5-Bedroom Fixer on 3.38 East Texas Acres, HVAC Under Warranty — $150,000

The house is 2,977 square feet, built in 1988, and it needs work. The listing calls it a fixer-upper and that's an honest description. Someone started updates and stopped, which means you're walking into a project rather than a finished product. The HVAC was replaced two years ago and the warranty transfers to the buyer, so that's one major system you won't be gambling on.

Inside there are five bedrooms and two full bathrooms, with a third bathroom that was never finished out. The kitchen has an island with bar seating, and the layout includes two separate living areas, which gives the footprint some flexibility depending on how you want to use the space. The primary suite has a sliding glass door to the patio, his-and-hers closets plus a third closet in the same room, and an extra water hookup in the bathroom. The listing doesn't explain what that hookup is configured for, so worth asking.

The property runs 3.38 acres. In Rusk County, that's enough land to do something with, and at $150,000 the math works out to roughly $50 per square foot on the structure alone before you factor in the acreage. Public water is connected, Spectrum fiber optic internet is available at the address, and the stove hookup can go either gas or electric.

What the listing doesn't tell you is the condition of the flooring, the roof age, what stage the unfinished bathroom is actually at, or what else beyond the HVAC has been touched. The agent description is light on specifics. If you're serious about this one, you'd want a thorough inspection and a clear picture of the scope before you commit. Overton is a small city about 30 miles east of Tyler, and land at this price in that corridor moves. The bones question is really about how much unfinished business is waiting inside.