Fixing up a house

[bluemoose]

My 2 cents would be if you decide to fix it up, know what the market will bear. Don't fix it the way you would want it, but the way others in the neighborhood are done. You don't want the only Mercedes in a lot of pintos. Remember, the goal is to sell it more than you bought it for.

 

[theblackwolf]

fixed my water heater, thats a first, damned proud.

 

[Dan]

fixed my water heater, thats a first, damned proud.

Congrats! It's a good feeling to figure out how something works and then fix it yourself instead of paying a repairman. Truly.. well done theblackwolf!

Dan

 

[corkybstewart]

I'm about to step out and buy a fixer-upper in France. I have the home inspection, studied by my nephew here who is a home inspector. Structurally it is excellent condition It's a 150 year old house in small town near the mountains, the ancestral home of a close friend. She, a brother and 2 cousins own it, 3 of the 4 want no money for it the other is asking between 12 and 20,000 euros for it, but might be convinced to take half. It's a family albatross, no one still lives in the area so they want to unload it. Our friend got bids from an electrician and plumber, their cost is under 20,000. I'll hire pros for the plumbing and electrical, I can do most of the rest. I've been working on our current house in France for years. The house is divided into 3 separate apartments on 3 floors, with 2 or 3 bedrooms per apartment. The top floor was her grandparents, it's like a museum of 1970s France. The second floor was the most recently inhabited, a cousin lived there for 5 years until around 2022. The ground floor will be the most work. The idea would be to have a renter on the bottom floor, guest room in the middle and our house on top-it's built against a cliff so there's an outside access to each one.
The coolest part of the house are the 2 barns. Grandpa was the village blacksmith, his forge looks like he went to lunch and just never came back. Then there's the old dairy barn that is a huge space, perfect for my hobbies. There's a Motobecane 125, bicycles, horsedrawn sled and carriage, a tractor, too much stuff and it's all included in the price. And it's in my favorite part of France, the Auvergne. I'm going into this clear eyed, I realize it will cost money and there are always issues that come up. But I'm not in a hurry, if I can do everything in 3 years it won't be crushing us.

 

[Kharnynb]

I'm about to step out and buy a fixer-upper in France. I have the home inspection, studied by my nephew here who is a home inspector. Structurally it is excellent condition It's a 150 year old house in small town near the mountains, the ancestral home of a close friend. She, a brother and 2 cousins own it, 3 of the 4 want no money for it the other is asking between 12 and 20,000 euros for it, but might be convinced to take half. It's a family albatross, no one still lives in the area so they want to unload it. Our friend got bids from an electrician and plumber, their cost is under 20,000. I'll hire pros for the plumbing and electrical, I can do most of the rest. I've been working on our current house in France for years. The house is divided into 3 separate apartments on 3 floors, with 2 or 3 bedrooms per apartment. The top floor was her grandparents, it's like a museum of 1970s France. The second floor was the most recently inhabited, a cousin lived there for 5 years until around 2022. The ground floor will be the most work. The idea would be to have a renter on the bottom floor, guest room in the middle and our house on top-it's built against a cliff so there's an outside access to each one.
The coolest part of the house are the 2 barns. Grandpa was the village blacksmith, his forge looks like he went to lunch and just never came back. Then there's the old dairy barn that is a huge space, perfect for my hobbies. There's a Motobecane 125, bicycles, horsedrawn sled and carriage, a tractor, too much stuff and it's all included in the price. And it's in my favorite part of France, the Auvergne. I'm going into this clear eyed, I reralize it will cost money and there are always issues that come up. But I'm not in a hurry, if I can do everything in 3 years it won't be crushing us.

Sounds like a great project and if you like the area, go for it.
Just make sure that if you do water and electric, just tell them to do it fully at once, it's a pain in the bum to find issues later and most of the EU has rules against doing electric and clean side water yourself.

 

[Agent]

Man, I gotta find some pictures on the computer from our project. About 10 years ago we bought a tear-down ready 1900s farmhouse and gutted it instead. The only thing we paid a professional for was a drilled well to replace the sandpoint in the basement.

