5 Good Reasons To Buy A House With Ugly Carpet

You scroll through the listings every night and turn your nose up at a number of houses. Too ugly. Outdated. No view of the ocean. Terrible wallpaper.

Yes, that’s yours truly…a few years back. Hopefully your house today doesn’t have the same carpet, but if it does…no worries! Keep reading for five reasons to buy (or renovate) a house with ugly carpet.

Today I’m asking you to glance away from your house-finding app for a few minutes and hear me out. I’ve renovated a lot of spaces and can tell you five good reasons why you should buy a fixer upper.

1. You can fix it up as you have time and money. The way the house looks today is not how it has to stay forever. Even if you can’t afford to renovate right now, the time will come when you have more time and money. You can turn that house into your dream home. Always remember, you’re buying a home, not just a house. Give yourself some time to make it a home for yourself.

2. It has good bones. If a home was solidly built, don’t be afraid of faded exterior paint and missing shingles. If you never schedule an appointment with your real estate agent to see the inside, you could be missing out. That ugly, frail house could be solid as a rock on the inside. Considering you probably plan on living there for years, the bones of a house are one of the most important factors to consider.

3. It has a good layout. As you walk through that ugly house, if the general flow meets your goals and expectations for how you function, you should definitely consider it an option. Making cosmetic changes is one thing. Changing the flow of a poorly designed home will be more expensive. If the house’s layout make sense to you, consider fixing it up instead of crossing it off your list.

4. It’s in a desirable neighborhood. Every town has those neighborhoods. You know the ones. Here on the Big Island of Hawaii, a desirable neighborhood is one with expansive views of the ocean and is close to one of our many beaches. Many of the nicer subdivisions are gated, but there are plenty of accessible neighborhoods where people want to live. Often, you can find an outdated home that needs a little love but is located in a prime location. This type of home can be a good investment because as you fix it up, it will be more desirable to future buyers who also want to live in that neighborhood.

5. You can see the potential of something that few others can. Years ago, we purchased a vacant house that had been on the market for over a year, and we made it into our dream house. But it takes elbow grease and a strong vision to make it great. Even if you seek the help of a professional or a friend to make it happen, buying a fixer upper for a good price and renovating it will likely increase the value of your home.

Bottom Line

Here’s the bottom line: Don’t disregard that home with the ugly carpet. It may require many weekend projects, but the end result is usually a home with increased value and a place you love.

Have you turned an ugly duckling into a swan? I would love to hear about it. Comment below, or drop me a line.