That's an older home, not a "fixer upper". There are, no doubt, some upgrades that you may want to make but that differs from buying a home with obvious problems (non working bathrooms, leaking ceiling, etc) that NEED to be addressed.

Anonymous wrote:I had to buy a fixer upper - it's the only thing I could afford within DC without crossing the Anacostia. Every day I wish I had had the money to buy something that didn't need so much work.

If you have the money to pay other to fix your house, great. Otherwise, be very realistic about what kind of energy and cash you'll have to do the work yourself. I overestimated how much I would enjoy manual labor - I guess I read too many DIY and home design blogs!

+1. I get so enthusiastic reading blogs, and my husband and I take on these seemingly never ending projects. Next thing I know, I'm living in a debris filled home for months. I try to think of it as an investment, and the ROI when we sell the home will be worth it.

I sort of like the house and wouldn't call it a fixer upper. I am not handy and would never buy a fixer upper.

Anonymous wrote:No regrets. But, my DH has done a lot of the work himself, saving us a ton of money. If we had to pay someone to do everything, it would not have been worth it.

same - But it takes FOREVER to get anything done!

He's redoing the master bath right now, and it's the smallest of the 3. It's been months, and it's still "in progress." But it's cheaper, and we can do what we want. We went to auctions and found great tile, too.

pros and cons to both sides!

Anonymous wrote:I think this house has great potential, but we wouldn't be able to do major renovations for a few years.

http://www.redfin.com/MD/Rockville/202-Dale-Dr-20850/home/10509922

great bones, nice 'hood - But after spending over $600K, you'll end up spending another $80K to $100K just in upgrades. Kitchens can get costly.

I also don't consider this house a fixer upper, it just needs updating. We bought our 1940's house from it's original owner, and nothing except the kitchen had been updated (kitchen update happened in the 80's, so ugh.) Yes, it needed/needs a bit of work but it has great bones. Almost all the wall paper is gone now, and the floors have been redone. Would love to redo the bathrooms, kitchen and basement but those won't be in our budget for a looooong time. We love it though!

No regrets. But, my DH has done a lot of the work himself, saving us a ton of money. If we had to pay someone to do everything, it would not have been worth it.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:By the time we completely finish fixing up our house, it will be time to remodel

Same here. :/ but, I still love it. We were able to purchase in a great school system and get a SFH with an awesome yard on a quiet street. Phase two will be a two story addition then it will be perfect.

That's our situation as well! A second floor will make our house perfect.

Compared to our home when we bought it, that house is move in ready. Our house was barely liveable, and yet we moved in - it was so cold our first winter, you could see the drapes move when it was windy outside and we had a newborn! That home is not a fixer upper, only needs updates.

21:57 here - I should add that my housing choices were:
1 - have a non-fixer-upper and the same long commute
2 - have a non-fixer-upper in south Arlington, with less stellar schools
3 - have a fixer-upper in north Arlington with great schools. I went for #3.

It depends. I'm in my second house. I lived in the last one for over ten years before finally redoing the kitchen and all three baths, six months before selling the house. So I had those months to get spoiled with a new kitcheand baths. Bought my second house - a much older house that I can't afford to renovate anytime soon. I admit, I resent the fact that I spent all the money on the previous bathrooms and now I'm back to crappy bathrooms. Seems unfair, somehow.

On the bright side, I cut my commute in half. (3 hours round-trip to 1.5 hours max.) I also got a bigger, better house (TH to SFH) that has appreciated. So I don't regret it. I just wish I could afford to do the baths (and pipes) NOW.

I had to buy a fixer upper - it's the only thing I could afford within DC without crossing the Anacostia. Every day I wish I had had the money to buy something that didn't need so much work.

If you have the money to pay other to fix your house, great. Otherwise, be very realistic about what kind of energy and cash you'll have to do the work yourself. I overestimated how much I would enjoy manual labor - I guess I read too many DIY and home design blogs!

We bought a fixer upper. It was move in ready in that it had been freshly painted and no horrible carpet or wallpaper to rid of but it definitely needed updating inside and out which we did slowly over time. We've now had the house 14 years and three years ago did a major addition/renovation but many smaller projects before that (updating bathrooms, replacing windows, tree removal and landscaping) made it liveable for many years.

Anonymous wrote:By the time we completely finish fixing up our house, it will be time to remodel

Same here. :/ but, I still love it. We were able to purchase in a great school system and get a SFH with an awesome yard on a quiet street. Phase two will be a two story addition then it will be perfect.

By the time we completely finish fixing up our house, it will be time to remodel