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What Is Considered a ‘Fixer-Upper’?

What Is Considered a 'Fixer-Upper'?

 

What’s considered a fixer-upper? It can depend, but typically, a fixer-upper is a property that requires modifications before it can be comfortably occupied. It’s possible to live in a fixer-upper without fixing it; however, you could be living with a leaky roof, uneven floors, or even an unreliable bathroom. You don’t want to deal with issues the moment you move into a home, so if you buy a fixer-upper, fix it!

 

Not all fixer-uppers are created equal. When it comes to fixer-uppers, remember that sometimes repairs may cost a few hundred, but they can cost a few thousand. If you’re not prepared for thousands in repairs, make sure that you’re careful when choosing your fixer-upper. Some need a paint job and a new door, others need foundation repair and stump removal. If you’re brave enough to tackle the upgrades that your home needs by yourself, make sure that you’ve got a firm sense of how things work, how long adhesives need to dry, and how to properly measure. As craftsy as you may be, hiring a contractor is always the best idea. Contractors can take the responsibility of the work and any mistakes that might be made. If human mistakes are made, your contractor will be able to fix the mistake faster and more effectively.

 

Turnkey or fixer-upper, taking your time to decide is essential. If you’re considering a fixer-upper, work closely with an experienced, local real estate agent to ensure that you’re getting the most for your money. An experienced real estate agent will be able to find the best fixer-uppers for your budget, and connect you to other professionals that can make your dream fixer-upper a reality. Some fixer-uppers are foreclosures, and foreclosures might have a load of unresolved issues that would scare some buyers away. Even then, you will have options. If you can’t connect with an appraiser or inspector, just reach out to your real estate agent, and they’ll help you find the people who will tell you what you need to know.

 

Why Buy a Fixer-Upper?

 

a fixer-upperBuying a fixer-upper isn’t for everyone. If the home needs extensive repairs, this can take more time than many people have to finally move in to their new home. Even smaller repairs can present a burden to anyone who doesn’t want to have to make a huge investment in something that needs to be fixed. Bottom line: if you want a turnkey, you don’t want a fixer-upper. If you’re looking to make your home your own, a fixer-upper could present a relatively inexpensive path to your dream home.

 

The popularity of shows like Love It or List It and Property Brothers have raised awareness of the popularity of flipping properties, which is one of the many reasons that some people will buy fixer-uppers. When buying a fixer-upper with the hopes of flipping the property, make sure that you’re paying attention to the market. You’ll have to invest more and create more unique offerings on the property in slow markets, though active markets will probably get you a sale a faster. In competitive markets where homes are only able to stay on the market for a couple of days at a time before offers start coming in, it’s possible that flipping a fixer-upper will yield greater profit. One city’s housing crunch could be your ticket to a great profit. When homes are scarce, a decent, recently-renovated home is a gem.

 

The other reason people may buy a fixer-upper is for their own personal satisfaction of finishing the project. Some people are fulfilled when their craftsy hands are put to the test, and if you’re one of those people, make sure, as stated above, that you have your proper permits, and know what you’re doing. People who choose a fixer-upper may have found an alternative path to their dream home.

 

Is It Expensive?

 

The simple answer to this question is: it can be. Before you purchase a fixer-upper, make sure that you ask your appraiser and home inspector both how much they think that repairs should cost. This will also affect how much you should offer for the home. If, for example, you’re considering a $250,000 home, and the home needs $75,000 of repairs, offering $175,000 for the property is reasonable. This amount will go up in markets like San Francisco and New York, but most of the cities in the country will offer distressed properties for less. If the home needs extensive repairs, bear in mind that these repairs will not only take longer, but they will also be more expensive.

 

How could this be worth it? If the home is located in an otherwise-exclusive neighborhood, this could be your chance to get a great deal.  Even considering the cost of repairs, if you find a fixer-upper in a neighborhood you’d like to join, taking it could be the start of your dream.

 

Is a Fixer-Upper Right for You?

 

If you’re patient, but ready to act, choosing a fixer-upper could be the best way for you to get the home you want, at a price that you can more easily afford. Never rush into purchasing a fixer-upper, though. If you don’t take into consideration that you may have a little while before you can move in, you’ll lose patience, and start stressing, which is never good.

