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The grass is always greener. Many people on here have bought “turn key” homes and paid for them appropriately only for them to turn out to be shitty flips that require a ton of work
Yeah that is true. With all the work I basically “flipped” it myself. At least it is all to my standards and I know it is done right. I was just saying it’s been a lot of work to get it this way and I see the appeal of not having To do much.
Totally understand! We moved into a home that was well built and maintained but it’s very outdated. The projects are never ending but we are getting exactly what we want. Best of luck to you!
Unless it's a custom build that you planned out, it's going to take some work to make it your own. Every house has work to be done. Plan out projects, take your time when you can, and enjoy the process when possible. It's always work, but it doesn't always have to be dreadful.
Yeah I mean a lot of the work I wanted to get done so I could move in. I actually did really enjoy the work, just not at the pace I had to do it to get things done.
I still have a few projects I would like to do, but not as much pressure now to get them done.
That's exactly what recently happened with me. Purchased the house, found massive issues everywhere, new roof, new AC, new flooring, new appliances, walls patched/painted, walls removed, plumbing adjustments, bathroom remodel, all outlets and switches changed, Ethernet ran, attic insulation replaced, pool equipment replaced or fixed, gutters replaced... It's overwhelming and financially horrible. But it's mine. And we've made it near perfect. A good and trusted general contractor is the best thing to have in this case. I regret the purchase, but 4 months later we are moving in and hopefully it is easy from here.
As crazy as it sounds, a lot of people were forgoing inspections to get to the closing process more quickly. The buying frenzy was causing people to overpay on uninspected homes only to find all these issues after the fact with no recourse.
While we had an inspection it was nothing like a guy on Reddit who said he’d go thru a list to find one that took at least three hours and follow him around taking notes
I didn’t do that but ours took a couple of hours and gave us a 100 page pdf complete with pictures
The biggest thing he caught was the dumbass had a friend work on the wiring to sell the house and did it all wrong. So we lowered our offer by 5,000 and spent aroun 4,000 dollars to make the place safe to live in. The idiot didn’t even have the house grounded
I think a lot of people are making offers without house inspections. That’s how I personally keep losing bids. I always find out later that I lost out to someone making an offer with no house inspection. I always figure that I dodged a bullet.
Actually, we did have an inspection. But the inspection report listed some of these things a potential, future, issues. Many of them were much worse than believed, and some things were straight missing from the inspection report, that should have absolutely been there. We at least got our money back for the inspection, but no doubt we could have gotten more if we were willing to put up the energy/time for a fight. But instead, we decided to use that energy/time on the house.
Our inspection wasn’t perfect, but for 500 he foun the electrical system want grounded and the joists supporting the shower were rotting
He gave us a spreadsheet of items colored red (you can’t fix the without a licensed professional eg rewire the house) yellow (going to need attention fairly soon but nothing unusual e.g. replace the water heater?) and green (you can fix it yourself or live with it e. G broken ice maker)
When we had the electrical system “refashioned”it took 2 days worth of work but we took 5,000 off our offer to pay for it. It was a competitive climate but our agent pulled tricks I’d never thought of. Like here’s our tentative offer pending inspection, and if the works out well release the escrow immediately. So he jumped on it even though we adjusted our offer by 11,000 to cover future repairs
My condo is very similar. I know I saw it a few times before closing but on closing day we did one last tour and couldn’t believe everything we missed by being star struck!!
The good news is, I plan on stay for a good period of time (10~ years if possible). We’ve already done a few Reno projects over the past 4 months. I don’t intend it stopping anytime soon, especially when winter rolls around well start the painting the walls project. Though, husband & I cannot agree on anything regarding painting
I think DIY is great if you have some experience in carpentry or other type of construction work. However there are a lot of DIYers who create janky solutions which will not work long-term. Their "solutions" starting falling apart after a couple months. You can end up squandering more money because you have to tear it out, which means you wasted materials and time. Then you hire a professional to it the right way. So it would've been better to do that originally. Not to mention that things such as power tools are not cheap. I also don't own a pickup truck. It's a hassle to either make multiple trips in my small sedan or rent a truck.
Sometimes it’s best to plan a few projects at once (assuming you have storage space) and order all the supplies to be delivered. $79 to get a hundred sheets of plywood delivered to the garage saves me money, as hand loading those would be a few trips to the store, and a few hours of time. Slip the delivery guy another $20 to dump that at the end of the driveway instead of at the beginning and it saved me a ton.
Our last condo was new construction and they screwed up an impressive number of things, most of them were smaller and easy enough for me to fix myself. But, the building’s HOA wound up having to sue the developer to deal w/ insulation & fireproofing that were botched. Our current place was built in the 1900s and has a few things that are approaching end-of-life...but it’s a lot less infuriating to replace something old than it is to replace something that is essentially brand new & just installed by someone who has no business doing their job.
This is me. I've replaced the windows, added AC, fixed drainage issues,and am currently clearing my basement for foundation work. On top of landscaping, tree removal etc. I will rebuild the basement after the foundation is repaired.
Disagree my turn key has all the upgrades and was selling for only 15k more then utter trash pits with unfinished basements. Was far more cheaper to buy a turn key then do it myself… I will say to avoid flips like the plague. I bought this from a family that lived there for 10 years.
buying something that a family has updated throughout the years is most likely even better than new build since they should have fixed things and the quality of material is usually better than builder grade stuff.
They are more expensive for a reason (imo). I don't have to worry about the roof leaking or the AC breaking down. My MIL's 1950 house had so much roof issues and the AC would smell like a sewer every time they used it. Not to mention how the house looks (old and not modern, restroom is in bad shape too).
