6 Steps To Take After Buying A Fixer-Upper

It isn’t a secret that buying a house is one of the most expensive things you’ll ever do. You could end up paying it off for decades. That’s especially true with homes that were recently built or renovated.

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They’re far from your only options, however. You could always choose a fixer-upper instead.

Properties that need a bit of work, these are often much more affordable than many of their counterparts. You’ll have to pay much less upfront to buy it, but you’ll end up needing to put a bit of work into them. The last part of that seems complicated, but it doesn’t have to be.

Instead, it’s a matter of knowing the right steps to take after buying a fixer-upper. These shouldn’t be as complicated to figure out as you could’ve thought. Instead, it’ll be simpler than you might’ve assumed, as long as you’re willing to put in some elbow grease.

If you’re thinking about buying a fixer-upper, it’s worth diving into a few of these.

What Is A Fixer-Upper?

Before diving in, it’s worth looking at what a fixer-upper actually is. You’ll likely already have a particular image in your mind with this, and it’ll be relatively accurate. These aren’t all properties that are falling apart and unfit for someone to live in, however. Instead, they could be more habitable than you’d think.

In most cases, they’re simply properties you’ll need to put a little TLC into. While this usually involves spending some time making repairs and renovations, they’ll often just need a bit of time and maintenance. Some of this work will be structural, but it’s also possible that most of it will simply be cosmetic.

Depending on the property itself, you could even end up living in it while the renovations and maintenance takes place.

Why Buy A Fixer-Upper

With the work you’ll need to put into it, you might wonder why you should buy a fixer-upper. It’ll involve a decent bit of work and effort to actually do up, after all, so what’s the point? The cost-savings is the most obvious reason why you should consider it.

Even after the cost of the renovations and upgrades is taken into account, it’s still more affordable. That’s far from the only reason why you should consider it, and there are more than a few reasons to at least think about it. The more notable of these are:

More Customizability – With a fixer-upper, you’ve more options to customize the property to your preferences than you do with other options. You can make it exactly the way you want it to be, so you’ll end up having a dream home over it.
Less Competition – Most people tend to focus on properties that don’t need much work. They’ll focus on ones they can move straight into and start getting comfortable in. That gives you less competition when you’re hunting a fixer-upper, which could reduce the price even further. You shouldn’t have to worry about other people bidding more than you.
Quality Control – When you’re overseeing or doing any renovations to your new home, you have more of a hand in how it’s done. That gives you much more quality control than you’d think. You shouldn’t have a problem knowing that everything’s done to a high standard, giving you less to worry about. You’ll know the work is carried out well, so there shouldn’t be any long-term fixes to worry about.

These can all make buying a fixer-upper quite appealing. If they’re enough to convince you, you’ll end up needing to put a bit of time and work into it. Thankfully, it’s far from as complicated as you might’ve thought.

Instead, it’s a matter of knowing the right steps to take after buying a fixer-upper. With a little bit of effort, you’ll be in your dream home in no time. It’s worth taking a look at six of the more important steps you should take.

Steps To Take After Buying A Fixer-Upper: 6 Top Options

1. Repair Drywalls & Ceilings

Drywalls and ceilings are some of the more notable areas you’ll need to focus on before moving into your fixer-upper. Focus on any damage that might be there, such as holes in the walls and water damage. There are more than a few reasons why you’ll need to get this done.

The most obvious of these is the damage risks getting worse and worse over time, which means putting more time and effort into them. Since this can take a lot of time and work – as well as a lot of mess – it’s worth getting it done before you move in.

You could get a lot of this done yourself, so it shouldn’t be the most expensive step to get done.

2. Upgrade The Exterior

The exterior of your home needs just as much work as the outside, so make sure to put the effort in. More than a few areas could need to be looked at, ranging from the walls to the roof. Though this is often expensive, it’s worth shopping around for the right supplies to help with this.

Clear Amber Shop can be a great place to start with this, especially for roofing supplies. You’ll end up being able to fix any exterior problems without needing to spend too much money on them.

3. Install New Flooring

There’ll be plenty of areas you’ll want to focus on with your fixer-upper. The flooring could be one of the more notable. It might be worth replacing this as early as possible. By installing new flooring, you’ll completely transform a room while making it much more appealing.

While this seems like it’ll be an expensive step to take after buying a fixer-upper, it could be more affordable than you’d think. By choosing the right materials, you’ll dramatically cut the cost of your new flooring. Shopping around for the right contractor also helps with this.

With the impact it’ll end up having, there’s no reason not to put the time and money into this.

4. Replace The Windows

If the fixer-upper you’re buying is relatively old, there could be a few areas that need a decent bit of attention. They would’ve become worn down over time, and they risk coming apart in the future if they’re not addressed when you’re renovating. The windows are one of the more notable of these.

While the windows themselves could be in decent shape, it’s what they’re set in that needs to be looked at. In many cases, there’ll be holes and gaps between the windows and walls. While these could be relatively easily fixed in, it might be better worth replacing the windows altogether.

With a bit of shopping around, you’ll make this quite affordable.

5. Remodel The Kitchen

Kitchens are often one of the most expensive rooms to renovate, no matter whether it’s with a fixer-upper or their alternatives. It could be worth focusing on this from the start, as it’ll often be the heart of your home. Since you’ll need to use the kitchen almost constantly, there’s no reason not to focus on it.

It doesn’t need to be as expensive as you might think, however. By focusing on functionality and shopping around for supplies, you could make it much more affordable. Even taking a DIY approach whenever you can could make more of a difference than you’d think.

Repairing or repainting your kitchen cabinets, for example, is much more affordable than replacing them entirely. Know what you’re doing, and this will all be quite low-cost.

6. Repaint The Walls

Repainting the walls in your new home is one of the more obvious things you’ll need to do. It’ll have quite an impact on the property and help it feel much more like yours. Add in the increased aesthetic appeal, and there’s no reason why you shouldn’t consider repainting the entire home.

With a fixer-upper, though, this might be best left until last. There could be a lot of other work to get done, many of which might damage the walls or affect the paint when it’s being done. By leaving the painting until last, you’ll make sure your paint job is as appealing as possible. You’ll avoid needing to repaint any areas relatively quickly.

When you’re doing this, try to have a color scheme in mind to make sure everything’s tied together as nicely as possible.

Steps To Take After Buying A Fixer-Upper: Wrapping Up

You don’t need to spend a significant amount of money buying a new property to have a home to call your own. Fixer-uppers are always an option, and they could be much more appealing than you might’ve thought. You’ll just need to be willing to put in a bit of work once you’ve actually bought it.

Repairing the drywalls and ceilings, upgrading the exterior, replacing the windows, and similar steps to take after buying a fixer-upper are all recommended. They’ll be relatively affordable, and will have your new house looking amazing before you know it.

You’ll end up having your dream home without needing to spend as much on it as you could’ve thought.