Each week the NZ Herald's Cooking the Books podcast tackles a different money problem. Today, it's how to decide whether to flex your DIY muscles. Hosted by Frances Cook.

As first home buyers struggle to get a foot on the housing ladder, a suggestion you'll often hear is to buy a do-up.

Buying a rundown place for less money means you can use your own time and sweat to bring it up to standard, or at least, so the theory goes.

The problem is that many changes you'll need to make will still require money, and some of it is either too difficult to do yourself, or you're legally not allowed to because it's dangerous.

The wrong do-up could actually cost you more than a place that you buy that's already up to scratch.

That doesn't mean it's impossible though; certainly not.

It just means we need a little knowledge up our sleeves to help us work out which are the right do-ups.

For the latest podcast I talked to Jen Jones from Nine Yards Consulting.

If you have a question about this podcast, or question you'd like answered in the next one, come and talk to me about it. I'm on Facebook here https://www.facebook.com/FrancesCookJournalist/ Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/francescooknz/ and Twitter here https://twitter.com/FrancesCook

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