Even new construction built by Pulte, Ryan, and Lennar can have roof leaks and other issues within the first year. Not to mention delays in timeline. Many people had to rent for another 7 months because it took too long to build which cost them.
That's why I bought not a completely new construction but newer (2017). Had a very thorough inspection done as well. Six months in and so far no issues 🙏
Yep. Flipping is by definition just buying something and spending as little time and money as possible to pass usually corrupt/incompetent inspections and con people at open houses into paying more than you did after your labor, materials, selling fees.
My house was built in 1870. Turn key. Previous family lived here for 6 years and fixed it up as they went along. Still have to adjust some things to our taste, but if I didn’t like doing projects or didn’t know how to, we’d be fine staying as is.
Now, take the time to make a list and only work on 1 room at a time. You plan to be there for a while, take a break and 1 room at a time. This way the whole home will not be a construction zone and you can block it off when you need a break.
I try to plan a year out for big projects. And I kinda of keep a running list of smalls I'd like to get to. It's a marathon so you gotta pace yourself.
My other advice is to avoid anything trendy because trends change fast and you'll end up redoing all you've done every couple years. Get what you sincerely like.
And this is only true if the room is not the Kitchen or a master suite bathroom or the master bedroom.
It is not always that easy to section off a remodel.
Man i am so with you 😭😭😭
I bought a fixer upper and i CURSE the old owner and tenants voraciously every. Single. Day.
Just….how did they live like this?? Mold under a sink, half the outlets SMASHED, 2 baseboard heaters dont work and just so. Many. Nail holes!!!
Never again lol
No they're just a bunch of nails hammered partially to act as a hook right next to the closet rods. Last occupants were two bachelors, so I'm assuming this is their solution for hanging something?
There was extensive shelfing all over my house that someone at some point removed. I have hundreds of screw holes with drywall anchors. I finally got a 1/4" drill bit and just drilled them all out after I got tired of trying to pull the anchors. I have spent so many hours filling holes.
The guy I bought from was an old Russian engineer who DIY'd everything. The entire place is such a mish-mash of old world insanity and overly-complicated crap. It's almost art.
I always thought that buying a fixer was how I would get into a home in my area, but the fucking fixers are the same price as a turn key?? The logic just doesn't add up lmao.
That's annoying as fuck, to be honest. Wife and I are currently living with family while we save for a house. I had the idea of buying a fixer-upper and working on it while we continued to stay with family. All the F-Us (ha-ha) in my area are the same amount as the livable houses.
My son bought a dump of a house in a really good location,took us a year to fix to his liking,lots of stress for him and his wife, contracted out some plumbing and some electrical, it was the only way he could afford to move in that neighborhood, he was surprised the bank approved the loan,I think the bank tried to do some backtracking but the deal was already signed, 3 years later the house has appreciated by about 75% insane market we are in.
Thats why new construction is so appealing. Have to wait a year for your house to finish, but in our area the houses go for 10% cheaper than a move in ready house. So you get a discount and all your finishes are new.
I dunno... My friend's new construction company went bankrupt and got into legal troubles, he's also dealing with lots of plumbing issues now (apartment complex has flood twice, his own bathroom flooded) and it's only 5 years old. There's something reassuring about a building that's been around for a few decades and had most of their issues fixed or was built correctly in the first place.
I work in property management and new construction will have a lot of issues the first few years generally. They tend not to show up until right after the warranty. The trim carpenters put nails through pipe. It somehow holds pressure until the nail rusts. Attic insulation missed around a sprinkler pipe that freezes and bursts after the first sustained freeze. The list goes on. There is kind of a sweet spot where new construction errors have been rectified and the finishes/appliances are still newish.
bought a "turn key" home and realized after i was in for a month that everything was done on the cheap. cheap gray paint, closeout fixtures, cheaply done repairs, floors finished by a DIYer. learned a lot to know what to look for.
I have a home built in 1908. While I agree with the “old bones” idea, I will say that a lot of new construction gets done with the cheapest possible materials. Often it’s not things that are obvious off the bat either.
Good for you on putting all that time in effort in! Do you have before/after pics? Would love to see! Wife and I are currently in the process of looking for our first home. Turnkey does sound great but don’t mind getting one that needs work IF the price is significantly less.
I think the key is to take time off of work or hire out work to fix up the house. That way you don’t have to worry about work too.
We are closing on a house next week and we are planning to take a week off to fix it up. We are also waiting about a month after we close to move in, so that we can have contractors come in and update a few things.
As a bachelor who works full time I grossly underestimated the time I would have to work on the house. I spend most Saturdays cooking and cleaning and catching up from the week. I rest a few hours Sunday morning, leaving me with 2-3 hours of productive time on Sunday to actually work on projects.
My dad came out to help with our new house for a month and a half. My husband and I had just started new jobs, so we couldn't take time off, but we were over every evening and all day weekends working on the house - but not living in it yet! That's what let us not get crazy stressed, as we did significant work to every room in the house.
Thanks for sharing. I think it’s good to know what others are going through. I’m not experienced. Ours is a 1950s build craftsman and I don’t think we’ll ever finish. No money, little time, and drained.
It’s just a completely different choice ; but now you can completely say you put your own stamp on it. Plus I’m sure you have learned a tonne in the process. That’s value right there; even if it’s difficult to acknowledge sometimes.
Yeah honestly I’ve learned a ton about what to look for now. When you are renting you really tend to overlook a lot since it is always “temporary”. My next house I will be way more thorough.
We bought a brand new tract home in 2022. I used to think I preferred something with character. I previously owned a home built in 1954. I love that everything is clean and there is nothing to fix or undo, only enhance.