It's certainly one of those undertakings that show how well you and your spouse work together!

 

[treacheroustexan]

Absolutely! Fixer-uppers can be a rewarding challenge if you're up for it. I'm actually in the garage door repair business, and you'd be surprised how often a neglected or outdated garage door ends up being a key part of the transformation during a home flip. It's one of those upgrades that adds instant curb appeal and real value—especially if the original door is damaged, noisy, or unsafe.


I've worked with a few homeowners and flippers who underestimated how much a modern garage door or opener system could elevate the entire property. One client replaced an old, warped wooden door with a new insulated steel model and added a quiet belt-drive opener with smart features. It completely changed the front profile of the house—and helped close the sale faster.


If you do end up buying a project home, keep garage doors in mind. It's a smaller investment compared to kitchens or bathrooms, but one that often gives a great return. Best of luck on your home search—and enjoy the HGTV inspiration!

This is quite an old post so I suppose I'll share the update because I forgot I made the post haha. A few months after writing this, I bought a house that sat on the market for 6+ months untouched in 2017. Very bad dog pee smell. You could see where the old owners kept their dogs crates. My first taste of fixing up the house was ripping out the subfloor and replacing it. Probably put in 15-20k in repairs with myself doing the labor. Sold it a few years ago during the covid years and profited 130k. I didn't pay attention to the numbers down to the penny, but I made a lot of money and it was a very rewarding project. I learned so much.

 

[Steveruch]

An older house doesn't necessarily need fixing up. Our house was 97 years old when we bought it. All we've fixed in four years is a roof repair caused by an animal trying to chew it's way in. A sewer blockage caused by tree roots and one caused by grease build up. And replacing the water heater.
Also a leak in the kitchen sink.

 

[corkybstewart]

An older house doesn't necessarily need fixing up. Our house was 97 years old when we bought it. All we've fixed in four years is a roof repair caused by an animal trying to chew it's way in. A sewer blockage caused by tree roots and one caused by grease build up. And replacing the water heater.
Also a leak in the kitchen sink.

When we bought my wife's family house in France it had to be renovated completely, it was deliberately in terrible condition. A sister in law convinced my father in law to let the house deteriorate to eliminate inheritance taxes. It's a stone farmhouse built in 1830, electricity was added just after WWI, indoor plumbing in the 60s. Nothing came close to code, windows and shutters were unpainted for 40 years and rotten, doors didn't close, you name it and it was rotten. So basically the exterior walls and roof were left alone, everything else is new and up to code, and in France codes are stricter and better enforced. But once the interior was done, we've done the renovations on the outbuildings and landscaping. Father in law had not trimmed a tree or shrub in 50 years, you literally couldn't see the 2 story house because of the vegetation, especially the butterfly bushes with 30 inch diameter trunks. When I get back to NM I'll look for the pictures from 2015.

 

[corkybstewart]

I think we have decided to pass on the house. Structurally it is stout, but the interior paint is all lead bases, and the plumbing and electrical are up to code, at least if you're looking at code in 1930. Here are some pictures we took yesterday
The ceiling/floor joists in the cow barn are entire tree trunks . The round things in the attic of the house are pigeon nests.

 

[Kharnynb]

looks great, and if you had the money, i'd sink it in a house like that, but yea, it will be expensive.

 

[Steveruch]

An older house doesn't necessarily need fixing up. Our house was 97 years old when we bought it. All we've fixed in four years is a roof repair caused by an animal trying to chew it's way in. A sewer blockage caused by tree roots and one caused by grease build up. And replacing the water heater.
Also a leak in the kitchen sink.

And a garage door repair two days ago.

 

[Dland]

I think we have decided to pass on the house. Structurally it is stout, but the interior paint is all lead bases, and the plumbing and electrical are up to code, at least if you're looking at code in 1930. Here are some pictures we took yesterday View attachment 881855View attachment 881856View attachment 881857View attachment 881858
The ceiling/floor joists in the cow barn are entire tree trunks . The round things in the attic of the house are pigeon nests.

