real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

vernacular, a fixer-upper is a property that will require repair (redecoration, reconstruction, or redesign), though it usually can be lived in or used as it is. They are popular with

buyer Procurement is the method of discovering and agreeing to terms and purchasing goods, services, or other works from an external source, often with the use of a tendering or competitive bidding process. When a government agency buys goods or serv ...

s who wish to raise the property's potential value to get a return on their investment (a practice known as

flipping Flipping is a term used to describe purchasing a revenue-generating asset and quickly reselling (or "flipping") it for profit. Within the real estate industry, the term is used by investors to describe the process of buying, rehabbing, and sel ...

), or as a

starter home A starter home or starter house is a house that is usually the first which a person or family can afford to purchase, often using a combination of savings and mortgage financing. In the real estate industry the term commonly denotes small one- or tw ...

for buyers on a budget. Home-improvement television shows touting do-it-yourself renovation techniques have made fixer-uppers more popular, but during a real-estate downturn with newer homes available at depressed prices, there is often reduced interest. Inexperienced buyers frequently underestimate the amount and cost of repairs necessary to make a home livable or saleable. Structural and service issues which may not be visible at first (such as a home's foundation or plumbing), can require expensive, professional contracting work.

Film and television

Many comedy films have used fixer-upper renovations as a central part of the plot, among them: * ''

Are We Done Yet? ''Are We Done Yet?'' is a 2007 American family comedy film directed by Steve Carr and starring Ice Cube. The film is a remake of the 1948 Cary Grant comedy film '' Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House'', previously remade as the 1986 Tom Hanks ...

'' (2007) * ''

The Money Pit ''The Money Pit'' is a 1986 American comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, book ...

'' (1986) * '' Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House'' (1948) * ''

George Washington Slept Here ''George Washington Slept Here'' is a 1942 comedy film starring Jack Benny, Ann Sheridan, Charles Coburn, Percy Kilbride, and Hattie McDaniel. It was based on the 1940 play of the same name by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman, adapted by Everett F ...

'' (1942) * In the 2013 Disney animated movie '' Frozen'', the trolls sing a song calling Kristoff a fixer upper. * In the American

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ...

New Girl ''New Girl'' is an American television sitcom created by Elizabeth Meriwether and produced by 20th Television for Fox that originally aired from September 20, 2011, to May 15, 2018. The series revolves around a kooky teacher, Jessica Day ( Zoo ...

'', supporting newly wed characters Cece and Schmidt renovate a fixer-upper house as a main plot point in the show's sixth season. Flipping of rundown houses has also been the subject of various

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early ...

shows, including: * '' Fixer Upper'' * ''

Flip or Flop ''Flip or Flop'' is an American television series that aired on HGTV, hosted by the formerly-married couple Tarek El Moussa and Christina Hall. The program was the original show in the ''Flip or Flop'' franchise, debuting in 2013. The ninth s ...

'' * '' Flip That House'' * ''

Flip This House ''Flip This House'' is an American television series that aired on the A&E and Bio television networks from 2005 to 2009. Each episode spotlighted the purchase and renovation of a single unit. All episodes included listing the price of the pu ...

'' * ''

The Real Estate Pros The Real Estate Pros (originally titled The Real Deal) is a television series which airs on the TLC network. Each episode stars Richard C. Davis and his crew from Trademark Properties of Charleston, South Carolina as they purchase and renovate a ...

Film and television

References

Further reading