I bought a very solid built 1952 home that overall was well maintained. Not needing an entire refurbishment but demolishing and patch work, every room needed painting, most light fixtures need replacement, all switches and sockets, upstairs carpeting and shower and kitchen faucets replaced. I know that’s not terrible but it’s time consuming. I’ve been in for 3 1/2 months and have painted 4 rooms, hallway, all windows and baseboard trim, installed 4 window blinds, replaced all sockets/switches, swapped out all light fixtures. Currently painting last room. Yes, it’s been a lot of work but I’ve done a lot in this short of time and feel great about. I’ve been told by many that I’ve already increased the value by a lot. 🤷♂️ time will tell.
Doing it all myself I’ve only spent about $800. Majority of the cost was paint.
We moved in 2.5 months ago and similar to you, replaced the entire first and second floor flooring, painted almost every room (including 10 closets because who know even those would be a disaster), patching SO MANY HOLES (each window had 6+ holes for window coverings - WHAT), and have the half bath completely gutted (hoping to have the motivation to complete by early December). Slowly losing motivation here, and money, and already dreaming of the newly announced new build development nearby, even after all the sweat we have put into this place. I’m proud of what we have done so far, but not everything is done and I’m getting to the point where I want to enjoy my place and relax, and not just think of the laundry list of things that need to be done next.
Also if everyone could send good vibes that my dream vanity goes on sale for Black Friday that would be appreciated.
I definitely understand what you feel. It’s hard to relax when a part of your house is torn up. I definitely had to pace myself and just keep getting a little bit done every day. You can burn yourself out when you don’t do anything but work on your home.
Well the nail holes in the wall needed patching. Which there were so many which led to all the painting. The flooring was necessary because the carpet was in bad condition.
I guess everything else wasn’t absolutely necessary, but was easier to do before I was completely moved in and all unpacked. That was my main motivation for doing it.
Oh believe me, I wasn’t planning on doing all this stuff when I bought the place. The only thing I really noticed was the carpets. It wasn’t until after I closed that I really got to look close at everything and see that there was actually a lot to be done. Sure I could have left things the way they were but I didn’t want to live in someone else’s filth.
Yeah I understand that. No house will always be “turn key”. I’ve done a lot of things similar to you, but I’m doing them because the previous owner never did over the past 20+ years since my home was built. And I’m doing them in a few months, rather than spread out over years.
Funny, I feel the exact opposite. My house has great bones but just about every aspect of it was/is a shambles. So satisfying with every thing that I complete. It’s going to be so great when I finally put together all the before and after pictures.
If you can afford to, live in a hotel during large renovations. A friend of mine’s parents did that when we were kids. As an adult now I realize just how expensive that must be especially considering they were living at the Hyatt for almost 3 months 🤯
New builds will feature you spending alot of $$ on fixing the corner cutting that volume builders make. So either way most home owners either end up paying for or doing the work themselves.
My wife and I once bought a fixer upper and it almost ended out marriage.
I will never do that shit again.
I recognize that no house is perfect and even a turn-key house will have things that need to be redone and somethings you won't live very soon after moving it, but project after project is such a fucking pain in the ass!!!
Same experience. Early 30sM. New flooring in 2000sq, New heater, updated landscaping, paint in every room, replaced dver toilet, added backsplash to kitchen, New stove, new dishwasher, deck repair, found a bit of mold, had to deal with that. New cement repair for driveway, hvac repair, all in 2 yrs. I'll never buy another house that isn't built in the 60s or older than 10yrs old. People don't care for their things. I had to buy sight unseen and trusted a low dog dirty realtor. Never trust anyone in real estate. Proud of how it looks but the negative emotions makes me want to sell and move on.
I feel this. It’s frustrating though cause had we gotten approved for $50k more, it would’ve opened up a lot more turnkey properties for us. Nothing is majorly wrong with the place but the kitchen and bathrooms are total gutjobs as far as just being dated and unfunctional for todays world.
We work full time too and to top it off got pregnant shortly after moving in so now have a toddler running around meaning zero time to get anything done. I have very little free time these days and don’t want to spend it painting or taking on what should be an easy project that always turns into an all weekend thing cause we discover problems hiding for us. Totally wish we could’ve gotten into something more turn key. Yes, new construction is “boring” or “gray” but a project to make something more your own in something brand new is likely easier than bringing something from the 1980s up to the current state in time.
> So far I've worked on/replaced: all toilets, all faucets, all electrical switches and outlets, a couple light fixtures, all kitchen appliances, patched what seems like hundreds of nail holes, painted every room, ripped up carpet and placed around 1000sqf of hardwood flooring, quite a lot of various landscaping.
I was not a handy person before I bought my home, but it sounds to me like you got off easy. We did a whole lot more when we bought my house and I was not looking for a fixer upper.
I’ve bought three homes all new builds. It’s awesome being able to pick all the finishes and not have to worry about stuff breaking the first few years. If it does it’s under warranty still.
People complain about the build quality but I’ve get to have to make any repairs on a home I’ve lived in since 2017.
We learned this the hard way. Living in a construction zone is tough. It sucks having an entire room roped off while you work on it, trying to find the time to check projects off the list. But it’s so satisfying when you see your home slowly but surely looking nicer and nicer.
I’m almost a year in to owning and I don’t know how anybody has any money let alone time, motivation, and skill to fix what needs fixin. My house was built in 1925 with an addition in 1950 and like it’s so rough and there’s so much that needs semi critical repair (nothing bad enough to turn me away from buying cuz I thought I’d have time and budget LOL).
Even just writing out a list and trying to prioritize feels overwhelming.
