'm sitting in now, this was built in the 90s, and that's why I texted you before and I was like, hey, just give me a few minutes. I actually had to get an extension cord and all that my computer was charged. And so little details like in the new house, making sure that in whether you're in the kitchen, whether you're at the peninsula, sort of kitchen island, whether you're at the dining room table on a laptop or whatever, there's always an outlet available, um, which is obviously something that main people don't, you know, they don't think about until they move in, they're sitting there and thinking, okay, oh, my laptop's dying. Oh, wait, there's no outlets. You know, I didn't want that feeling to happen to me. And so whoever rents that home in the future is going to be, you know, probably in that same position of like, oh, my back, my phone's dying, my laptop's dying. Oh, oh, cool, nice. You know, it's nice for them. Obviously, it was a you know, a conscious decision. Little things, and then and it's all about little things.

Lyssia Katan 41:24

But it is the little things, and and how else have you noticed that in vi or like certain environments can change how you think or how you feel or how you perform, right? You need a you need a charger in that moment, you need an outlet.

Gregg Sulkin 41:37

Yeah, I think for me, I the space is so important. I lived in a in a in a smaller place, much smaller place than where I do now a little while ago, and I loved it because it meant a lot to me. The property meant a lot to me, but I can feel emotionally the difference. And this isn't to say that, you know, whoever listens to this, oh, you have to have a big house to really enjoy your mornings, because I don't think that's the case at all, but just the layout of this house and the the the colours and the choice of materials and the fact that I can just look out in the morning and just see some really, you know, have a lovely little view. You know, I'm not looking at you know the Eiffel Tower, I'm not looking, you know, uh at the Pacific Ocean, but it's a beautiful view to me. And so that in the morning allows me to feel happier than maybe how I did in my in my previous space. So whatever that is for somebody, so for example, if someone's kitchen is facing like, I don't know, a brick wall or a white fence, like that's not to say that's a bad view, but can you make it a little bit nicer? You know, can you put maybe like a flower wall up against that? So that's your view from the inside, you know, maybe it doesn't cost a fortune, but anything you can put on the outside that allows a more like peaceful experience inside is something that I naturally gravitate towards.

Lyssia Katan 43:00

And I'm really glad you mentioned that because we've had some neuroscientists on the show and they've

Small Details That Improve Living

Lyssia Katan 43:05

said that consistently a view of nature impacts us so positively. But many of us are living in cities and you're looking at a brick wall or you're looking at something that's not very aesthetic. So the small things that you can do to actually have a better morning.

Gregg Sulkin 43:20

For sure. And just, you know, if it's a you know, even privacy is lovely too. Like, you know, not everyone has the luxury of building, you know, being in Jeff Bezos' house in Beverly Hills, where he just continues to let apparently he continues to let the um the bushes grow and he just pays the fine, which by the way, I I mean I'm s I use Amazon all the time, so I'm very appreciative of the fact that he was born. I really do like Amazon. Um, but at the same time, you um you know, you you can maybe put up a little trellis, put up a little privacy fence. You know, there are so many yeah. So many things that, you know, even like a little, you know, flower bed or something, something to something to bring some life to the space.

Lyssia Katan 44:09

What's a like small little renovation upgrade that consistently gives people the best return? Do you think that would be it? Or do you have a better one?

Gregg Sulkin 44:17

No, I would say, you know, kitchens and bathrooms. Um, you know, for example, in one house I had, you know, I didn't necessarily have the budget to go and redo the whole kitchen. So I just put in like a new countertop and painted the cabinets. They're older cabinets, but they're still functional. It's not the most beautiful kitchen in the world. Um, but at the time I was dealing with a specific budget and I needed to stick to it. And so I just put some beautiful, durable, very light countertops in the kitchen and it really and painted the kitchen cabinets like an alabaster and it really brightened the space. It suddenly came from it suddenly went from like being a little bit of like a hmm, I don't really love this space to oh, this is pleasant, you know, it's not wow, but like, oh, this is this is a pleasant space. And so I think that um kitchen countertops are are really important and also bathroom sort of countertops too. And I know it sounds crazy, but not everybody is like really hygienic. And I've had some tenants in the past that, you know, maybe leave the place a bit of a mess and just seem like they don't clean up or they don't they're not tidy. And just having a clean and non-cluttered space can also make a huge difference, you know. Comp finances aside, just to have a clean, tidy, organized space can uh can really make a big difference.

