Fixer-upper Property Finds

So, you found yourself a fixer-upper that your thinking of plucking off the market. Maybe you could make it into your dream house. Maybe, after watching one too many design shows on HGTV you’re willing to take on flipping a property yourself as a project and then selling it. Well, I’m not here to convince you one way or the other but here are a few things you should look for in a project property, especially if you looking to sell.

Good structure. You’re not here to start from the beginning. This is not a rebuild the house from the ground up scenario. That’s expensive in both time and money. Unless your getting the property for a steal and you’ll be saving money no matter what, it’s probably not worth having to rebuild the structure.  You need to get a proper, professional inspection.

Good hardware and appliances. You’re not going to want to replace every system and appliance in the house, especially if you’re looking to sell. One thing will be expensive, several would be a nightmare. A couple of updates here and there aren’t too bad but you need to know before buying what the problems are and how much replacing them may cost. Your inspector can give you an idea how long the current systems should last.

Underwhelming. Underwhelming doesn’t usually mean much. People will not buy a house because there’s not enough interest to draw them in. Here’s the thing underwhelming is an easily fixable sin. Most anything can be spruced up with some imagination, ingenuity, and a couple of basic design tricks. Especially, if the house is nice but not very flashy features. The property could be a complete gem, that’s being overlooked because it doesn’t sparkle enough.

Kinda ugly. Speaking of a gem, needing to be shined, it could just be completely covered in mud. Ugly isn’t always a bad thing, at least not for you. Here’s the question is the ugliness structural or is it cosmetic? Cosmetic ugly can be fixed. A bad backsplash, ugly carpeting, those are just bad design decisions, nothing that can’t be changed.