I decided that getting a really expensive house is something that I should quit dreaming about. I just do not have a salary that would justify that, and that fact won’t be changing very much in the next 5 years. So, I decided my best chance for a house that can be nice some day down the road is to get something that is beat up and work on it over time. For example, adding orange county shutters and paint would make the outside look nice. And then after those things are done, I could work on other details. There are other things that I have in mind, too.
The first step was to find a real estate agent who could help me find what I was looking for. So, I did my research and then found someone who would take me seriously. At my first meeting with my agent, her eyes grew wide when I told her that I was interested in looking for homes that look like a wreck, but have a lot of potential. I am a big DIY person, and I would be doing most of the work myself. I also told her that I was fine with finding something that may take 5 to 10 years of constant work on weekends. She chuckled at first, but then she knew I was serious and said that she would be happy to help me.
It took about 3 months, but my agent found the best place for me. The inside of the house is torn up in a variety of ways due to neglect. Despite that, it is still very possible for me to work on it while I live in it. Sure, some of the walls are peeling off, and there are even some holes in the wood floor. But the place is perfect, and the very first month I moved in, I put shutters on out front and a new coat of paint.
