Agree, could not buy an ugly exterior. Interior yes, as long as the layout and room sizes were good. That being said, we did not buy the prettiest house we saw (exterior). But I think our house is still pretty and has a much better layout and yard than the prettiest one.

I'm okay with ugly interior (that can be changed) but not an ugly shell. For instance, I'd never buy a rambler or a split level (hate those styles) but even a totally dated colonial or Cape Cod would be fine b/c I'd have hope of one day fixing it into smething I liked.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love, love, love my homely house. When we bought it, it had that horrible Baltimore-style fake stone on the front. Still does. It also had metal awnings. The walls inside were layered with wallpaper and the floors with carpet on top of vinyl.

Since then, we ripped up the flooring and found pristine hardwoods. We slowly removed all the paper and painted. And we are finally redoing the kitchen. The outside is still funny-looking but it's definitely growing on me, especially because we never could have bought the house if it didn't look so bad to begin with.

We have space enough for 4, a full basement, and get to live in a great neighborhood. Thank goodness for ugly!

Are you in Baltimore? I am, and i know the fake stone you're talking about!

No, Capitol Hill. We have it here, too. But I noticed it really took hold in some parts of Baltimore. No offense meant--I love Baltimore rowhouses!

no offense taken. I just thought it was funny that I knew exactly what you're talking about!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I love, love, love my homely house. When we bought it, it had that horrible Baltimore-style fake stone on the front. Still does. It also had metal awnings. The walls inside were layered with wallpaper and the floors with carpet on top of vinyl.

Since then, we ripped up the flooring and found pristine hardwoods. We slowly removed all the paper and painted. And we are finally redoing the kitchen. The outside is still funny-looking but it's definitely growing on me, especially because we never could have bought the house if it didn't look so bad to begin with.

We have space enough for 4, a full basement, and get to live in a great neighborhood. Thank goodness for ugly!

Are you in Baltimore? I am, and i know the fake stone you're talking about!

No, Capitol Hill. We have it here, too. But I noticed it really took hold in some parts of Baltimore. No offense meant--I love Baltimore rowhouses!

I agree with the PPs. Get into the neighborhood you want and you have years to update your home.

Anonymous wrote:I love, love, love my homely house. When we bought it, it had that horrible Baltimore-style fake stone on the front. Still does. It also had metal awnings. The walls inside were layered with wallpaper and the floors with carpet on top of vinyl.

Since then, we ripped up the flooring and found pristine hardwoods. We slowly removed all the paper and painted. And we are finally redoing the kitchen. The outside is still funny-looking but it's definitely growing on me, especially because we never could have bought the house if it didn't look so bad to begin with.

We have space enough for 4, a full basement, and get to live in a great neighborhood. Thank goodness for ugly!

Are you in Baltimore? I am, and i know the fake stone you're talking about!

I love, love, love my homely house. When we bought it, it had that horrible Baltimore-style fake stone on the front. Still does. It also had metal awnings. The walls inside were layered with wallpaper and the floors with carpet on top of vinyl.

Since then, we ripped up the flooring and found pristine hardwoods. We slowly removed all the paper and painted. And we are finally redoing the kitchen. The outside is still funny-looking but it's definitely growing on me, especially because we never could have bought the house if it didn't look so bad to begin with.

We have space enough for 4, a full basement, and get to live in a great neighborhood. Thank goodness for ugly!

No, not at all. The house is totally cosmetic and can be changed over time. The neighborhood, schools, and commute are much more difficult to change. We bought a fixer upper and still have the ugly kitchen but we are slowly updating it and enjoying the process. There are also a ton of home improvement blogs (like younghouselove) that are fun to follow to see how people spruce up their ugly duckling houses and give inspiration. GL!

Oh, and also, if you buy for schools/neighborhood, you shouldn't have to worry as much about getting back any $ you put in for improvements.

Anonymous wrote:our house had a lot of cosmetic issues. for the first year we felt so out of place tehre but over time we have done a lot with paint. You can paint paneling, ugly cabinets and so forth. It takes time and some money but there are things you can do over time.

+1 I've owned since 08 and every year try to do something to bring it more in line with my taste. I'm just beginning to fall in love with it. But I don't regret it at all. My neighborhood is conveniently located, my commute is 30 minutes, I'm really looking forward to the DCs going to the schools and I have a good sized yard that now has flat grassy expanse, but was a muddy hill when we bought. It is taking time but every year I love it more

Our house is ugly on the inside (awful kitchen floor, old kitchen). We're slowly doing our best to beautify the place. It would have been awesome to move into a house I didn't have to do anything for, but we bought for the neighborhood and the space. Unless you are swimming in money, you do the best with what you have. Know what I mean?

I regret having ugly neighbors. BOY are they pissed off at life!

our house had a lot of cosmetic issues. for the first year we felt so out of place tehre but over time we have done a lot with paint. You can paint paneling, ugly cabinets and so forth. It takes time and some money but there are things you can do over time.

Where are you looking and what is your budget?

I actually like some of the 60s kitchens, including formica counters. They are nostalgic for me and I think you can make it look cool. The cheap paneling I don't like though, but I do like quality wood paneling from the same era. I don't have an answer but we may be going down the same road. Can you spend a little on some cool wall art? Then you make it your own and that's what matters. Your own style.

So it looks like we're going to have to sacrifice something to get a SFH with decent schools and decent commutes, and that something will probably include looks. We're talking about 70s wood paneling, ugly formica kitchens, unappealing ranch or split-level, etc. We wouldn't have the money for any substantial remodeling--we could re-paint, but that would be about it.

If you bought an ugly house and weren't able to remodel, did you regret it or feel like it was a good decision that gave you the most bang for your buck? I feel like the longer we live in our current house, the less I notice the ugly things about it, but there are some parts of it I really like.