Real estate is a good investment, but it requires lots of scrimping and saving and even taking out loans. Right? Fortunately—no. There are some amazing deals and fabulous houses out there that won’t break the bank and will leave you very happy. Especially since some homes cost a grand total of 0 dollars.
One of the best places to find low-priced but beautiful properties is the Cheap Old Houses Instagram account that has over 1.3 million loyal followers. The account has helped countless Americans and Europeans find their new homes and showcases the country’s hidden gems.
So scroll down, dear Pandas, upvote your favorite houses, and share which properties you liked the most and why.
More info: Instagram | Facebook | CheapOldHouses.com | CircaOldHouses.com
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The Cheap Old Houses Instagram page is run by husband and wife Elizabeth and Ethan Finkelstein. Elizabeth is also the founder of Circa Old Houses, a company dedicated to selling historic homes to buyers who want to preserve them.
“There are a lot of people out there who look at a house and think, Wow, this looks like a lot of work. And then there are the people who look at the same house and think, That looks like a lot of work—and I cannot wait,” Elizabeth told Garden & Gun.
For her, it’s vital that these iconic buildings and American and European history be preserved. “In so many instances, these homes are vulnerable to being flipped or destroyed. They also kind of go under the radar. Real estate agents are not making a huge commission off of a thirty-thousand dollar house, and so generally they don’t do the extra things, like hire professional photographers.”
The homes that Elizabeth and Ethan feature on their page are generally under 100k dollars. But the price can be as low as 2.5k dollars, 1k dollars, and… free! You can’t really get a better deal than that, unless somebody actually pays you to live somewhere.
It’s a win-win situation. Anyone who’s looking for a family home gets to put down roots without getting up to their necks in debt; meanwhile, Elizabeth and Ethan get to preserve history and build up the community of old house lovers.
“We believe that you’re being sold the wrong American dream. Contrary to what everyone else says, you don’t actually need to buy a million-dollar house and go into extreme debt to live a satisfying and beautiful life,” they write on their website. “Our philosophy of life is simple. Work hard. Find something beautiful, something well-crafted. Something that needs you. Nurture it. Learn about it. Spend time honing your skills so you understand it. Teach your family to do the same. And give back to history while doing it.”
That last room has some pretty extensive water damage on the ceiling...hope it is nothing too severe, that can get pretty costly!
how is real estate soooooo cheap in the US???? In Sydney Australia, a 2 bedroom apartment, build in the 80's or earlier, 40 minutes out from the city, can still cost you $500,000+
It's Bodfish. Sure, Lake Isabella is nice, but the only employer is the state prison in Tehachapi.
Note: this post originally had 60 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
And every single one of those houses needs a MINIMUM of $500.000.00 in renovations before you could move in. The electrical would need to be redone because they look flat out dangerous, the walls are cracking, the foundations are rotting, there's no real heating system, every single roof needs replacing. ...///... When you buy anything cheap, you get EXACTLY what you pay for.
Yes exactly what I came here to say! Also there's a lot of cheap property in southern states they're not idea places to live, in the middle of no where, and not conveniently near metropolitan hubs, I know states like Kentucky you can easily find homes, while small, and in remote locations, for like 20-40k, so there's that and the others above in more high population areas like Messy said probably have massive renovation, treatment, and overhauls needed, something as seemingly unnoticeable as a roof could be due for a replacement and just that is thousands of dollars. People need to understand they ain't just paying the price listed let me tell you
Load More Replies...Buying a creepy victorian house in the middle of nowhere for only $65.000 ... Isn't it the way the horror movies start?
The horror movies are less scary - you either inherit the houses or they belong to somebody else.
Load More Replies...you can get grants to restore old houses...at our local community collage they have courses to learn how to renovate old houses and they fix up houses in the community... there are ways around spending a ton of money restoring beautiful worth it houses... There is so much beautiful craftsmanship that's went into most of these houses, its sad they weren't kept up on
Yeah they are beautiful but I’m going to need more info about the neighborhoods they are in. Looking at you St Louis, MO.
Some of these are good deals, but most are cheap because either they are in extremely remote locations which may even struggle with basic utilities and access; or they must be fixed before they can be lived in. They still might be a good investment, but that investment will be about 5x the listing price.
My parents bought an old victorian that needed some work, fixed it up according to code and the style of the house, furnished it with cool antiques and stuff, even had this dude make some cool period stained glass windows. It's so cool and I love it so much, I wish more people would respect old houses. I'm not saying you have to completely redo any house you buy, just don't buy an old house with amazing details if you're going to stucco over the front, paint the original finished wood trim, etc. It just hurts my soul ;(
I think it would be fun to show what the equivalent money could buy in, like, San Francisco. Probably be, you know, PART of a parking spot...
But why compare apples and oranges? For someone who has a job in San Francisco, a mansion in the middle of Ohio would be worthless. A liability, in fact.
Load More Replies...you need to read the Disclaimer that Instagram account makes, saying that these are just examples they see, but reality may be different and you'd have to check with the actual listing agencies.
