My real estate agent talked me out of a fixer upper and I'm actually glad she did

I was dead set on buying a fixer upper to save money. Found a 3 bed 1 bath in Portland that needed new plumbing, a roof, and the kitchen was basically 1972. I was ready to sign the papers. But my agent sat me down at the showing and asked if I had ever actually finished a big renovation project before. She said most people underestimate costs by at least 30% and run out of steam after 6 months. She then walked me through a similar flip she saw go sideways where the buyer ended up living in a construction zone for 2 years. That hit me because I haven't even finished building that shed in my backyard. So I walked away and put an offer on a 1980s split level that just needs cosmetic updates. Has anyone else had their agent talk them out of a bad decision that saved them?

2 comments

2 Comments

taylorcarr1mo ago

Honestly, I read somewhere that like 60 percent of fixer upper buyers go way over budget and that stuck with me. The part about running out of steam after 6 months really resonates because I've started painting a room in my house and it took me a year to finish it. Ngl, your agent did you a solid by walking you through that nightmare scenario with the other flip. Tbh, that shed comment hit me because I have a half done bookshelf in my garage that's been there for three years now. It's easy to dream about a project but living in a construction zone for years sounds brutal.

the_henry1mo agoTop Commenter

The half finished garage projects club has more members than youd think.