Skip to main content

Buying a Fixer-upper


For the last few days, my agent and I have been looking at apartments in need of renovations. In other words, fixer-uppers. As mention before my budget is small and therefore I'm willing to make some concessions on my wish list items, such as updated kitchen and updated bathroom. I am not willing to compromise however on closet space, that is an absolute deal breaker to me.  Needless to say we were hoping to get a bargain. Neither apartment were in my ideal neighborhood and I decided that I would compromise on the location because they were not too far away from where I wanted to be. Apartment # 2 best fit my location wish list as it was close to a subway station and lots of buses. It also has a business district which includes shopping, restaurants, etc. Apartment #1 was in a more quiet area and is less than 10 minutes away by driving and maybe about 15 by bus. I like that Apartment # 1 had a balcony, as I really wanted an apartment with some outdoor space.

  I actually liked Apartment #1.  I'm scarred of the amount of work that is needed. Firstly, it was severely outdated but it has a lot of  potential.  And perhaps most important, It has a balcony. if it hadn't been for the water damage in the bathroom and the confusion over who's responsibility it would be  (mine or the coop board) to fix the pointing issues that are causing the water damage, then I would have definitely made an offer on this property on Saturday.
outdated kitchen with formica walls and counter top

Stained flooring in master bedroom and plastic covering the opening in the wall were an AC should be

water damage in bathroom wall caused by pointing issues

the roof of the balcony

water damage in bathroom ceiling caused by pointing issues

damaged flooring

pointing issues
Apartment#2 I was less found of. I hated the building and felt that it wasn't very well kept. There was peeling paint on the lobby walls and building exterior. I know it seems petty but this is actually a pet peeve of mine. The building didn't look the way I wanted it to. Let me get to the unit. It was dark. And small. And the owners had divided the small living room into two, using one half as a third bedroom.  the property is listed as a two bedroom but I suspected that it was originally a large one bedroom that was turned into a two  to maximize it's rental potential. The listing agent said the unit was previously rented to college students. Below are the best pics of this space. The other images were too dark to publish. Trust me when I saw that the unit was horrible.
the small livingroom

the small master bedroom

bathroom, the best part of this apartment


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Guest Bedroom Reveal!

I have a long to do list for my home. The problem is trying to priorities that to do list. Every item in my home was purchase, from the farmhouse chandeliers in the upstairs bedrooms to the doorknobs. All the door knobs. Furnishing a new home is quite expensive. Even though I am giddy and excited to get this home completely furniture and renovated, I have had to take a step back. I have had to just learn to live in a minimally furniture home.   I love it. I love the bare walls. I love the space.   I love the feel of not having clutter. On my last blog post, I showed some pictures of my kitchen and dining room, Today I want to share a few pictures from some of the other parts of the home. It's not perfect. I still need a dresser and a mirror but those will come in time.  In the meantime, this is what it looks like.
Post a Comment
Read more

I Got Pre-Approved!

Realtor.com So, I guess I’m really doing this now. After hemming and hawing for the last few months, I’m finally ready to begin the mortgage/home search. And what better way to start than getting pre-approved.  Last week, I spoke to a mortgage consultant and after submitting W2, pay stubs, banks statements, etc, I got pre-approved for a mortgage. The mortgage approval amount is pretty much what I expected if not too aggressive for my liking. I’d liked to find a lower priced property than the pre-approval amount.  Also, I’m not opposed to buying a property that needs a little work, I’m just not into doing any major renovation work.  I’m moving cautiously but the bottom line is, I’m once again looking at properties.  I’m really excited. I feel more comfortable, confident this time around. I'm a lot calmer. Maybe because I've been through this process before. I know what I want. I know what I need. I know where I want to be. I'm not intimidated by cost or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Furniture Shopping

One of the things I love about New York is it’s accessibility to shops.  I love window shopping, especially for furniture. Yesterday my friend Dominique and I went shopping.  We looked around Pier 1 Imports but there were nothing really that stood out or grabbed our attention. Disappointed, we wondered around the mass of people on the overcrowded street until we stumbled upon a store called Restoration Hardware.  Neither of us had been there before, so we decided to have a look. First impression, this was definitely an upscale furniture store and nothing like down-market Pier 1 Imports.  The furniture  hankers  back to that old Hollywood style that appealed to me. Dominique on the other hand hated it. She felt it was too over the top.  We both agreed though that the look was definitely not for apartment dwellers. The furniture was large and  over-sized.   Personally I liked the upholstered headboards, the dining chairs, But it ...
Post a Comment
Read more