 

When you’re thinking about your fixer-upper, make sure that you also consider the layout. If this home isn’t conducive to the needs of your family, or if you work from home, but have no space, it won’t be the right property for you, and that’s fine. Any market is going to have a variety of fixer-uppers from which to choose, and you’re not alone in wondering which is right for your family, and your individual needs. If your fixer-upper is nowhere close to your job, or the grocery stores that you frequent, it might not be the best option for you. If a fixer-upper is for you, your local real estate agent is waiting for your call.

Vince C. JR
Vince C. JR
21:44 09 Mar 23
I was in a bind and needed to sell my home quick without the hassle of someone trying to get over on me. I was approached by Frankie who works here at "We Buy Any Vegas House" and let me tell you! Frankie was not only understanding of my situation but was always on my side every step of the way. He took what was a very stressful time in my life and made this transaction as painless as it could be. His assistant Tara always got back to me regardless of what time it was and I never felt like I was in the dark. I am forever thankful that Frank reached out me and can't thank him and his team enough!
Liz Raga
Liz Raga
19:19 07 Mar 23
Horrible experience- really not professional and definitely won’t call them again to sell my house. Don’t really believe to their falls promises!
Tammy Hetrick
Tammy Hetrick
23:39 12 Sep 22
Friendly service. Great chips and salsa. We came for the margaritas. We've been here a few times for dinner and always enjoy the food.
David Stanley
David Stanley
23:05 12 Sep 22
Spam company, keeps calling and texting to buy a home that I don't own & won't stop
Mike Straub
Mike Straub
23:33 29 Aug 22
Kip came over & offered to steal my beautiful home for a terribly low price, then made an appointment to come back with his partner a few days later, but didn't show up or even call to let us know he wasn't coming
Tyler Smith
Tyler Smith
22:19 04 Jul 22
An amazing team to do business with! Highly recommend!
Tiare Johnson
Tiare Johnson
15:50 08 Jun 22
I didn’t have to worry about a real estate agent, closing costs, & a lot of things that you have to take care of when you sell a house in a traditional way. I like the fact that it was fast, easy, & everything went great! Jamie is fantastic to work with!
Christopher Jenks
Christopher Jenks
19:38 31 May 22
Very communicative and trustworthy group of professionals. The selling process was transparent and fast. Definitely worth considering...
Karen Wheeler
Karen Wheeler
18:31 22 May 22
Great team to deal with
Kailey Bowman
Kailey Bowman
07:08 22 May 22
Mo F
Mo F
23:51 20 May 22
We had an awesome experience!! Jamie Kirk is amazing and made our experience great!!
Jcbbowman1987
Jcbbowman1987
18:42 20 May 22
The best in the business!
peter maiers
peter maiers
04:13 20 May 22
Easy fast and I trusted them ever step of the way !! great team of people all interested in doing everything correctlyPeter B
Connie Bowman
Connie Bowman
02:38 20 May 22
Fantastic Company!
Britne Salsbury
Britne Salsbury
02:34 20 May 22
Casey and his team and are amazing! They are organized and have great follow up. A really great group of people to work with!
Denise Klein
Denise Klein
01:43 20 May 22
Casey Ryan is an incredible professional when it comes to the needs of sellers that need to sell their homes off market. As a real estate agent I always recommend Casey to anyone looking to work with an off market buyer. He is honest, trustworthy & always looking for win-win solutions for everyone involved! The real estate market is better because of Casey & his company, We Buy Any House
jose moran
jose moran
22:43 19 May 22
Chandler Gentry
Chandler Gentry
21:56 19 May 22
This team is so amazing! Makes everything so easy and super reliable!
Amanda Jones
Amanda Jones
21:30 19 May 22
Alex Moses
Alex Moses
20:09 19 May 22
Best company to work with in the real estate game. ABSOLUTELY BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE IVE EXPERIENCED!!
Kyle Mellies
Kyle Mellies
20:06 19 May 22
Donald Gibson
Donald Gibson
19:41 19 May 22
Great communication and pleasant to work with! Everything went smoothly!
Josh Wathen
Josh Wathen
19:40 19 May 22
The team at We Buy Any Vegas House are extremely thorough and very kind. They go above and beyond to help you through the process. I would highly recommend.
Devin Flynn
Devin Flynn
19:34 19 May 22
Jamie was an absolute rockstar for us! She went above and beyond all our expectations, do not hesitate to go with them!
Andrew Brannick
Andrew Brannick
18:12 19 May 22
Worked with Ryan on the sale of my Vegas property, I thought it was going to be a little difficult being out of town in Arizona. Ryan walked me through the process of selling and was able to get me an offer that was higher than I was expecting. He handled everything for me and made the process easy and really quick which was what exactly what I was looking for! Would 100% recommend for anyone looking to sell their house
