Best Cities To Buy A Fixer Upper

Finding the right home within budget is an ongoing problem for home buyers across the county.  Supply is low, and demand is high as the economy continues to improve.  As prices go up, mortgage rates are also expected to rise this year.  If you hadn't considered it before, or you aren't living in one of the nation's pockets of affordability, a fixer-upper might be the way to get the most for your money. Keep reading to find out how fixer-upper cities were determined, and click here to read the full article on the best cities to buy a fixer upper.

“The fixer-upper strategy, honed and popularized by the ‘Property Brothers’ of HGTV fame, is a viable way to address your home needs while being realistic about what you can afford,” said Jonathan Smoke, our chief economist. Plus, you get the opportunity to personalize your home—and increase the value of your investment.“This strategy is better suited to areas with a good supply of older homes, which need more TLC,” Smoke said. “It could be a good approach for millennials, who tend to prefer urban or near-suburban areas but are constrained by what they can afford.”To find locations with the best prospects for getting an edge in the market, Smoke’s team analyzed the 513,506 listings for midsize single-family homes on our site in March. By limiting their search to homes of 2,000 to 4,000 square feet whose descriptions included keywords such as “fixer,” “as is condition,” “with potential,” “handyman,” or “TLC,” they identified 7,242 homes as fixer-uppers.Then they figured out which areas have a greater supply of fixer-uppers, and where those homes cost substantially less than a comparable home that is move-in ready. We’re calling that price differential the fixer discount. They used that combined with the availability of fixer-uppers to calculate the Fixer Score for each county. Philadelphia, PA; Lake, IN; and Marion, IN (home of Indianapolis) were on top of the rankings for fixer-upper potential.