Would you rather move in ready or a fixer upper?

[Rondo2287]

Hey guys Im watching House Hunters on HGTV and I was just wondering what you guys think... Are you the hands on type who want to build equity through fixing up a house or would you rather pay for the nicer place so you can move in and relax?

[Redz]

not handy

need it ready

[the_Bird]

Fixer-upper, all the way.  I've spend the last four months gutting and rebuilding my kitchen.  New cabinets, countertop, insulation, took down a wall between the kitchen and room, TONS of tiling, new doors, all kinds of stuff.  Didn't know how to do jack not too long ago, didn't own a power tool until six years ago, but now it's not a weekend unless there's a half-dozen trips to the Depot. 

[Rondo2287]

Bird did you know how do all that stuff going in or did you figure it out on the way. I am a quick learner but at the same time i dont know much of what im doing in that area. 

[indeedproceed]

I think moving into a new house is kind of like eating microwave dinners instead of cooking.

The microwave dinners are so good now, you might not be able to tell the difference, but at the end of the day you're just scavenging. Go be a hunter, and have a hand in your own dinner.

Besides why would you want a new house when you could have a house that has a soul. Its like having a "yes man" as a best friend.

[the_Bird]

Bird did you know how do all that stuff going in or did you figure it out on the way. I am a quick learner but at the same time i dont know much of what im doing in that area. 

Well, I grew up watching This Old House with my mom pretty much literally as long as I remember (I can recall watching the original series - not just Bob Villa, the ORIGINAL house they fixed up).  I also have an old man and a big brother who are willing to help me out on occasion, and we're always talking about projects and stuff when the family gets together.

With that said - the info is out there.  One of the best, most active web forums I've found on ANY topic is the John Bridges forum that's dedicated just to tiling. 

I don't do wiring except basic stuff like changing fixtures and outlets.  I don't do plumbing.  Otherwise, most home repair is pretty straightforward, and most of the stuff you see needing to be done on House Hunters is very basic paint-and-paper stuff; they're rarely looking at houses where major renovation is required.

I should say, though, until five years ago I had NEVER touched a circular saw.  Scared s*less of table saws until I bought one a couple years' back.  Had never even paid much attention to tiling until a few months ago.  I'm not a complete mechanical moron, but I was certainly...  well, mechanically-challenged for most of my life. 

[Slugger]

I think moving into a new house is kind of like eating microwave dinners instead of cooking.

The microwave dinners are so good now, you might not be able to tell the difference, but at the end of the day you're just scavenging. Go be a hunter, and have a hand in your own dinner.

Besides why would you want a new house when you could have a house that has a soul. Its like having a "yes man" as a best friend.

Spoken like someone who has never renovated before.

The worst part about renovating, and ive experienced this as well being told by others, is that you never do finish.  I think it should be spelled REnovate.

[ACF]

I'd rather just move in.

We bought the apartment just below
ours last year and are still not finished
doing all the little things. It sucks.

[guava_wrench]

I'll leave the manual labor to the experts. I'm not interested in working construction.

[Cman]

Move in ready.
That said, I would buy a fixer upper if I had the money to pay someone else to fix it up.  I am not the handy type, nor do I want to be. 

[arctic 3.0]

I think moving into a new house is kind of like eating microwave dinners instead of cooking.

The microwave dinners are so good now, you might not be able to tell the difference, but at the end of the day you're just scavenging. Go be a hunter, and have a hand in your own dinner.

Besides why would you want a new house when you could have a house that has a soul. Its like having a "yes man" as a best friend.

well said,
I write this as I wait for the steamer to heat up to strip the last of the wall paper off out "new" house. walls, kitchens bathrooms, new furnace, continually calculating expenses vs resources. even as i fall asleep in a exhausted heap after a day at work then a night at work on the house, i couldn't imagine doing it differently. I'm learning this house inside out and i would not trade this experience for a turn key soulless house.

[thirstyboots18]

Move in ready...right down to the silverware and towels!  Gave away 9 rooms of furniture when we moved to Florida, keeping only my great grandmother's desk and a small side table from my grandmother.  I haven't missed a thing.  "Stuff" accumulates where ever you go.  My condo was furnished.  Have not yet said "I wish I had kept...."

Unless you  actually enjoy hands on fixing up, there are too many other interesting things to do.  (In my case, "fixing up" costs a lot more than "move in ready",  ).

[Neurotic Guy]

I can screw in a lightbulb, mow a lawn, trim a hedge and shovel a driveway (and these efforts have been hazzardous at times). 

I avoid saws, hammers, wrenches and power tools like the plague.  My do-it-myself attempts have cost me extra money and/or have led to bodily injury.  At this point, my wife would not allow me to attempt even a minor 'fix-it' even if I were inclined to do so.

[Gainesville Celtic]

Yeah the notion that one or the other is "better" or more pure seems a bit silly to me.

the house I bought --- which was my grandparents -- has needed a lot of work (spent last weekend blowing insulation into the attic with my friend; laid floors throughout the house, etc).

I got the house for about 1/2 what the "market" rate was so it's been worth it -- actually its the only way i would have afforded to buy a house.

But others are right: You are never done. And if you don't like "fixin' up" or working with your hands it's just more headaches. Finally i did a lot of the work on my own schedule as a single guy. I think having a partner w/ their own expectations for when things should get done would make it a little more stressful. Make sure you and he/she are really on the same page.

just my 2 cents.

[indeedproceed]

I think moving into a new house is kind of like eating microwave dinners instead of cooking.

The microwave dinners are so good now, you might not be able to tell the difference, but at the end of the day you're just scavenging. Go be a hunter, and have a hand in your own dinner.

Besides why would you want a new house when you could have a house that has a soul. Its like having a "yes man" as a best friend.

Spoken like someone who has never renovated before.

The worst part about renovating, and ive experienced this as well being told by others, is that you never do finish.  I think it should be spelled REnovate.

Got me.

I grew up fixing things around my parent's house with my dad, but I've never done it myself, alone.