Wwyd: fixer upper vs ready made

[justasmalltownmum]

Hi all

Just browsing on rightmove and have basically found our dream house.

It has been fully remodelled including roof, wiring, kitchen and bathroom in 2022. Looks very well looked after.
It is 30% more then houses of the same size, on the same road - which would need renovating to bring them up to this standard.

So wwyd?
Cheaper house and do the extensive work.
Buy the move in ready house for 30% more.

Disclaimer - we cannot afford to move. But this has got me thinking.

Thanks!

After the hassle I've had in this house it'll be the ready made one for me in future...

I’ve lived through both versions of this and NEVER AGAIN with the dooer upper. Never ever again. Over my cold dead corpse will we buy a house needing extensive work again.

Reckon you're going to get very mixed views on this but personally I would not go for a fixer upper. I think some people are well connected with trades etc and aren't intimidated by the idea of renos but I've heard building materials and labour are super expensive these days

If it's been renovated to your liking and the valuation is similar to the asking buy the renovated house.

I think you need to check the renovations have been done well. Correct Building Regs and come with warranties and test certificates. If they are charging for it then these things should be provided.

And take a look beyond the staging and see if it really will still be OK when you move in.

But yes, given the cost of stuff now and the hassle I would be looking for as much as possible done in the past 5/10 years (or newer).

Turn key property every time. Yes it’s more money but think of the sheer amount of time and mental energy you’re saving.

We bought a fixer upper 9 years ago and it still isn't finished 😫 I've told DH that I want the next house to be the finished version.

If you haven't got contacts for good tradesman, go for the finished house. We've done up two houses, but like PP, we've been in this third house needing work for over 10 years. I'm fed up of it now.

Don't underestimate not only the time it takes to do the actual work but also the mental load of researching the things you need. Now this is what I love and we have renovated 2 houses and have the DIY skills to do the vast majority of the work ourselves. Our children are now adults so we don't have to cater to them and they can make us drinks and meals.

Rewire is a complete arse, never had it done but do watch electrical/plumbing/building works youtube videos. Same for things like new roof, we have had repairs done and an extension but you have to know reliable tradespeople and one person's standard may not be yours. You only have to see the photos uploaded on here of terrible plastering or tiling.

The 30% buys you time to enjoy your property providing it is done well and to a good standard. Don't be dazzled by the finish but look very closely at the outside of the property and spend time looking closely inside too. There is a new build inspector on youtube/tiktok who shows how shoddy building work can be with things being out of plumb and out of tolerance too.

Definitely the ready house. Been in our current fixer upper and after three years done one room. Out first house was a fixer upper but we didn’t have to live in it whilst having the work done. That’s the only way I would do it in the future……

Ready made!

Fuck fixer uppers, don't do it, I will never do it again. Ready made FTW

I have a fixer upper and it is a lot of work, mess and stress.

However this is all I could afford and at least I can make sure that the work is done correctly.

If you go for the already renovated property you need to make sure that everything was renovated correctly, rather than just made to look good cosmetically.

O wow wasn't expecting so many responses all saying the same thing.

we bought a fixer upper years ago and it was worth it as we ended up with a lovely house. But nowadays the cost of renovations has skyrocketed.

Honestly - I lived through two fixer upperers and an extension and I am in the process of buying a newish build house. Takes years to get house right and finally done. Cost of trades is now high - so unless you have good DIY skills, I would be looking at a done house.

We spent 7 years renovating then moved to a turnkey when the kids left home. It’s never felt like home in the way the house we renovated felt. It’s like staying in someone else’s house. We’ve decorated right through but it’s still not the same.

Nothing romantic or creative IME about a Reno just spiralling costs, huge amounts of disruption, & hard work. Decision fatigue & weekends doing neverending DIY, sanding & painting. Often you uncover more problems & unless you have reliable builders & trades it can be a nightmare. Just make sure everything you see in the done up house has been signed off by building control & done to current regs & don’t fall for a perfect veneer - get under the hood & properly inspect things. Easy to discover the beautiful kitchen units are not all that & it will be a bitter pill to swallow if after the event you feel you’ve paid a premium for what turn out to be quite flimsy or shoddy fixtures & fittings.

30% price difference sounds like you probably wouldn’t save money by getting the doer uppers if you’re happy with everything about the ‘done’ house. But I’ve never looked round a done-up house where I’ve been really happy with the way they’ve done it and the standard of work. I wouldn’t want to buy someone else’s taste, it just would never feel like home. If I ever came across a done house which was to my taste though, maybe it would be different!

Bought a fixer-upper last year and had almost immediate regret. We couldn't even live in it and it definitely brought me to tears more than a handful of times (and I'm not a crier!). Almost a year on and there is light at the end of the tunnel, there's pockets of finished rooms and there are moments of joy, I know I will really love this place for years and years, but my goodness it's been hard when every single weekend has been spent covered in grime, dust, mould, soot, glass, sawdust, grit, plaster, cobwebs, mud, cuts and bruises. If I had known what I was getting in for, I never would have chosen this.

Always the fully done one if you can afford it

100% the ready to move in one.

These days it's rarely cheaper to buy the fixer upper. Unless you are a trades family, the labour costs wipe out the savings. If you are a trades family, the materials might do the same. Lumber, stone, copper - everything has gone up massively. It's not as bad as it was in 2021 - that year was a total wipeout for reno - but it's never going back to the pre-Covid situation.

I think there are many things to consider eg if you have experience in the field or if you know people that do and are willing to give their time. Also if you have children.
We looked at houses that needed work but in reality it was never gonna happen for us as we would have no time to do the work ourselves and also no surplus money to fund it!
So a no brainer for us to go for the done one!
I think you also need to fully consider the stress aspect. For me moving house was stressful enough. To move somewhere that needed a lot of work would have tipped me over the edge!

Depends on the cost of the house and the ceiling price of the road. We bought a renovation in 2023 and would make a profit if we were to sell now through that’s not why we bought it.