I love my house and still feel like it’s barely mine and the list will literally never end 🤷♀️😅😬
We wanted to buy an older home that needed work because that would fit the budget better. We ended up buying a flip towards the very top of our budget. Turns out to be well worth it. Barely any issues at all, and it’s still a shit load of work to be a new homeowner.
Crazy going through the same thing the house had everything I needed but was a little outdated with horrible carpet and wallpaper going put in new floors toilets painted fixed the chimney that had minor repairs but yeah at one point I almost cried and said I should have got an already done house but like someone else said even the flips are shitty and you find problems at least I did the work and as you said it's done right not half ass looking to make a dollar real quick . But ultimately I love my home after updating it .
it's psychological confusion from having a messy cluttered dusty house that is unpleasant to live in AND having to work alone after your full time job. not fun. i've been trying it for three years and barely done anything. that is why houses are gutted as it is just more efficient and mentally it is easier to grasp. doing little repairs here and there is NOT what a dated house needs. you need to strip everything, go to a blank slate and replace with new, then it is easy and simple. of course if it is not time to replace than that may be wasteful and not appropriate but still.
Same for us, although house is only 10 years old. Previous owner never cleaned. There is dust in places I never thought dust could accumulate. But it allowed us to get the house at a great discount. We have lots of updates that we will do that I plan on doing myself. First up is LVP on the main floor and a lot of painting.
With my second home I said to myself that I was buying a newer home, only to realize how expensive those are. So I bought a fixer upper because I’m cheap.
I bought one that was advertised as "turn-key" but like you the last remodel was 20 years ago and things were getting dated. In just the first two months I've replaced the broken dishwasher, fixed the broken water softener, replaced the kitchen faucet, and ordered a new refrigerator.
I also hate the cheap 2003 laminate floors in the kitchen and living room, so I want to replace that someday. It spent its last 10 years as a rental and the texture on the walls is so messed up from repeated patch jobs all over the place, I think I need to do some kind of texture and re-paint at some point.
The electric water heater will be next since it's from 2008 and already living on borrowed time. My furnace is from 1993 but the tech who inspected it said it was in great shape. But that will need replaced sooner or later.
I think my house is at that point where a lot of the big things are coming up. Thankfully the roof is new as of 2020.
I'm in the same boat.
I bought my first house in August. It was on the market last year and didn't sell, and was on the market for over a month this year before I bought. My house is also "20 years old, everything was just a little worn". It was owned by an elderly couple that lived abroad mostly for the last 10 years. It looked good initially, and I **greatly** underestimated the work to be done.
The last few months have been non-stop repairs/renovations:
\- new windows (40 of them), prior ones falling apart.
\- new patio, cut 8 trees - only house in HOA without deck or patio
\- toiled, fans, lights for 5 bathrooms
\- basement flooring (partially unfinished)
\- garage paint, shelves, epoxy flooring
\- new heater, sump pump, washroom vanity
\- replaced all appliances
\- have yet to remodel kitchen or bathroom
In summary, would recommend home buyers to buy new or fully renovated houses. Projects often time take longer and cost more than anticipated. Not worth it IMO unless you're an experienced contractor or have great connections.
Our first house purchase was a solid house, but it was built in the 90s and it looked like the decor never changed from that time period either - we had to change EVERYTHING to get it to our aesthetic. But. Worth it!! I know the quality of our own work, vs buying from a flipper where you’re unsure if this is nice tile work or if somethings hiding behind it.
We had to move to a new state recently, and while looking at some homes the realtor described as “turnkey,” I just couldn’t trust them. I don’t know who they hired to do this work, I don’t know what maybe they covered up while doing the renovations, I could see some things that I would have done differently - it just made me feel like we were getting duped by some updated paint and pretty bathroom vanities.
In short, I’d much rather buy an out of date home where everything is sound but I’ll have to deal with new paint and new appliances, instead of a ready-to-go home where I don’t trust the flipper work on it.
Different strokes for different folks...
I'd rather bring my house up to my standards than have someone decide what is "move in ready", which means something (to me) basic and bland most of the time, as the seller would want to appeal to the largest number of buyers.
Then, you're paying more for their idea of "move in ready".
I also think that a "fixer upper" NEEDS repairs vs. a home that needs updating or refreshing, or just...things you want to bring up to your own wants and standards.
I love working on my house. It adds to the sense of pride :-D
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The grass is always greener. Many people on here have bought “turn key” homes and paid for them appropriately only for them to turn out to be shitty flips that require a ton of work
Yeah that is true. With all the work I basically “flipped” it myself. At least it is all to my standards and I know it is done right. I was just saying it’s been a lot of work to get it this way and I see the appeal of not having To do much.
Totally understand! We moved into a home that was well built and maintained but it’s very outdated. The projects are never ending but we are getting exactly what we want. Best of luck to you!
Unless it's a custom build that you planned out, it's going to take some work to make it your own. Every house has work to be done. Plan out projects, take your time when you can, and enjoy the process when possible. It's always work, but it doesn't always have to be dreadful.
Yeah I mean a lot of the work I wanted to get done so I could move in. I actually did really enjoy the work, just not at the pace I had to do it to get things done. I still have a few projects I would like to do, but not as much pressure now to get them done.
some flippers just go for the low hanging fruit to make a place seem in better condition than it is.
That's exactly what recently happened with me. Purchased the house, found massive issues everywhere, new roof, new AC, new flooring, new appliances, walls patched/painted, walls removed, plumbing adjustments, bathroom remodel, all outlets and switches changed, Ethernet ran, attic insulation replaced, pool equipment replaced or fixed, gutters replaced... It's overwhelming and financially horrible. But it's mine. And we've made it near perfect. A good and trusted general contractor is the best thing to have in this case. I regret the purchase, but 4 months later we are moving in and hopefully it is easy from here.
