#fixer-upper

#fixer-upper

Buyers in many areas have more options than they did during the pandemic-era frenzy, with inventory rebounding from historic lows and competition easing. At the same time, home prices remain high and renovation costs are elevated. With more homes available but at higher price points, the real question for buyers is: Do you buy a fixer-upper that needs work, or pay more for a move-in ready, turnkey home and skip the projects?

When I tell people I bought a fixer-upper in Vermont with my siblings, the reaction is almost always the same: part envy, part amusement, part horror. "That's so exciting, but you must really like your siblings. I could never do that with mine. It would end in disaster," they say. Did I mention the house - tucked deep in the woods - is nearly impossible to find, three stories tall, and has no interior staircases or electricity?

We have a New Yorker cartoon magnetized to our fridge that features a bedraggled but happy couple crawling through a desert with the caption, "It's nice that we want the same things." My husband's family frequently laments to me, "He never does things the easy way!" without truly understanding that this is my preferred way of doing things, too. Against the grain. Off script. Rarely the easy or obvious way.

Chip and Joanna denied anti-gay allegations during a 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "It's a sad sunday when 'non believers' have never been confronted with hate or vitriol until they are introduced to a modern American Christian." Chip went on to engage with critics on social media, emphasizing the importance of attention to constructive criticism and expressing compassion for those who feel hurt by their stance.