Not everyone who is looking for a home is traveling in the new subdivisions and looking at the latest that the construction industry has to offer. There are quite a few people out there who are looking for a second hand home as well, and not all of them are looking for that older place because they like the older charm. Some of these people see the potential in what others might call a fixer upper and therefore, they shop for the homes that need some work.
There are some things that these people know to look for that the rest of us may need to learn. There are certain things that make one fixer upper a real dud and the next a real deal. By learning what the pros look for, you stand a better chance of being able to make a few bucks or at least get that home that has the old world appeal that you’ve been looking for.
Fixer upper or not, one of the first things that you’ll need to do is check out the location of the place. Looking at the amenities that are around the home that you’re interested in can help you to decide if the one you’re looking at is the one that’s worthy of your hard earned dollars. If the place has a good transportation system—all the better, but if the transit lines and roadways have been neglected, you might want to consider another location.
Next, you’ll want to look at the big items in the home itself. windows and doors that are older can be overlooked since they can be replaced quite easily, but a roof that looks like it might be in need of repair is a big expense that might make you want to take another look at the whole picture. There’s one other thing that can turn you off from a particular fixer upper home right away since it’s generally considered to be one of the biggest red flags of all.
Large cracks in the basement walls can be considered a real indication that you should be moving on and looking at other properties. Generally, some of them can be repaired for a reasonable rate and changing something small like the slope of the drainage around the home often fixes the problem, but other cracks can mean the foundation itself has shifted and repairs can run into the thousands.
home-inspection
