~reasons to buy a fixer upper~

~Guest post by Stevie Clapton~

There are several reasons that you may want to buy a fixer upper home. For some, houses that need a lot of updating work provide a small cost home that they can easily afford, then do the home updating later. For others, they may want to get into a specific neighborhood, but fixer-uppers may be the only thing available in a decent price range of a popular neighborhood. Lastly, some prefer to be able to create a unique home from top to bottom. No matter your reasons, the real challenge is moving into a fixer upper. Here are some tips for living in a home that you will need to fix up.

Get the structural work done first

If you are in need of structural work on the home, such as foundation fixes, roof work, or flooring problems, get these taken care of before you move into the home. It can be difficult to get the housing structure stable and have to live inside of the home. Before you move into the home, get another inspection to determine that the house has solid and safe bones. Once you are complete with any structures being patched or redone, hire local movers with no disputes to help you get into your house.

Move into sections of the house

If you plan on starting work right away in a fixer upper, it is a good idea to move your items into sections of the home, rather than spreading them out over the home. For instance, if you plan to fix up the kitchen within several months, you do not want to move your items into the kitchen, then have to remove them again. Instead, move into the sections of the home that you will not need to fix up or will be fixed later on in the schedule. This will reduce unnecessary moving.

Come up with a timeline for improvements

The best thing for the sanity of the entire family is to come up with a timeline for improvements. Meet with your general contractor and decorator to get some estimates on how long work will take for each of the rooms. Come up with a concrete schedule for home repairs. Even if you can only afford to do one room at a time, it can keep you upbeat every day to know that little by little, your home is coming together.

Create the traditional rooms

Just because you are living in a changing house does not mean you can't make it as homey as possible. Even if you are temporarily living in just a few rooms, it is a good idea to make traditional rooms out of the space you are living in. Have a dedicated living room area, sleeping area, and office. No matter how small, these will allow you to properly compartmentalize your life.

Make the exterior pretty

Even if you are knocking down walls inside, you can make the exterior of the home look beautiful. If the exterior work on the household is done, plant flowers, clean the pavement in your garage, and touch up the paint. Curb appeal can go a long way in feeling happy when you come home.