You are probably staring at this picture wide-eyed and thinking, “why would anyone want to buy a house like this?”  I get it.  I’m looking at this picture feeling exhausted thinking about the plaster, lathe and the million nails we had to pull off every single two by four……BUT (you knew that was coming) what I also see is the beginnings of our study and my soon to be office.  Oh, and of course the beautiful trim and oak floors underneath all the debris…Here are our top 5 reasons for buying a fixer upper.

1.  Property.  It’s no secret that if you live in a rural area, most likely most of the competitive real estate is on the outskirts of town and comes with at least a few acres.  What we were finding while searching for a house was that most of the properties with acreage were at the top of our budget and desperately needed updating.  We knew that if we bought these properties we wouldn’t be able to afford to make them our own and do the necessary updates.

2.  Size matters.  If you want a larger home, most likely it is going to significantly raise your price point.  The average cost of building a house from scratch is $150 per square foot and can go up depending on your choices. We purchased ours at $30 per square foot, so we were able to afford a larger home.

3.  You get what you want.  Well….almost.  Often times people move into a space that has been updated to someone else’s taste or is outdated but still in good condition leaving them to feel that it’s not worth the cost to change it.  Purchasing a fixer upper allows for a lot more freedom in your design choices and gives you the chance to change major pain points from the very beginning.  One of our biggest changes was the master bathroom.  There were 4 bedrooms in the upstairs and no master bath, so we turned one of our bedrooms into a bathroom and created a doorway attaching the two!

4.  Charm.  I LOVE old houses.  There is so much beautiful craftsmanship and well thought out detail in older homes.   It would be so expensive to try to replicate the character of an older home.  Everything from flooring, doors to trim is solid, heavy and irreplaceable.

5.  Efficiency.  We updated the furnace, central air, electrical, plumbing, appliances and insulation.  Yes, it was costly, but also within our budget.  And let me tell ya….Our utilities are almost the same as they were in our last home that was 1,000 square foot less!  In fact, our gas bill has been cheaper and we no longer pay for city water!

Trust me, I understand how much work and patience you must have to take on a project like this and buying a fixer upper is not for everyone. But if you find yourself feeling frustrated at your options this is a great plan B.  Whether you do the work yourself or hire help, it is a great affordable way to have a home that you love and is unique to you!