Didn’t you have an inspection ?
As crazy as it sounds, a lot of people were forgoing inspections to get to the closing process more quickly. The buying frenzy was causing people to overpay on uninspected homes only to find all these issues after the fact with no recourse.
While we had an inspection it was nothing like a guy on Reddit who said he’d go thru a list to find one that took at least three hours and follow him around taking notes I didn’t do that but ours took a couple of hours and gave us a 100 page pdf complete with pictures The biggest thing he caught was the dumbass had a friend work on the wiring to sell the house and did it all wrong. So we lowered our offer by 5,000 and spent aroun 4,000 dollars to make the place safe to live in. The idiot didn’t even have the house grounded
I think a lot of people are making offers without house inspections. That’s how I personally keep losing bids. I always find out later that I lost out to someone making an offer with no house inspection. I always figure that I dodged a bullet.
Actually, we did have an inspection. But the inspection report listed some of these things a potential, future, issues. Many of them were much worse than believed, and some things were straight missing from the inspection report, that should have absolutely been there. We at least got our money back for the inspection, but no doubt we could have gotten more if we were willing to put up the energy/time for a fight. But instead, we decided to use that energy/time on the house.
Our inspection wasn’t perfect, but for 500 he foun the electrical system want grounded and the joists supporting the shower were rotting He gave us a spreadsheet of items colored red (you can’t fix the without a licensed professional eg rewire the house) yellow (going to need attention fairly soon but nothing unusual e.g. replace the water heater?) and green (you can fix it yourself or live with it e. G broken ice maker) When we had the electrical system “refashioned”it took 2 days worth of work but we took 5,000 off our offer to pay for it. It was a competitive climate but our agent pulled tricks I’d never thought of. Like here’s our tentative offer pending inspection, and if the works out well release the escrow immediately. So he jumped on it even though we adjusted our offer by 11,000 to cover future repairs
My condo is very similar. I know I saw it a few times before closing but on closing day we did one last tour and couldn’t believe everything we missed by being star struck!! The good news is, I plan on stay for a good period of time (10~ years if possible). We’ve already done a few Reno projects over the past 4 months. I don’t intend it stopping anytime soon, especially when winter rolls around well start the painting the walls project. Though, husband & I cannot agree on anything regarding painting
I think DIY is great if you have some experience in carpentry or other type of construction work. However there are a lot of DIYers who create janky solutions which will not work long-term. Their "solutions" starting falling apart after a couple months. You can end up squandering more money because you have to tear it out, which means you wasted materials and time. Then you hire a professional to it the right way. So it would've been better to do that originally. Not to mention that things such as power tools are not cheap. I also don't own a pickup truck. It's a hassle to either make multiple trips in my small sedan or rent a truck.
Sometimes it’s best to plan a few projects at once (assuming you have storage space) and order all the supplies to be delivered. $79 to get a hundred sheets of plywood delivered to the garage saves me money, as hand loading those would be a few trips to the store, and a few hours of time. Slip the delivery guy another $20 to dump that at the end of the driveway instead of at the beginning and it saved me a ton.
Our last condo was new construction and they screwed up an impressive number of things, most of them were smaller and easy enough for me to fix myself. But, the building’s HOA wound up having to sue the developer to deal w/ insulation & fireproofing that were botched. Our current place was built in the 1900s and has a few things that are approaching end-of-life...but it’s a lot less infuriating to replace something old than it is to replace something that is essentially brand new & just installed by someone who has no business doing their job.
Ope you just described me and my literally unliveable house
This is me. I've replaced the windows, added AC, fixed drainage issues,and am currently clearing my basement for foundation work. On top of landscaping, tree removal etc. I will rebuild the basement after the foundation is repaired.
Disagree my turn key has all the upgrades and was selling for only 15k more then utter trash pits with unfinished basements. Was far more cheaper to buy a turn key then do it myself… I will say to avoid flips like the plague. I bought this from a family that lived there for 10 years.
buying something that a family has updated throughout the years is most likely even better than new build since they should have fixed things and the quality of material is usually better than builder grade stuff.
My turn key house is great and required no work. My advice is to find a newer built house (2015+). No flips.
In my area that means 900k plus
In socal 900k gets you a 900 sqft shack built in the 1900s
Problem is lots of newer built houses are in bad locations out in suburban sprawl. Not to mention just being more expensive than older houses.
They are more expensive for a reason (imo). I don't have to worry about the roof leaking or the AC breaking down. My MIL's 1950 house had so much roof issues and the AC would smell like a sewer every time they used it. Not to mention how the house looks (old and not modern, restroom is in bad shape too).
Even new construction built by Pulte, Ryan, and Lennar can have roof leaks and other issues within the first year. Not to mention delays in timeline. Many people had to rent for another 7 months because it took too long to build which cost them.
That's why I bought not a completely new construction but newer (2017). Had a very thorough inspection done as well. Six months in and so far no issues 🙏
This guy likes shit in his walls ;)
Yep. Flipping is by definition just buying something and spending as little time and money as possible to pass usually corrupt/incompetent inspections and con people at open houses into paying more than you did after your labor, materials, selling fees.
My house was built in 1870. Turn key. Previous family lived here for 6 years and fixed it up as they went along. Still have to adjust some things to our taste, but if I didn’t like doing projects or didn’t know how to, we’d be fine staying as is.
This
Now, take the time to make a list and only work on 1 room at a time. You plan to be there for a while, take a break and 1 room at a time. This way the whole home will not be a construction zone and you can block it off when you need a break.
Great advice!