Jared Vidales
Jared Vidales
17:50 19 May 22
Great service, great pricing. Sold my mothers house to them, and they handled it with care.
Kathy Hallett
Kathy Hallett
17:49 19 May 22
Jamie immediately helped me feel comfortable and the whole process was quick and hassle free! 5 stars
Melani Kirk
Melani Kirk
17:33 19 May 22
Jake Groves
Jake Groves
16:29 19 May 22
Local to Vegas and they are the best. I spoke to every cash home buyer in Vegas. Most of them just low-balled me over the phone. Ryan met me at the property and made an offer, which turned out to be the highest. He also agreed to close with the difficult hoarding tenant still there. Jamie supported me through the escrow process, she was very responsive to any questions I had and kept me informed during the closing. Less than a 30-day escrow. I spoke to a few of the team members over two months as I was getting other offers and all of them were easy to talk to and patient. They have a great team and make sure you include them in your decision-making.Thanks againJG
Joe Skaggs
Joe Skaggs
16:14 02 May 22
S Holt
S Holt
19:49 27 Apr 22
The first person I met was Allen. He immediately made me feel comfortable and confident in dealing with this company. I'm chronically ill. Allen is the only real estate person I'd let in my home.Throughout the process I ended up dealing with the whole team. Jamie deserves a medal for the hurdles she can overcome. Ryan is great at fixing problems and handling the big stuff, with a whole lot of support from Jamie. Allen was always available for me and checking in. He is great at answering questions in a way you understand and I always felt comfortable talking to him.Here is the actual email I sent the team today: "Hi everybody. Just wanted to thank you all again. I'm already able to do so much more for myself, I feel like a new person. I love my cute little house. I love the cold. It even snowed my 3rd day here. Because I'm able to move around, go outside, see people, clean the house, run errands, etc I'm starting to walk much better and even breathe better. And I haven't even seen a doctor yet. I don't feel like I'm a prisoner in my house anymore. Just wanted to let you know how much of a difference you make."My sale hit a few snags. But I'm the end, everything worked out just as they promised, for the amount they promised. These are great people to trust. (PS… Don't worry if they use O.D. I thought it was a scam of some kind. It wasn't. I just didn't understand).
Anabel Alvarez
Anabel Alvarez
17:05 12 Oct 21
Thank you WBAVH! Charles and Ryan were professional, personable, and patient with our needs and requests. The process was a breeze and they answered all of our questions in detail. They made us feel comfortable and part of their family. Will be recommending to everyone I know!
Steven Kaplan
Steven Kaplan
07:40 18 Aug 21
jerry gallegos
jerry gallegos
16:18 09 Aug 21
Very nice and helpful, responded to any questions very quick. I will do business with them again when I buy my next house.
Christopher Kampshoff
Christopher Kampshoff
00:30 07 Aug 21
Thank you so much guys, my brother was in a tight spot I appreciate you coming through. He's in a much better situation now. Again thank you.
Kelly Brown
Kelly Brown
18:48 27 Jul 21
I attempted to work with Allen, from this company. He seemed very nice and I was curious about what their company would give me for my home, if there were no realtors commissions involved. He said he needed to see the house. He came over and took a bunch of pictures and said he would talk to his partner Ryan, (the numbers guy), and get back with me in a half an hour. I didn’t hear from him that day. The next day I received a text from him, saying he would contact me on Monday. On Monday, he texted to see if I could talk at 12:00? I said, yes, he never called. Tuesday I receive a call from a random realtor telling me that Allen’s company has referred me to him. I call Allen, of course, to ask him what the heck is going on and he says yes, I work with this realtor, but I didn’t give him your information, he pouched it from our website!! I then say, so are you going to work with me and I find out, exactly what I already knew, they couldn’t offer enough money for my house, so they are not going to make an offer, HUGE SURPRISE!! #1, if you want your personal information safe, do not work with this company and #2, if you want a good offer on your home, don’t work with this company. I bought my home 3 years ago, it’s in great condition, in a great zip code and the market is through the roof!! If you can’t buy a house and get close to what someone needs financially right now, I don’t know when you can! Pick another company besides this one!! There are many!! Stay far away from this particular WE BUY HOUSES FOR CASH!!! You have been warned!!!
