Brandon Nelson
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Should Your First House Be a Fixer?
Heather and I bought our first house in 2003, in Sudden Valley. We paid $127,500 for it — a 1200 square foot split level with 4 small bedrooms, a bath and a half. The seller had lived there for 17 years and, bless her heart, had never done 1 minute of maintenance or deep cleaning. Oh, and she smoked cigarettes like there was no tomorrow.
The house needed EVERYTHING. And Heather and I had the vision, the skills, and the energy to do it. In fact, we were (read: “I was”) giddy at what a castle it was, even though you couldn’t see the paint through the yellow cigarette film plastering the walls and ceiling. I’d spend my nights and weekends fixing it up, and make it into the home of our dreams. We’d start a family there, by golly, and all would be joyous.
A full five years later, as we were moving out, into our 2nd home, we put the finishing touches on the full-gut, inside and out remodel. Five years. The work I’d “envisioned” multiplied easily five times over as we tore into the project. Nights and weekends, cold wintery months, rainy season after rainy season the work rolled on.
Meanwhile, I watched others nearby buy brand new houses with 30% more space for a couple hundred more in their monthly payments, and I second guessed my decision to go for a fixer.
Ahh… but the experience. It’s a rite of passage to either build or fully re-build one’s home, isn’t it? For me, it was. I have the tools and skills of a journeyman carpenter, and enough understanding of the other trades, to just pull it off. And rewarding it was, to see that neglected split level turn into a thing of true beauty. We still own it, as a rental now, and I take tremendous pride in seeing it brighten up the street with its new EVERYTHING.
Take on a fixer for your first house if you wish, but understand three things:
- A fixer is not just a house, it’s a way of life. It will consume you long after you’re willing to be consumed. And…
- It will take 2 to 5 times longer and cost 2 to 5 times more than you ever dreamed of.
- And therefore will likely be 2 to 5 times as rewarding.