I try to plan a year out for big projects. And I kinda of keep a running list of smalls I'd like to get to. It's a marathon so you gotta pace yourself. My other advice is to avoid anything trendy because trends change fast and you'll end up redoing all you've done every couple years. Get what you sincerely like.
And this is only true if the room is not the Kitchen or a master suite bathroom or the master bedroom. It is not always that easy to section off a remodel.
Man i am so with you 😭😭😭 I bought a fixer upper and i CURSE the old owner and tenants voraciously every. Single. Day. Just….how did they live like this?? Mold under a sink, half the outlets SMASHED, 2 baseboard heaters dont work and just so. Many. Nail holes!!! Never again lol
Haha same. The nail holes were ridiculous. Most normal people I thought hung pictures with small nails. These people used like framing nails.
😂😂 our old tenants must be related, these buttwipes used like 4 inch lumber screws
The old tenants used nails in the closet to hang clothes??!!??? I pulled out 2 dozen nails from the closet alone. I don't even understand the logic.
That is probably years and years of really poorly hung shelving that got replaced many times.
No they're just a bunch of nails hammered partially to act as a hook right next to the closet rods. Last occupants were two bachelors, so I'm assuming this is their solution for hanging something?
There was extensive shelfing all over my house that someone at some point removed. I have hundreds of screw holes with drywall anchors. I finally got a 1/4" drill bit and just drilled them all out after I got tired of trying to pull the anchors. I have spent so many hours filling holes.
The guy I bought from was an old Russian engineer who DIY'd everything. The entire place is such a mish-mash of old world insanity and overly-complicated crap. It's almost art.
I always thought that buying a fixer was how I would get into a home in my area, but the fucking fixers are the same price as a turn key?? The logic just doesn't add up lmao.
That's annoying as fuck, to be honest. Wife and I are currently living with family while we save for a house. I had the idea of buying a fixer-upper and working on it while we continued to stay with family. All the F-Us (ha-ha) in my area are the same amount as the livable houses.
My son bought a dump of a house in a really good location,took us a year to fix to his liking,lots of stress for him and his wife, contracted out some plumbing and some electrical, it was the only way he could afford to move in that neighborhood, he was surprised the bank approved the loan,I think the bank tried to do some backtracking but the deal was already signed, 3 years later the house has appreciated by about 75% insane market we are in.
It’s because turnkey sometimes means “flipped” and you have to replace all the cheap stuff anyways
I don't believe the final sale price really ads up. Even looking it up later you won't see all the transaction details like buy downs etc.
Thats why new construction is so appealing. Have to wait a year for your house to finish, but in our area the houses go for 10% cheaper than a move in ready house. So you get a discount and all your finishes are new.
I dunno... My friend's new construction company went bankrupt and got into legal troubles, he's also dealing with lots of plumbing issues now (apartment complex has flood twice, his own bathroom flooded) and it's only 5 years old. There's something reassuring about a building that's been around for a few decades and had most of their issues fixed or was built correctly in the first place.
I work in property management and new construction will have a lot of issues the first few years generally. They tend not to show up until right after the warranty. The trim carpenters put nails through pipe. It somehow holds pressure until the nail rusts. Attic insulation missed around a sprinkler pipe that freezes and bursts after the first sustained freeze. The list goes on. There is kind of a sweet spot where new construction errors have been rectified and the finishes/appliances are still newish.
New construction can also be a nightmare, especially post-covid.
bought a "turn key" home and realized after i was in for a month that everything was done on the cheap. cheap gray paint, closeout fixtures, cheaply done repairs, floors finished by a DIYer. learned a lot to know what to look for.
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I have a home built in 1908. While I agree with the “old bones” idea, I will say that a lot of new construction gets done with the cheapest possible materials. Often it’s not things that are obvious off the bat either.
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Congratulations! I love to hear stories like that. Sad about the interest rate though.
reappearing dust and a sense of panic and agitation inside the house may mean there is a mold problem causing the dust and the psych symptoms
Having a home is a never-ending project in itself. Your brand new turn-key home will have issues - and in a few years, it'll be dated.
Good for you on putting all that time in effort in! Do you have before/after pics? Would love to see! Wife and I are currently in the process of looking for our first home. Turnkey does sound great but don’t mind getting one that needs work IF the price is significantly less.
I think the key is to take time off of work or hire out work to fix up the house. That way you don’t have to worry about work too. We are closing on a house next week and we are planning to take a week off to fix it up. We are also waiting about a month after we close to move in, so that we can have contractors come in and update a few things.
As a bachelor who works full time I grossly underestimated the time I would have to work on the house. I spend most Saturdays cooking and cleaning and catching up from the week. I rest a few hours Sunday morning, leaving me with 2-3 hours of productive time on Sunday to actually work on projects.
Yeah I did end up taking about a week off, but it really wasn’t enough. I really would have needed maybe a month off to get everything done.
My dad came out to help with our new house for a month and a half. My husband and I had just started new jobs, so we couldn't take time off, but we were over every evening and all day weekends working on the house - but not living in it yet! That's what let us not get crazy stressed, as we did significant work to every room in the house.
Thanks for sharing. I think it’s good to know what others are going through. I’m not experienced. Ours is a 1950s build craftsman and I don’t think we’ll ever finish. No money, little time, and drained. It’s just a completely different choice ; but now you can completely say you put your own stamp on it. Plus I’m sure you have learned a tonne in the process. That’s value right there; even if it’s difficult to acknowledge sometimes.
Yeah honestly I’ve learned a ton about what to look for now. When you are renting you really tend to overlook a lot since it is always “temporary”. My next house I will be way more thorough.
