My husband and I purchased an older home in Jacksonville, Florida.
The property was affordable because it needed quite a bit of work.
Everything was outdated and rundown. The house had stood empty for several years. There were issues with the roof, plumbing, electrical, heating and cooling systems. We needed to work on everything from the landscaping to the actual structure. There was no way we could afford to hire a licensed contractor to complete the renovations and repairs. Instead, we handled the work ourselves. My husband and I are quite handy, and we took advantage of information and videos readily available on YouTube. We were quite happy with our results. Unfortunately, there was a problem with the electrical panel and wiring. Our lack of knowledge resulted in overloaded circuits and a fire. We are very lucky that no one was injured. However, the fire caused extensive damage. Because we had failed to get the proper permits for our upgrades, the insurance wouldn’t cover the rebuild. We couldn’t live in the house following the fire. The roof and entire structure was compromised. The smell was horrible. We got estimates for repairs, but couldn’t cover the cost. Selling the house by way of conventional methods wasn’t feasible. A buyer would never qualify for a mortgage. The house wouldn’t pass inspection or no one would insure it. Our best option was to find a cash home buyer. A bit of research via Google led us to a local, family-owned Jacksonville company that has been around for quite a few years. We were able to secure an offer without any obligation. Had we decided not to accept it, there would have been no fees.