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I had to choose between a fixer-upper and a move-in ready. I went with the fixer-upper and here's what happened 6 months later.
Found a little 3 bed 1 bath in Columbus for $85k. Move-in ready ones in the same area were going for $150k easy. Figured I could handle some drywall and paint. Six months in and I've spent $12k so far on plumbing and electrical surprises. Still cheaper than the other option but man... my weekends are gone. Did anyone else underestimate the timeline on these old houses?
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fionanguyen11d ago
Laughing at the 90% thing because I'm pretty sure whoever wrote that lived through the exact same six months you did. My fixer-upper had a pipe burst behind a wall I'd just finished patching. $3k and four weekends later I finally got heat back in the guest room. Yeah, my weekends are a memory too but at least the house is worth something now.
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craig.parker12d ago
Well I read somewhere that 90% of old houses have hidden problems that pop up within the first year.
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skyler_kelly6911d ago
Exactly that line about "hidden problems" is the part that gets me. It's not just hidden problems it's the way old houses WAIT to spring them on you at the WORST possible moment like a prank. I bought a place from the 1920s and thought I was SO smart getting an inspection. First month the wiring in the kitchen started acting up, had to tear out half the drywall to rewire the whole floor. That 90% thing sounds low honestly once you start digging into one issue you find three more behind it. It's like the house is testing your commitment or something. But I guess that's just what you sign up for with old houses, nobody gets a free ride.
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