Could that Ugly House be Your Dream Home in Disguise?

Keep your priorities straight.
When you're viewing a home, look past its appearance and focus on whether it meets your needs. Is it in the right neighborhood? Does it have the right number of bedrooms? Is the roof in good condition? If a home meets all of these requirements, it might be your dream house, despite the color of the walls.

Look past the problems to see a home's potential.
It's difficult to look past a home's ugly decor. The key is to remember that appearances are easy to change. Quick and affordable cosmetic fixes can transform a dated house into a trendy home that is the envy of the entire neighborhood. Instead of focusing on the following problems, focus on the solutions.

Stains on the carpets and walls are a minor issue.
A steam cleaner, which you can rent from your local grocery store, can remove most carpet stains and a gallon of primer will quickly hide most wall stains. You don't have to rip out an entire bathroom to replace a rusted tub; hiring a professional to re-enamel it will save you hundreds of dollars in renovation costs.

Overwhelmed by the walls? Don't pass just yet.
For several hundred dollars, you can repaint an entire house in shades you love. If the walls are covered with layers of wallpaper, you'll have to strip it all back before you can paint, or you can cover it all with a new layer of wallpaper in a pattern you love.

Dated fixtures and fittings are a quick fix.
Brass swan faucets and disco ball ceiling lights just don't fit into your overall design scheme. Fortunately, dated doorknobs, cabinet handles and drawer pulls, faucets, and ceiling lights are all easy to replace. By installing fixtures and fittings that are more contemporary, you'll drag a home out of the seventies and into the new millennium.

A good location trumps a pretty interior.
When you view homes with your real estate agent, go with an open mind. Remember that cosmetic problems are easy to fix. In fact, buying the ugliest house on the nicest street is a wise investment. By putting in a few weekends of hard labor, you'll transform the fixer-upper house into a dream home and make a few thousand dollars on your investment in the process.