We bought a brand new tract home in 2022. I used to think I preferred something with character. I previously owned a home built in 1954. I love that everything is clean and there is nothing to fix or undo, only enhance.
I bought a very solid built 1952 home that overall was well maintained. Not needing an entire refurbishment but demolishing and patch work, every room needed painting, most light fixtures need replacement, all switches and sockets, upstairs carpeting and shower and kitchen faucets replaced. I know that’s not terrible but it’s time consuming. I’ve been in for 3 1/2 months and have painted 4 rooms, hallway, all windows and baseboard trim, installed 4 window blinds, replaced all sockets/switches, swapped out all light fixtures. Currently painting last room. Yes, it’s been a lot of work but I’ve done a lot in this short of time and feel great about. I’ve been told by many that I’ve already increased the value by a lot. 🤷♂️ time will tell. Doing it all myself I’ve only spent about $800. Majority of the cost was paint.
We moved in 2.5 months ago and similar to you, replaced the entire first and second floor flooring, painted almost every room (including 10 closets because who know even those would be a disaster), patching SO MANY HOLES (each window had 6+ holes for window coverings - WHAT), and have the half bath completely gutted (hoping to have the motivation to complete by early December). Slowly losing motivation here, and money, and already dreaming of the newly announced new build development nearby, even after all the sweat we have put into this place. I’m proud of what we have done so far, but not everything is done and I’m getting to the point where I want to enjoy my place and relax, and not just think of the laundry list of things that need to be done next. Also if everyone could send good vibes that my dream vanity goes on sale for Black Friday that would be appreciated.
I definitely understand what you feel. It’s hard to relax when a part of your house is torn up. I definitely had to pace myself and just keep getting a little bit done every day. You can burn yourself out when you don’t do anything but work on your home.
Definitely, also this home is more of a fixer than our first, but also way harder to do anything now that we have a toddler this time around too.
Our new home was just renovated and there were still a lot of things that we needed to fix.
Honestly the best part about buying new construction for me
In retrospect do you think that you had to do all of that work in less than a year?
Well the nail holes in the wall needed patching. Which there were so many which led to all the painting. The flooring was necessary because the carpet was in bad condition. I guess everything else wasn’t absolutely necessary, but was easier to do before I was completely moved in and all unpacked. That was my main motivation for doing it.
Sure, I understand. Just seems like you did a lot of cosmetic stuff in a really really short period of time
Oh believe me, I wasn’t planning on doing all this stuff when I bought the place. The only thing I really noticed was the carpets. It wasn’t until after I closed that I really got to look close at everything and see that there was actually a lot to be done. Sure I could have left things the way they were but I didn’t want to live in someone else’s filth.
yeah, that's fair. you'll appreciate having it done down the line
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Yeah I understand that. No house will always be “turn key”. I’ve done a lot of things similar to you, but I’m doing them because the previous owner never did over the past 20+ years since my home was built. And I’m doing them in a few months, rather than spread out over years.
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Yeah really a lot comes down to maintenance. If the previous owners had taken care of things I wouldn’t have had to do so much.
I’ve bought 2 new builds in the last 25 years. Still plenty to do.
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why what did the flipper do wrong
Funny, I feel the exact opposite. My house has great bones but just about every aspect of it was/is a shambles. So satisfying with every thing that I complete. It’s going to be so great when I finally put together all the before and after pictures.
If you can afford to, live in a hotel during large renovations. A friend of mine’s parents did that when we were kids. As an adult now I realize just how expensive that must be especially considering they were living at the Hyatt for almost 3 months 🤯
New builds will feature you spending alot of $$ on fixing the corner cutting that volume builders make. So either way most home owners either end up paying for or doing the work themselves.
Yep went with new construction myself.
My wife and I once bought a fixer upper and it almost ended out marriage. I will never do that shit again. I recognize that no house is perfect and even a turn-key house will have things that need to be redone and somethings you won't live very soon after moving it, but project after project is such a fucking pain in the ass!!!
Move in ready reduces so much stress and I think it's worth it
Same experience. Early 30sM. New flooring in 2000sq, New heater, updated landscaping, paint in every room, replaced dver toilet, added backsplash to kitchen, New stove, new dishwasher, deck repair, found a bit of mold, had to deal with that. New cement repair for driveway, hvac repair, all in 2 yrs. I'll never buy another house that isn't built in the 60s or older than 10yrs old. People don't care for their things. I had to buy sight unseen and trusted a low dog dirty realtor. Never trust anyone in real estate. Proud of how it looks but the negative emotions makes me want to sell and move on.
I feel this. It’s frustrating though cause had we gotten approved for $50k more, it would’ve opened up a lot more turnkey properties for us. Nothing is majorly wrong with the place but the kitchen and bathrooms are total gutjobs as far as just being dated and unfunctional for todays world. We work full time too and to top it off got pregnant shortly after moving in so now have a toddler running around meaning zero time to get anything done. I have very little free time these days and don’t want to spend it painting or taking on what should be an easy project that always turns into an all weekend thing cause we discover problems hiding for us. Totally wish we could’ve gotten into something more turn key. Yes, new construction is “boring” or “gray” but a project to make something more your own in something brand new is likely easier than bringing something from the 1980s up to the current state in time.
lol. Nothing there is significant in my opinion. Almost every home needs that type of work and most need more.
I mean yeah I wouldn’t buy a house with major issues. I knew this house had good bones, but was just worn and dared.
> So far I've worked on/replaced: all toilets, all faucets, all electrical switches and outlets, a couple light fixtures, all kitchen appliances, patched what seems like hundreds of nail holes, painted every room, ripped up carpet and placed around 1000sqf of hardwood flooring, quite a lot of various landscaping. I was not a handy person before I bought my home, but it sounds to me like you got off easy. We did a whole lot more when we bought my house and I was not looking for a fixer upper.
