By the time you're ready to take possession of the first real estate you've every bought -- your first house, semi or condominium unit -- you'll probably be swamped with advice and design ideas from friends and family who've "been there."

Even if you've made decisions based on this information and your own research, take a fresh look at your new home before you act on these preconceived ideas. Prior to moving in, you've probably spent less than an hour or two in the property you'll call home for years. Slow down. Get to know the real advantages and disadvantages of what you've bought before you start ripping it apart.

When you open the door for the first time, you may be surprised by how much you didn't remember or that you remembered wrong about the space.

• Those who bought a carefully-staged home, discover recreating that ambiance is not so easy when presented with an empty space.

• If you've only seen building plans, the 3D "square foot" reality may hold surprises.

• That fixer-upper you bought may look even worse when the place is vacant.

There is art and science in translating vacant space into a home while staying on budget and on schedule and remaining sane—that's where Interior Designers come in.

You may be under the popular misconception that hiring an interior designer is an added expense for two reasons: their fee and a believed-need to purge the old and buy new. If you believe this, you have missed an important point: experience makes any project easier and the results more impressive.

"An hour of design advice costs a lot less than the cost of repainting a room," says Interior Designer and Realtor Jutta Van Der Kuijp of Space Lifts Interior Design, commenting on how professional expertise can save on many levels. "Interior designers have access to trade-only suppliers where discounts are quite deep and many designers pass on most of the savings. Interior designers facilitate your vision within your budget, not the designer's vision within the designer's budget."

Even if you want to make colour choices and room-renovation decisions yourself, professional input may save you time, money and "do-over" frustrations. Whether you arrange a one-time, one-to-four hour home assessment, hire a designer to take over, or any consulting variation in between, why choose to learn anything the expensive and frustrating "hard way" when it comes to your first home?

Visit Interior Designers of Canada to locate your provincial association and designers in your area. Interview a few. Examine their portfolios and talk to their clients until you click with the designer who will champion your interests on the rocky road of renovation.

In spite of what you've seen on TV, renovations take longer than a weekend and can unearth more problems than they solve. Removing a wall seems simple, but how do you repair the floor, shift the ducts and wiring in the wall and ensure you've not weakened the structure?

To retain your sanity and stay on budget, start with a clear plan, specific budget and detailed schedule. Experience is what makes the difference here. Would you prefer a "learn from my mistakes" education or a productive, results-oriented experience with a professional who knows how to avoid mistakes?:

• When buying resale, Van Der Kuijp suggests the first step should be to clean everything—that's windows, too. Gutting a bathroom may not be necessary. Once it's really clean, simple repairs and transformations reveal themselves. Her clients are advised to live with the house or condo for at least a year—"experience the bones of the house"—before tackling major renovations. What may seem a problem at first, can turn into a plus once you understand first-hand how the space responds through the seasons.

• Design consultant Monique Le Ray Design suggests acting on your observations of lacking curb appeal and to make sure you love the look of your house while you come home to continued interior disruption. According to Le Ray, the feel-good factor is important for you to have fun and energy. Once you're working in the house, the outside is left for later, but you're reminded of unfinished, simple "I'll fix that railing one day" or "that light fixture needs replacing" improvements every time you come home. A can of flat-black paint can work wonders for quick make-over touches. Then Le Ray suggests starting in the foyer and moving through the house. As you go, search out what needs improving, how light can be redistributed and what each room's focal point will be before you take action anywhere.

• It's human nature to start on familiar territory, so many first timers zero in on paint colours when the most practical first choices should be the more expensive, difficult-to-change elements like carpeting, the couch and window treatments. It's easier to match paint to window treatment fabrics rather than searching around for drapes or carpeting to match a paint colour. If painting is necessary before these purchases are finalized, white primer or colour-tinted primer can prove a fresh canvas which will also make a good foundation for future colour choices. Accessories and paint are less expensive and have a greater variety to chose from. These elements can tie rooms and the home together.

• Finishings in the kitchen and bathrooms can set the tone for the house since these rooms are tied to value and to lifestyle. Clever make-overs with paint, new doors, up-dated fixtures and accessory touches can give the illusion of high-end budgets until you're ready for a major overhaul. Don't expect to transform the house or condo into perfection in the first few weeks or months. The "reveal" may be down the road, so concentrate on being able to live comfortably and affordability in the process.

• What if your furniture won't fit? Condos can offer challenges that have spawned an entire scaled-down line of furnishings. Designers know clever ways to repurpose furniture and have take a long-term view of furniture buying that will solve problems while controlling costs. Brenda Bjarnason, BID, ARIDO, IDC, of Bjarnason + Associates Inc., stresses taking time to plan and research renovations, using the extra time to collect better ideas and build on your experience of living in the home: "If the kitchen is truly unsanitary and/ or non-functional, instead of new custom cupboards, install "ready made" cabinets from a reputable company; these cabinets can be re-used in a future renovation of a laundry room, basement storage area or garage; if you can't afford the dream kitchen now, this is a reasonable upgrade that deliver a "second return" on your expenditure by reusing it elsewhere at a later date."

• Up grade ceiling lights, cupboard handles, door knobs, bathroom hardware...the details. Just remember that everyone recognizes "big box" items. Smaller specialty stores often offer price-comparable goods and sale items that make your home different.

• When it is time for paint decisions, don't struggle to pick a colour—pick a designer. There are thousands of colours to sort through and a shade can make a difference. A warm white versus a cool white—can you tell the difference and why it matters?

On moving-in day, you may be amazed by what was taken and what got left behind:

• Go carefully through the house to make sure items listed in the offer as "included" are there and intact, and that there is not significant new damage. Contact your lawyer if there are any discrepancies.

• If this is a brand new home, make sure you know the drill warranty-wise. The website for your provincial new home warranty program will outline "to dos" and "don't dos."

Either way, take photos of every room and any areas of concern. Evidence, if necessary, yes, but these pics will also remind you of how much you've accomplished when, a few months down the road, you're still "moving in."