That's looks like an intriguing project, I'd be tempted, but the deal killer for me would be that it is on the street. I live on 3 acres with house about 300 ft from a busy 2 lane, if I ever get to buy another property, I'd want more land, more rural, and further from the road.

I bought my first and only house unfinished 30 years ago, a 24' x 24' cross gable that was just a empty shell. I did a lot of my own work, and bartered stuff like mechanical repairs and landscaping for some too. The original builder had intended it to be a fancy garage for higher end house, but his plans fell though. I'm still in the "garage", but added a 24' x 32' addition when I got a family. I guess maybe that is not a fixer upper, as it was fairly new construction, but it was not ihabitable when I got it.

 

[Snuffy]

I think the key to flipping a house is inspecting the heck out of it yourself. You can pay for an inspection too - it's never bad to get a second opinion, but nothing replaces seeing for yourself what shape it is in. That means getting dirty. It means spider infested crawl spaces and sweaty attic rambles. A good flashlight and plenty of batteries. Tools, pictures, kicking, gouging, banging, smelling, digging, flushing, drilling. The thing that gets you are surprises. Be as sure as possible there are none or limit them as much as you can. If you can't handle that then you probably have no business attempting the work yourself. Estimate each individual project like kitchen, bath, flooring and then total it up and add at least 25% to cost and double the time you think it would take. If you can't crawl beneath the bathroom, assume the floors will need replacing. If the roof isn't new, then price replacing it, even if it looks ok. If you suspect some of the wiring may need replacing, assume it will all need to be replaced. You will rarely find a deal on a home that does not have issues. Hunt them down and anticipate them. Confront the seller with all issues you uncover and negotiate the price down to compensate. They more than likely know each and every problem area already. Price new HVAC. Look in the septic tank during a flush even if they show you the receipt from the pump guys. Trust your gut and be ready to either lowball or walk away. Life is too short to take on losing projects.

 

[Agent]

I think the key to flipping a house is inspecting the heck out of it yourself. You can pay for an inspection too - it's never bad to get a second opinion, but nothing replaces seeing for yourself what shape it is in. That means getting dirty. It means spider infested crawl spaces and sweaty attic rambles. A good flashlight and plenty of batteries. Tools, pictures, kicking, gouging, banging, smelling, digging, flushing, drilling. The thing that gets you are surprises. Be as sure as possible there are none or limit them as much as you can. If you can't handle that then you probably have no business attempting the work yourself. Estimate each individual project like kitchen, bath, flooring and then total it up and add at least 25% to cost and double the time you think it would take. If you can't crawl beneath the bathroom, assume the floors will need replacing. If the roof isn't new, then price replacing it, even if it looks ok. If you suspect some of the wiring may need replacing, assume it will all need to be replaced. You will rarely find a deal on a home that does not have issues. Hunt them down and anticipate them. Confront the seller with all issues you uncover and negotiate the price down to compensate. They more than likely know each and every problem area already. Price new HVAC. Look in the septic tank during a flush even if they show you the receipt from the pump guys. Trust your gut and be ready to either lowball or walk away. Life is too short to take on losing projects.

So either I can listen to an apparently reasonable internet stranger, or not because... reasons.

Let's face it. Do you tell stories about a quiet day on the beach, or about that time your spouse almost dropped a scaffolding plank on you from the second story?

 

[Snuffy]

So either I can listen to an apparently reasonable internet stranger, or not because... reasons.

Let's face it. Do you tell stories about a quiet day on the beach, or about that time your spouse almost dropped a scaffolding plank on you from the second story?

It's mostly the coffee or beer talking. You get what you pay for.

 

[Agent]

It's mostly the coffee or beer talking. You get what you pay for.

That's my worry - the last time I didn't pay a lot, I sure got quite a lot - to do at least.

It *only* took us three years to hit substantial completion.

And now 10 years later, I still have a few bits of super annoying trim to finish up here and there.