Lyssia Katan 45:48

Right. And and speaking about countertops, the light-colored countertops show dirt. You you can see if there's crumbs, you can see if there are things or even bugs walking around. Whereas sometimes for aesthetics, people choose a darker countertop, and that just creates a lot more frustration down the line.

Gregg Sulkin 46:05

For sure. For sure.

Lyssia Katan 46:06

No hate on jar countertops. I think they're beautiful, but it's practicality.

Gregg Sulkin 46:10

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Absolutely. I think just and also the the brighter and lighter you go, the usually the more renter friendly the property becomes. So I sort of normally stick to, you know, if I'm gonna veer one way, whether it's light or dark, I'll I'll naturally veer to the lighter side.

Lyssia Katan 46:28

Someone who's listening that's buying the first place, what's one thing that they should prioritize that has nothing to do with aesthetics?

Gregg Sulkin 46:36

Well, I think whenever you talk about, I think there's many stages of buying a home. Um, it depends what home it is. But I would say the first thing is to make sure, first of all, pay your taxes so that you don't uh you don't think you have more money than you do. That's number one. Make sure if you have an upcoming tax bill, put that money aside and make sure because that does not that money doesn't what you're seeing does not belong to you. Uh soon going to depart your bank account. So that's number one. Number two, I would say make sure you get a good realtor. Like, so for example, I actually have my real estate license. The reason why I did that was because having my own properties and I've done enough transactions to where I wanted to um, you know, I wanted to sort of have a little bit more control. Also, I've got, you know, very close friends of mine who are realtors, and um, I've really seen they're amazing people and I've seen the importance of making sure that you have a good realtor, making sure that you're working with someone that you trust, someone that knows the area, someone that is not just looking to sell your home that really has your best interest at heart, because there are many agents out there who are looking uh out for themselves and trying to get a deal done and they will sell you whatever. So I think making sure that you don't just meet one agent, just DM me and I'll send you to the people, basically. Um but aside from that, you know, making sure that you yeah, you work with a good realtor. And then when it comes to the financing side, you know, if you're not able to buy the property cash, which most people aren't in that position, um, then making sure that you find a good lender or that you have a developer relationship with your bank or ask, you know, the bank that you work with, like, hey, I'm looking to buy a property. Can you put me in contact with the right person at the bank? Um, and making sure that you, you know, you get pre-qualified and making sure that you know all of your finances are sort of structured so that when you do eventually find a home and you're able to enter escrow, there won't be any hiccups down the line for you, you know, when it comes to the financing. So I would say that's on the sort of you know, surround yourself with good, trustworthy people and vet people too, you know, make sure that you're not just like believing that, you know, and a lot of agents they'll always say, no, uh, you know, yeah, we can find you an amazing house for that much money. Or if you're selling a house, for example, oh yeah, I can get you this amount, and then once you've signed with them, suddenly you're dropping the price, you can't get rid of them, and and you're sort of stuck

What To Notice On Walkthroughs

Gregg Sulkin 49:05

with them. So uh that's on but but if they're buying the home for the first time, I would and depend, are they buying to remodel it or are they buying to simply just purchase it, you know, and and walk in? Is it a turnkey property? Um if it's a turnkey property, my advice would be make sure that you you've done a lot of research on the developer because some developers are amazing and some developers buy a house for cheap. They put amazing lipstick on a house, but they really, you know, they are trying to maximize their profit and they don't necessarily care uh if you're dealing with problems in the future and they've cut as much as many corners as possible to maximize their profit. So make sure you do research on the developer, look at previous examples of what they've sold. Um, if you can get in contact with uh you know previous buyers, maybe you know, if you can and it's public, try to find that out, try to have a conversation with them, see people's experiences. Um, and then if not, uh make sure that you get referrals on a good contractor. That's really important, um, especially in areas such as you know, plumbing and electrical, because a lot of people don't know about plumbing and electrical and roofing. And so just make sure that you know you ask around and that you work with trustworthy people because there's and I've been as everyone has. I unfortunately I have a neighbor here, he is 98 years old, he is the loveliest person. And one night I looked over and I saw that there was a team of like plumbers coming at like six, seven o'clock, and I thought to myself, hmm, like he's a capable person, but he's 98 years old. He's really hard of hearing, and he's 98, so he's not running marathons. And so I my instinct was, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I should go and protect him because I don't want somebody taking advantage of him. But I thought to myself, no, no, no, I'm not gonna do that. He's his own man. I don't want to take away his independence, and you know, I don't want to make him feel less than or that he's not knowledgeable, like he can, he's a man, you know, he's a man, he can handle it. And suddenly a day later, two days later, they're coming back and coming back and coming back. And I eventually I knocked on and I said, Hey, um, said, How are you doing? And he goes, Good, I'm dealing with so many plumbing issues. And I said, Oh, really? He said, Yeah, it's been so expensive. I said, Would you mind if I sent my contractor over? I'll I'll pay um for his time. I just I just want to make sure you're not being like ripped off. And uh so I called my contractor, I said, Hey, do me a favor. My next door neighbor, he's a lovely guy, he's 98 years old. I just got the feeling that someone's ripping him off. He goes, Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll be over in an hour. So he came over and my neighbor said to me, Look, I can't go down there and check. You know, he's 98, he can't go and and and

