“My boyfriend is talking about buying a fixer-upper house to save money and let us design and decorate the home to suit our taste. Do you think hes right? Or is it better to buy a home already fixed up so we don’t have to spend the money?”
***ANSWER:
In the 90s I sold a home for a nice older lady. Sadly, she’d let the place go to the dogs…and a cat and a bird. On my first visit, the odor was so horrendous and claustrophobic that I couldnt breathe and almost lost my lunch. Im not kidding.
My next time by, I told her it was such a beautiful day that we should sit out on the porch to sign the papers to list her home.
To help make the home fit for human visitors (potential buyers), I arranged for housecleaners to clean. But they refused to touch anything and hurried out. Finally we put it on the market, but with no work or cleaning done because no one would touch it.
Several days later we got an offer, contingent on the buyers taking a closer look…while wearing a surgical masks and gloves! They ended up buying the home at a bargain price and saved a nice amount of money.
Now, to answer your question: your boyfriend is right.
Attractive, fixed-up homes sell at a premium because people fall in love with them. Cosmetic fixer-uppers (those needing paint, carpet, landscaping, etc.) typically sell at a price lowered by more than the cost to fix them up.
