1950 Regent Home, Two Lots, Remodeled Basement, RV Hookup — $136,600

The price is $65 a square foot. That's where you start with this one, because 2,092 square feet in a 1950 four-bedroom for $136,600 is a number that makes you do the math twice.

The house sits on two lots, which gives you real yard space and room for the 30-amp RV hookup already wired in. That hookup is either useful to you or it isn't, but it's there and it works.

The main floor has four bedrooms and a full bath with a walk-in shower that was updated. Windows, roof, furnace, and central AC have all been replaced more recently, which means the big-ticket mechanical and weatherproofing work is behind you. A house from 1950 that has had all of those things addressed is a different proposition than one that hasn't.

The basement is where it gets more interesting. It's been remodeled and the agent describes it as having potential for a private one-bedroom apartment or guest suite. That means it has some degree of separation and finish, though the listing doesn't specify whether it has a separate entrance, a kitchen, or what exactly is there. Worth asking, because the difference between "could be an apartment" and "is an apartment" matters a lot if you're thinking about rental income or long-term guests. What's clear is that someone put money into it.

Regent is a small town in southwestern North Dakota. The listing doesn't say much beyond that, and I won't fill in what I don't know. What the numbers do say is that you're getting a lot of house, on more land than a single lot, with the major systems updated, for well under $150,000. If you need space and you're not tied to a city, that math is hard to argue with.

The agent description is thin on specifics, so some of this you'd want to see in person. But the bones are there and the price leaves room.