This was fun but most of them homes require costly renovations to get them liveable or ghastly utility bills while still having to renovate. Some friends before they were divorced bought a grand old house, it was in constant need to renovation. He was always working on it til they gave up, she moved to another city and he started a new family. The stairs were very murder-y if drunk.
Wow. Some of these are wonderful houses, that with a little love and some money, totally worth the effort and time and money! I am amazed at how wonderful they are!
Maybe I'm just spoiled by how affordable the cost of living is in the "flyover zone", but I wouldn't for a second consider paying a hundred grand for a house as old and needing as much work as most of these.
So, most of these places had lovely qualities -- at least in the few pictures they showed. In most cases we only got to see what made them special -- not what made them cheap. I think even Chip and Joanna Gaines would have trouble meeting budget on most of these. But it's always a shame when beautiful old homes fall to ruin.
Not in the decently built older bungalows. Not against Cleveland Ohio price standards, at least.
Load More Replies...A lot of them are houses that need to be fixed up. Maybe just fixed and flipped.
All beautiful, all far below code, and all 100% qualifiers for a scary movie shoot. You might get rid of the plumbing and electrical demons, but some might not go so willingly......
Still most are good buys if you have the cash. I would love to live somewhere remote, a quiet town away from all the city hassles.
Check out the neighbors and what they do for fun, first. And the crime rates.
Load More Replies...And every single one of those houses needs a MINIMUM of $500.000.00 in renovations before you could move in. The electrical would need to be redone because they look flat out dangerous, the walls are cracking, the foundations are rotting, there's no real heating system, every single roof needs replacing. ...///... When you buy anything cheap, you get EXACTLY what you pay for.
Yes exactly what I came here to say! Also there's a lot of cheap property in southern states they're not idea places to live, in the middle of no where, and not conveniently near metropolitan hubs, I know states like Kentucky you can easily find homes, while small, and in remote locations, for like 20-40k, so there's that and the others above in more high population areas like Messy said probably have massive renovation, treatment, and overhauls needed, something as seemingly unnoticeable as a roof could be due for a replacement and just that is thousands of dollars. People need to understand they ain't just paying the price listed let me tell you
Load More Replies...Buying a creepy victorian house in the middle of nowhere for only $65.000 ... Isn't it the way the horror movies start?
The horror movies are less scary - you either inherit the houses or they belong to somebody else.
Load More Replies...you can get grants to restore old houses...at our local community collage they have courses to learn how to renovate old houses and they fix up houses in the community... there are ways around spending a ton of money restoring beautiful worth it houses... There is so much beautiful craftsmanship that's went into most of these houses, its sad they weren't kept up on
Yeah they are beautiful but I’m going to need more info about the neighborhoods they are in. Looking at you St Louis, MO.
Some of these are good deals, but most are cheap because either they are in extremely remote locations which may even struggle with basic utilities and access; or they must be fixed before they can be lived in. They still might be a good investment, but that investment will be about 5x the listing price.
My parents bought an old victorian that needed some work, fixed it up according to code and the style of the house, furnished it with cool antiques and stuff, even had this dude make some cool period stained glass windows. It's so cool and I love it so much, I wish more people would respect old houses. I'm not saying you have to completely redo any house you buy, just don't buy an old house with amazing details if you're going to stucco over the front, paint the original finished wood trim, etc. It just hurts my soul ;(
I think it would be fun to show what the equivalent money could buy in, like, San Francisco. Probably be, you know, PART of a parking spot...
But why compare apples and oranges? For someone who has a job in San Francisco, a mansion in the middle of Ohio would be worthless. A liability, in fact.
Load More Replies...you need to read the Disclaimer that Instagram account makes, saying that these are just examples they see, but reality may be different and you'd have to check with the actual listing agencies.
This was fun but most of them homes require costly renovations to get them liveable or ghastly utility bills while still having to renovate. Some friends before they were divorced bought a grand old house, it was in constant need to renovation. He was always working on it til they gave up, she moved to another city and he started a new family. The stairs were very murder-y if drunk.
Wow. Some of these are wonderful houses, that with a little love and some money, totally worth the effort and time and money! I am amazed at how wonderful they are!
Maybe I'm just spoiled by how affordable the cost of living is in the "flyover zone", but I wouldn't for a second consider paying a hundred grand for a house as old and needing as much work as most of these.
So, most of these places had lovely qualities -- at least in the few pictures they showed. In most cases we only got to see what made them special -- not what made them cheap. I think even Chip and Joanna Gaines would have trouble meeting budget on most of these. But it's always a shame when beautiful old homes fall to ruin.
Not in the decently built older bungalows. Not against Cleveland Ohio price standards, at least.
Load More Replies...A lot of them are houses that need to be fixed up. Maybe just fixed and flipped.
All beautiful, all far below code, and all 100% qualifiers for a scary movie shoot. You might get rid of the plumbing and electrical demons, but some might not go so willingly......
Still most are good buys if you have the cash. I would love to live somewhere remote, a quiet town away from all the city hassles.
Check out the neighbors and what they do for fun, first. And the crime rates.
Load More Replies...