Everyone knows buying a house is an expensive process. It’s usually the most expensive thing anyone will ever buy, and they could spend decades paying off loans for it. What if there was a way to make this more affordable? Buying a fixer-upper can be a great way of doing this.
Properties that usually need a decent bit of maintenance and a few repairs, these are usually much more affordable than their counterparts. As appealing as that is, it also means needing to actually fix it up, which can be a process in itself. If you’re considering it, it’s worth being as informed about buying a fixer-upper as possible before taking the plunge.
Knowing a few things beforehand is more than worth it.
Image Credit: AnnemarieBon from Pixabay.
Why Buy A Fixer-Upper?
As mentioned above, buying a fixer-upper can be much more affordable than buying one of their counterparts. That still mightn’t be enough for you to consider actually doing it. With the work that’s involved in doing everything up, you could want more of a reason to actually take the plunge.
As it turns out, there are more than a few reasons you should consider it. It could be much more appealing than you would’ve thought. Some of the more notable reasons include:
- Greater Quality Control – Since you’ll oversee the repairs and maintenance of the property, you can rest assured that it’s as quality as possible. You mightn’t be able to do that with alternatives, so you could have much more peace of mind because of it.
- More Customization – When you’re doing up a fixer-upper, you can customize it much more to your tastes, a fact that mightn’t apply to their counterparts. You can do much more with the property, making it feel more like it’s yours.
- Less Competition – Fewer people tend to look for fixer-uppers than ones that don’t need any work, simply because of all the work that’s involved. You’ll have fewer people competing against you when you put in a bid for the property, making it more likely you’ll end up getting the one you want.
With how appealing buying a fixer-upper is, you might want to take the plunge on it. Once you’ve finally bought it, you’ll need to put a decent amount of work into it. Some areas are more important than others, making it worth focusing on them first. If you’re about to buy a fixer-upper, five of these will be notable.
Things To Do After Buying A Fixer-Upper: 5 Top Options
1. Get The Foundations Repaired
You’ll see many of the problems in your fixer-upper relatively easily, but you shouldn’t overlook the foundation. It could need much more work than you might’ve thought. It’s worth getting this checked out at the start to make sure there aren’t any issues that need to be addressed.
Any necessary repairs should also be carried out by a professional, such as RS Foundation Repair. It’ll make sure you don’t need to worry about parts of your property coming down at any point, leaving you with a lot less stress.
2. Remodel The Kitchen
Kitchens are often one of the more expensive parts of a house to renovate, even if the house wasn’t a fixer-upper to begin with. Since it’s often one of the more important areas to focus on, it’s worth getting this out of the way as early as possible. Once you do, you’ll know exactly what you have to spend on other areas.
Thankfully, there are more than a few ways to make this as affordable as possible. With a little creativity, you shouldn’t have to worry about the cost.
3. Install New Flooring
The floors will be one of the larger projects you’ll have to focus on when renovating your fixer-upper. It’s worth planning this out as early as possible, but keep it until you’ve sorted out any foundational work and similar options that could affect the flooring. It’ll end up having more of an impact than you’d think.
If you’re handy with your DIY skills, you could even get this done yourself, but it’s always worth asking a professional if you’re unsure about anything.
4. Upgrade The Exterior
Quite a few fixer-uppers look a little rundown, especially from the outside. It’s worth focusing on your property’s exterior as early as possible so you can start making it something you actually like the look of. While it could seem like a significant project, many of the issues you’ll come across can be easier to fix than others.
Replacing shingles and giving everything a paint job can have more of an impact than you’d think, and you can even do them yourself. With a little time and elbow grease, the outside of your home could look better than you thought it would.
5. Repair Drywalls & Ceilings
It’s not uncommon for fixer-uppers to have problems with their drywalls and ceilings. Since these can be some of the larger issues to deal with, they’re worth focusing on as early as possible. Wait until you have everything behind them sorted first, such as electricals and plumbing.
You wouldn’t want to have to rip things out and redo the drywalls again, after all. Thankfully, fixing most of this is relatively easy when you know what you’re doing. Depending on the size of the property, you could even get it done in a day or two.
Things To Do After Buying A Fixer-Upper: Wrapping Up
There are more than a few things to do after buying a fixer-upper, some of which can be off-putting. With the various reasons to buy one, though, it could still be worth considering. Knowing what you’ll need to do in the days and weeks afterward makes sure the process is as straightforward as possible.
Installing new flooring, repairing the drywall and ceilings, upgrading the exterior, and similar tips and tricks will all help with this. While there’ll still be some work involved – it is a fixer-upper, after all – it shouldn’t be nearly as complicated as you could’ve thought.
Kori
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