High-Return Kitchen And Bath Upgrades

Gregg Sulkin 52:00

check. You know, they they're showing him photos. The photos could be from all around from anywhere. Um, and so my contractor came, you know, put on his suit, went under the house, and just looked at me, and I just knew what it meant. Like they had just ripped him off for over $10,000. And that sucked. Um thankfully, we were there and I was there to sort of stop the bleeding, so to speak. Um, and my contractor was there, and he was an amazing, he is an amazing human, but that sucked. And so, you know, read people's reviews if you're working with them and do as much as you can to to to not get burned, because unfortunately, there's people in this world that will take advantage and don't feel too bad about it.

Lyssia Katan 52:48

Right. Well, that's incredible. Um, incredible advice, Gregg, for anyone listening. And I'm so glad you helped him out because, you know, it once you get past a certain age, we we rely on younger people to help us out, right? We take we take so much of our youth for granted, like going down the stairs and or going down and actually checking. So if someone listening was to take one thing from this podcast episode, what would you want it to be?

Gregg Sulkin 53:16

Enjoy the journey of real estate, because I am. That would be sort of my one piece of not even advice, but just I've loved doing it. I I wouldn't have got my real estate license if I didn't enjoy it so much. I love taking a space, making it better. There's real joy I get out of it. There will be headaches. I don't want to just say, wow, this is the most fun thing ever. There will be days where you will have headaches and owning real estate and having tenants, you will get calls and you will have to be a property manager. Um, yes, you can pay people to do that, but it will eat into your profits. And but really enjoy and embrace educating yourself because I have and I am, you know, I I don't I'm not the finished article when it comes to real estate, and I don't think I'll ever be, but I'm excited to continue to get better. I'm excited to continue to, you know, become more knowledgeable and

First-Time Buyer Trust And Scams

Gregg Sulkin 54:15

become a better homeowner, become a better landlord, become a better investor. And that takes time. And so don't expect to um, you know, I don't, I don't personally, I know this crypto, I personally don't not believe in the get rich quick scheme, but um I think it it's not all about money. I think just just focus on on trying to enjoy that too, and and and that that's what I've been doing. So that's probably my one bit of advice.

Lyssia Katan 54:45

Gregg, thank you so much for your wisdom and your knowledge, your advice, and for entertaining us on the screen as well. So thank you for everything you do and for your time. Uh, it's been a pleasure getting to work with you too, and uh, and I look forward to hearing only good things.

Gregg Sulkin 55:01

Thank you, thank you, thank you. And likewise, this was so nice. Yeah, as you can tell, I could probably talk about real estate forever and ever. Um, but yeah, who knows? Maybe my next role would be uh I'll be a realtor. I don't know.

Lyssia Katan 55:11

Maybe or a contractor. Thank you so much for spending this time with me on Room2th. If you enjoyed this episode, feel free to follow the show, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with someone who you think would really appreciate a more thoughtful approach to their space. You can find more Design Meets Psychology insights on social,

Enjoy The Real Estate Journey

Lyssia Katan 55:30

in our community, and definitely in upcoming episodes, so you can build a better life by design. Thanks again for listening. I'll see you next time.