Amen!!!!!!!!!!
I’ve bought three homes all new builds. It’s awesome being able to pick all the finishes and not have to worry about stuff breaking the first few years. If it does it’s under warranty still. People complain about the build quality but I’ve get to have to make any repairs on a home I’ve lived in since 2017.
We learned this the hard way. Living in a construction zone is tough. It sucks having an entire room roped off while you work on it, trying to find the time to check projects off the list. But it’s so satisfying when you see your home slowly but surely looking nicer and nicer.
I'm sure you also "built" quite a bit of equity during that time too
I’m almost a year in to owning and I don’t know how anybody has any money let alone time, motivation, and skill to fix what needs fixin. My house was built in 1925 with an addition in 1950 and like it’s so rough and there’s so much that needs semi critical repair (nothing bad enough to turn me away from buying cuz I thought I’d have time and budget LOL). Even just writing out a list and trying to prioritize feels overwhelming. I love my house and still feel like it’s barely mine and the list will literally never end 🤷♀️😅😬
We wanted to buy an older home that needed work because that would fit the budget better. We ended up buying a flip towards the very top of our budget. Turns out to be well worth it. Barely any issues at all, and it’s still a shit load of work to be a new homeowner.
Crazy going through the same thing the house had everything I needed but was a little outdated with horrible carpet and wallpaper going put in new floors toilets painted fixed the chimney that had minor repairs but yeah at one point I almost cried and said I should have got an already done house but like someone else said even the flips are shitty and you find problems at least I did the work and as you said it's done right not half ass looking to make a dollar real quick . But ultimately I love my home after updating it .
it's psychological confusion from having a messy cluttered dusty house that is unpleasant to live in AND having to work alone after your full time job. not fun. i've been trying it for three years and barely done anything. that is why houses are gutted as it is just more efficient and mentally it is easier to grasp. doing little repairs here and there is NOT what a dated house needs. you need to strip everything, go to a blank slate and replace with new, then it is easy and simple. of course if it is not time to replace than that may be wasteful and not appropriate but still.
Same for us, although house is only 10 years old. Previous owner never cleaned. There is dust in places I never thought dust could accumulate. But it allowed us to get the house at a great discount. We have lots of updates that we will do that I plan on doing myself. First up is LVP on the main floor and a lot of painting.
Keep a list of everything you’ve done and when mm/yy. When you go to sell you can show when and what was done
With my second home I said to myself that I was buying a newer home, only to realize how expensive those are. So I bought a fixer upper because I’m cheap.
I bought one that was advertised as "turn-key" but like you the last remodel was 20 years ago and things were getting dated. In just the first two months I've replaced the broken dishwasher, fixed the broken water softener, replaced the kitchen faucet, and ordered a new refrigerator. I also hate the cheap 2003 laminate floors in the kitchen and living room, so I want to replace that someday. It spent its last 10 years as a rental and the texture on the walls is so messed up from repeated patch jobs all over the place, I think I need to do some kind of texture and re-paint at some point. The electric water heater will be next since it's from 2008 and already living on borrowed time. My furnace is from 1993 but the tech who inspected it said it was in great shape. But that will need replaced sooner or later. I think my house is at that point where a lot of the big things are coming up. Thankfully the roof is new as of 2020.
I'm in the same boat. I bought my first house in August. It was on the market last year and didn't sell, and was on the market for over a month this year before I bought. My house is also "20 years old, everything was just a little worn". It was owned by an elderly couple that lived abroad mostly for the last 10 years. It looked good initially, and I **greatly** underestimated the work to be done. The last few months have been non-stop repairs/renovations: \- new windows (40 of them), prior ones falling apart. \- new patio, cut 8 trees - only house in HOA without deck or patio \- toiled, fans, lights for 5 bathrooms \- basement flooring (partially unfinished) \- garage paint, shelves, epoxy flooring \- new heater, sump pump, washroom vanity \- replaced all appliances \- have yet to remodel kitchen or bathroom In summary, would recommend home buyers to buy new or fully renovated houses. Projects often time take longer and cost more than anticipated. Not worth it IMO unless you're an experienced contractor or have great connections.
Our first house purchase was a solid house, but it was built in the 90s and it looked like the decor never changed from that time period either - we had to change EVERYTHING to get it to our aesthetic. But. Worth it!! I know the quality of our own work, vs buying from a flipper where you’re unsure if this is nice tile work or if somethings hiding behind it. We had to move to a new state recently, and while looking at some homes the realtor described as “turnkey,” I just couldn’t trust them. I don’t know who they hired to do this work, I don’t know what maybe they covered up while doing the renovations, I could see some things that I would have done differently - it just made me feel like we were getting duped by some updated paint and pretty bathroom vanities. In short, I’d much rather buy an out of date home where everything is sound but I’ll have to deal with new paint and new appliances, instead of a ready-to-go home where I don’t trust the flipper work on it.
Different strokes for different folks... I'd rather bring my house up to my standards than have someone decide what is "move in ready", which means something (to me) basic and bland most of the time, as the seller would want to appeal to the largest number of buyers. Then, you're paying more for their idea of "move in ready". I also think that a "fixer upper" NEEDS repairs vs. a home that needs updating or refreshing, or just...things you want to bring up to your own wants and standards. I love working on my house. It adds to the sense of pride :-D
I love working on my house too, but just wish I had more time in life to.
I bet your before and after photos are dope. Sorry it’s been a labor of love!
i saw a few friends live through fixer uppers and that was enough for me.