 

[corkybstewart]

That's looks like an intriguing project, I'd be tempted, but the deal killer for me would be that it is on the street. I live on 3 acres with house about 300 ft from a busy 2 lane, if I ever get to buy another property, I'd want more land, more rural, and further from the road.

I bought my first and only house unfinished 30 years ago, a 24' x 24' cross gable that was just a empty shell. I did a lot of my own work, and bartered stuff like mechanical repairs and landscaping for some too. The original builder had intended it to be a fancy garage for higher end house, but his plans fell though. I'm still in the "garage", but added a 24' x 32' addition when I got a family. I guess maybe that is not a fixer upper, as it was fairly new construction, but it was not ihabitable when I got it.

Our other house is in the country. Before I die I'd like to experience being a regular at a village pub in easy walking distance.

 

[Dland]

^^^ ; If it was a pretty good pub and a nice walk in a quiet town that would be a fine thing.

In my case, I'd like to go out walking on my own land and not have to listen to the muffler delete types driving up the hill, thumpa thumpa sound systems, road rage horn wars, as well as the regular ambulance sirens. Albeit that sort of thing is mostly in the summer, but off season is getting less cool as well.

 

[corkybstewart]

^^^ ; If it was a pretty good pub and a nice walk in a quiet town that would be a fine thing.

In my case, I'd like to go out walking on my own land and not have to listen to the muffler delete types driving up the hill, thumpa thumpa sound systems, road rage horn wars, as well as the regular ambulance sirens. Albeit that sort of thing is mostly in the summer, but off season is getting less cool as well.

Our house in New Mexico is isolated from civilization. We're at the end of a mile long dirt road, half a mile past the only 2 neighbors. I do yardwork in my "summerweight shorts", AKA boxers. The only vehicle that comes by on a regular basis is the electric meter reader, other than that we may have a couple of UPS deliveries or a lost tourist from time to time, but 5 cars on our road in one month would be a busy month. Past our house is roadless territory, to the edge of the Gila National Forest. All of the lots surrounding us are owned by the big copper mine nearby, they bought them all to keep more people from moving into the area and becoming a PITA like we are.
In France we live 3 kilometers from a village of 800, in our hamlet there are probably 30 people, surrounded by farmland. During the grain harvest(the first half of July) there is constant tractor traffic, after that it's pretty quiet

 

[corkybstewart]

I think we have decided to pass on the house. Structurally it is stout, but the interior paint is all lead bases, and the plumbing and electrical are up to code, at least if you're looking at code in 1930. Here are some pictures we took yesterday View attachment 881855View attachment 881856View attachment 881857View attachment 881858
The ceiling/floor joists in the cow barn are entire tree trunks . The round things in the attic of the house are pigeon nests.

So apparently I spoke too soon. We're making an offer which will be accepted because our friend's family really want us to have it and the 2 current offers are very low.

 

[Kharnynb]

good luck, old houses are both hard work and totally amazing if done right!

 

[Dland]

Hey, at least it is not a boat. {:

 

[lumpher]

Hey, at least it is not a boat. {:

Yep, you can sink a lot of money into those...

 

[corkybstewart]

Hey, at least it is not a boat. {:

The constant maintenance rolling yard ornament.

 

[Dland]

Or worse yet, sunk on a mooring and worth nothing, and you better get it off the bottom and out of the water before someone notices and starts to fine you.

I know about this.

 

[Kharnynb]

if a boat is too big to drag out of the water by hand, i don't want it.

we have a rowboat with electric prop and an older flatback rowboat with 9 hp gas engine, both are easily diy fixable and perfectly fine for fishing which is all i need them for.
other than that, we have a great paddle boat that's more fun than any yacht

 

[corkybstewart]

So apparently I spoke too soon. We're making an offer which will be accepted because our friend's family really want us to have it and the 2 current offers are very low.

And I let my wife talk herself out of buying the house outright. Nothing I said made an impact but the real estate agent pointed out the serious issues I had already seen, of course my opinion was dismissed until the agent independently backed me.
BUT, our friend whose family owns the house decided to buy it after we bailed and we're gonna discuss co-ownership when we get to her house in Utah in a couple of weeks.