3 Reasons You Should Buy a Fixer Upper (& 1 Big Reason You Shouldn't!)

Have you wondered if there are good reasons you should buy a fixer upper?

I still remember some of our evenings in Fixer #2.

Sitting on our couch next to my bearded, rugged, taller version of Chip Gaines, we would turn on HGTV’s Fixer Upper. The lights were down, the kids were happily eating in their high chairs and our plates of food were on the coffee table in front of us.

Even our 3 year old and 18 month old enjoyed it.

The intro music, the voices of Chip and Jo, the clips of excited couples waiting to see the renovations made to their forever homes, and then seeing the actual massive changes made to the fixer upper… it was all so INSPIRING.

Maybe it’s why we’re now sitting on that couch in Fixer #3…. Hmmm…

Note: The above picture is of Fixer #3, our Victorian Farmhouse in the hills of NY, after we put a new roof on it. We were knee deep in kitchen renovations on it at the time.

Right now, I’m here to tell you, it’s OK to be inspired.

It’s OK to want to make huge changes to an area or an entire house.

It’s OK to want to be like Chip and Jo.

(Ryan and I started our journey fixing old houses before it was cool. The year before it was cool, actually. We started in 2012. Fixer Upper came into the picture in mid 2013.)

Here’s where I pull a reality check – did you realize there are things that are NOT OK when considering if you should buy a fixer upper?

Let’s start with that – why NOT to buy a Fixer Upper.

#1 Reason NOT to Buy a Fixer Upper

You don’t have the time. Or you’re impatient.

Watching Fixer Upper is misleading because you see the transformation happening right before your eyes.

In less than an hour an entire house is turned inside out, upside down, and completely renovated from top to bottom. It goes from a dump to an updated, thoughtfully stylish, all-hardwood-floors, brand-new-everything-everywhere masterpiece.

Yes, they imply that there is time lapse and issues that happen during the process, but it’s not the same. It’s still packaged nicely in an hour.

That’s NOT how a real life fixer upper works. Ask me how I know – I had to live through a 4 month kitchen renovation with a camp stove and a toaster oven.

Fixers aren’t fast, even if your sole focus is your house and you’re not working a full-time job and raising babies in the middle of devoting every free minute to it, like we are.

Other important reasons NOT to buy a Fixer Upper:

You have no home improvement skills or desire to learn them
The house has major foundation, mold or rot issues
The market is in a down turn & you could be upside down on it once repairs are done
Your spouse isn’t on the same page with you about taking on a fixer

Now on to the good stuff. Reasons you SHOULD buy a fixer upper!

3 Reasons You SHOULD take on a Fixer Upper

Fixing old homes is a delicate task. ESPECIALLY while living in it. But it can be a well-worth it, lucrative task too.

Reason #1: If you do it right, you can make a good profit off a fixer upper

We made 35k off of our two-family Fixer #1, when we sold it in 2018.

We made 25k off of our small, single family Fixer #2, when we sold it in 2019.

However, if we were more focused on our plan for each Fixer Upper and crunched the numbers better, we could’ve made even more.

Each time, we were just living. We needed a place to stay and each home was a step up from where we were. We never purposely went in to each home planning to leave, at least right away.

Here we are now, in Fixer #3 which is arguably our most elaborate and grand fixer upper yet.

Reason #2: You can make any home the home of your dreams

In Fixer #1, our main focus was making our house more comfortable for us and figuring out our tastes. (My kitchen was ORANGE!?).

Then Little Man came along, and suddenly our views changed. We wanted to be in a quieter, nicer town, with more space. And we wanted a single family home with no one else to disturb all night when the baby cried.

Fixer #2 became that home, but not until we spent a solid year and a half gutting and renovating it.

After that hard year though, we were left with a little home that we loved.

The kitchen was a beautiful, functional place that I loved cooking and baking and creating in.

Then Hubby got a job an hour and a half away and it became imperative that we move closer.

Fixer #3 became our new focus. It was easily double the size of Fixer #2, so it’s taken more than 2 years to get it close to completion.

In those two years of hard work, we created another dream home that will be even harder to leave.

The kitchen that was a 60’s disaster became a huge chef’s kitchen with double ovens, tons of counter space and a 36 inch professional rangetop.

I would say, just about ANY fixer upper has the potential to be something amazing, a dream home. Either for your family, or the next.

Reason #3: You can learn new skills, perfect your style and grow together as a couple and a family

These are actually several reasons you should buy a fixer upper, but they lump together well.

With Fixer #1, our first home, we were 26 and 25 years old. We had never designed, redesigned or decorated a home before.

The year before that, we rented our first apartment right after we were married in 2011. We didn’t paint a single wall, hang a single picture, or do anything other than switch out the stove with a nicer one we were gifted. Our furniture was a mishmash of old and used and mostly what Hubby had when he was on his own for college. Even our dinnerware was mostly his.

So moving into our own home, trying to make it home AND fixing it was a huge life change for us. We were a little lost for a bit.

Ryan had many skills from building and working with his dad and contractor uncle during his childhood, but there were still things he had to look up or call his dad or uncle about. He never gave up and has been nonstop learning and perfecting these skills to make each home better.

(Mudding and drywall was his most hated job, but after hiring 2 different drywall guys for jobs on Fixer 2 & 3 who were completely horrible he’s vowed to never hire it out again and has lately really perfected that too.)

I came from a home where we painted all the walls HIGH GLOSS PASTEL PINK and no one was truly handy with anything. Decor was old family photos splattered here and there. Wood trim. Dark oak cabinets in an odd, L-shaped, yellow kitchen. Windows all different sizes and shapes everywhere. Long, dark, creaky stair & hallways. Carpet in the dining room.

So neither of us knew anything about decorating a home. But we wanted to learn and together we’ve slowly figured out what works for us and more of what our style is.

And I can happily say, nothing is pastel pink in our house. 😉

Ways to learn new, needed fixer upper skills:

YouTube it – if you can learn by watching someone else work, by all means look it up!
Ask friends and family for help – are you related to or do you know a contractor? plumber? electrician? Offer them meals in exchange for some help on your project
Offer your services – ask if you can tag along at a job like you need to complete and learn new skills from said professionals
Take an internship – if you don’t know any personally, call around your area. Some professionals WANT to teach other’s their trade while getting some free company and help
Take a class at a career center – Look up DIY classes in your area