Carolyn Gobel
Carolyn Gobel
18:16 22 Jul 21
This company helped keep us from foreclosure. Thank you!
Carlos Caballero
Carlos Caballero
19:15 23 Jun 21
Thank you guys for your help with my Grandmas home. It was in rough shape and she left so much stuff. We couldn’t have taken on cleaning it out and the project.
jesse phalin
jesse phalin
01:29 18 May 21
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! Went above and beyond assisting me through this process. Helped me move my things and even let me leave what I wasn’t taking with me. Thanks for all of the hard work.
Kelly Stewart
Kelly Stewart
21:27 08 May 21
My husband handled the process but felt good dealing with this local company and they did not try to change price after seeing the house. They actually offered higher once they saw our home. Had 5 companies come our to give us bids and they all were bait and switch. They beat everyone’s offers too. We tried to list before and couldn’t sell. I don’t know why anyone would work with head aches of real estate agents and paying commissions, banks, inspectors and the time to close only to walk away with the same money. Thank you Ryan and Jamie.
degan Stewart
degan Stewart
21:23 08 May 21
Thank you guys so much. Jamie is so sweet and on it. Ryan Is one of the most genuine people I’ve met in Vegas. They did what they said they’d do when they said they would and kept us in the loop the whole time
Brian Higgins
Brian Higgins
22:00 04 May 21
Thank you guys so much for everything. Ryan and Jamie Helped me find a place to get out of our old place. It was so nice to have the moving company just handle everything for me.
Sheila Winn
Sheila Winn
19:05 09 Apr 21
I struggled with the idea of selling my house to a "flipper". This company was fair, professional and extremely helpful every step of the way. I never had to wait for a response from Kelly Schnippel when I had a question or concern.I personally would recommend them to anyone looking to get a fair price for their property all the while getting kindness, professionalism and assistance from the buyer.Thank you Kelly Schnippel! I appreciate YOU and your team!Sheila Winn
Valerie Grijalva
Valerie Grijalva
17:30 27 Feb 21
Casey and his team will handle your transaction with the upmost professionalism and class like no other. Their knowledge in real estate will exceed your expectations and you won't be disappointed from beginning to end with their communication and systems to ensure your goals are met. I highly recommend Casey and his team!
Ann Reback
Ann Reback
18:51 25 Feb 21
Thank you for your professional and personal help in this process. You and your team have been so knowledgeable, responsive, courteous and kind...understanding my goals and executing each step in a timely and professional manner! THANK YOU! I will recommend you and your team to friends and others in our community.
Aviv Ben Shimon
Aviv Ben Shimon
16:38 25 Feb 21
Jess Lapensee
Jess Lapensee
16:31 25 Feb 21
From start to finish the selling process was quick and easy!
Lynne M
Lynne M
04:52 24 Jun 20
I have nothing but positive things to say about this company! I needed to sell a house quickly after a death in my family. I spoke with several Cash for Houses Companies in Las Vegas and settled on We Buy Any Vegas House. Everyone was very sensitive about my situation, helpful, answered all my questions and extremely responsive when I called. Ryan and Kelly were awesome!After we settled on a price everything went super smoothly in escrow and again if I had any concerns or questions there was immediate feedback. Also the fact that I was able to do this remotely as I live in California was extremely helpful! I am so grateful for all the help I received during a very challenging time in my life.
Freddy Aleman
Freddy Aleman
18:47 27 Dec 19
My wife and I recently bought a home from Casey Ryan. The home we purchased is located in Centennial Hills. Gorgeous remodel. Casey and his team did a great job of designing the home. We ran into a couple of issues shortly after moving in. Casey had his people out quickly during Christmas week to make a couple of repairs. He gave my wife and I peace of mind during a chaotic holiday week and for that we will always appreciate him. I would recommend a Casey Ryan home to my friends and relatives.
Angela Rienstra
Angela Rienstra
21:06 26 Dec 19
I needed to sell my house from out of state ASAP. I looked into some other larger name companies and was disappointed with their turn-around time and lack of customer service. I'm so grateful to have found Ryan (and Kelly)! They understood my time crunch and moved heaven and earth to buy my house at a fair price and closed by the promised date. They were with me every step of the way and offered world class service! 100% would recommend to anyone!
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