Thinking about buying a fixer-upper? Join the club. Blame it on the popularity of renovation reality TV or just the fact that people are searching for deals, but many home buyers are willing to purchase a property in need of major repairs. One survey by Clever Real Estate found that 67% of millennial home shoppers in the United States said they would put in an offer on a home with serious flaws that need to be fixed. Purchasing a home that needs serious remodeling, though, is

Ever spend the night at a friend’s or relative’s house where they reveal some quirky shortcoming in their home? Say, the light switch in the guest room works the opposite way you'd expect (down for on, up for off), or you have to jiggle the toilet handle a few times to make it flush. These foibles might not seem like a big deal, but they could be—if you're trying to sell your house. “You can never predict what switch a buyer will turn on or what door a buyer will open,” warns

As soon as my husband and I pulled up to see the house we’d eventually buy, it already had a good vibe to it. A blue house with a red door—just like the one I grew up in. It struck a sentimental note with me immediately. After living in one-bedroom apartments for the past seven years, we were looking to finally make the move from renters to homeowners. It wasn’t a quick process—buying a house (and getting a mortgage) aren’t things that move quickly, generally. But once we mov

DIY fixes are a must if you're trying to sell your house. Think about all the home repair projects you've undertaken. Did you cut a few corners, trying to get things done? Did you figure you'd find the time to get back to even out that pain color or fix that broken doorbell? You don't need to hire a handman for a DIY fix that can boost your home's value. You just need to get on task! Look around and make sure you haven't ignored any of these 10 DIY home repairs that can make

It's always a Sisyphean task to set a budget for a renovation—or at the very least an ever-moving target—but if you're planning to put your home on the market, you'll have a way different set of calculations than a starry-eyed new homeowner. Before you embark on a gut of your circa-1990 kitchen, consult with a Realtor® and a general contractor about which renovations will yield the biggest return on investment. How much work you’ll need depends on your home's value, your mark

A home inspection checklist is a rundown of features throughout a house that might be faulty or need fixing. Home inspectors use these lists while inspecting homes, and while they may vary by individual and geographic area, rest assured, this list is incredibly long—proving that a whole lot can go wrong with a home! "There are typically over 1,600 different items on our list that home inspectors are supposed to look at,” says Claude McGavic, executive director of the National

So you're a first-time buyer who just closed the deal on your new home and moved in. Finally, you can breathe a deep sigh of relief. After all, you managed to pony up a down payment, closing costs, and other sundry expenses. Provided you make your monthly mortgage payments, you're fine and dandy on the finance front ... right? Not quite. Because owning a home means you have to maintain it—and maintenance costs money to do right. Expenses that you may not have considered are b