American Farmhouse Style – June 2019

JUNE/JULY 2019 • 61

HOW TO FIND A FIXER UPPER

LOREN’S METHOD OF RENOVATING HOUSES IS TO CONTACT THE HOMEOWNERS DIRECTLY AND FIND OUT IF THEY’RE

INTERESTED IN SELLING. HERE ARE A FEW OF HER POINTERS FOR SCORING THE BEST HOUSE DEAL.

KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO LIVE. Find a neighborhood
where you know you want to purchase a home. “The house
before this one is just up the road, and I knew I wanted to stay
in this location,” Loren says. Drive through the neighborhood
and search real estate listings for the area on a regular basis
to get familiar with the kinds of prices, fl oor plans and
availability the area off ers.

KNOW WHAT YOU’RE LOOKING FOR. Have a mental list
of elements you want the home to have before you purchase.
“I gravitate toward historic homes that have character and
good bones,” Loren says. “I try to fi nd houses that look like

they’re vacant, then contact the homeowners to see if they’d

be interested in selling.” By keeping her eye on vacant homes,

Loren can help the homeowner fi nd a buyer, while at the

same time saving the house from neglect and dereliction.

BE PATIENT. This kind of home buying takes time and

patience. If you contact an owner and the purchase doesn’t

work out, don’t get frustrated. The home Loren is currently

renovating (not the one she’s living in now) belonged to

a homeowner Loren had approached before to purchase.

It took several years and just as many inquiries before the

previous owner was ready to part with the house.

In the living room, Loren painted the mantel a pure white to anchor the room. “I painted the brick white, then painted the tile,” she says.