There’s a silent problem haunting anyone about to renovate a home, whether architect, investor, developer, or an owner preparing a flip. It’s not the contractor. It’s not the budget. It’s not the permits. It’s something much more basic: People make critical decisions without actually knowing how the project will look in the end. It’s like entering a high-risk deal without seeing the investor pitch. It’s playing the “we’ll see at the end” game. It’s the real-estate equivalent

While most of the real estate market is still trying to fine-tune its marketing for Millennials, an even bigger and more disruptive wave...