Historic, Barn, Finished Basement
1890 Frostburg Row House, Updated and Near FSU — $125,000
6
out of 10
HousesUnder150K Score
Property Merit 50% · Condition 25% · Price/Sq Ft 15% · Market 10%
| Category | Wt. | Score | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property Merit | 50% | 7 | 1890 historic, 1320 sqft, FSU proximity, deck, mudroom, bonus room potential |
| Condition | 25% | 7 | New metal roof, new gas furnace, re-mortared foundation, remodeled 2nd floor — solid updates |
| Price / Sq Ft | 15% | 7 | Listing $95/sqft vs zip median $119/sqft — ~20% below median; thin 7-comp data noted |
| Price vs. Market | 5% | 6 | $125K vs $183,920 zip median — roughly 32% below; active zip with 52 sales |
| Market Conditions | 5% | 6 | DOM 52 days, sale-to-list 96.1%, 31.2% price drops — mild buyer advantage |
The price is the first thing worth sitting with here. The zip median is around $184,000. This house is listed at $125,000, which puts it about 32% below that. For a 135-year-old house with a new metal roof, a new gas furnace, and a re-mortared foundation, that gap is wide enough to pay attention to.
The roof and furnace alone change the math on a house this old. Those are the two things that can make a historic property feel like a money pit from day one. Here, they're done. The foundation was re-mortared. There's a sump pump in the basement. Someone put real money into the structural and mechanical stuff before listing, which is the right order to do things. The second floor was also remodeled, so the interior is not all original-condition 1890s.
The house runs 1,320 square feet across three bedrooms and one bath. There's a room the agent describes as flexible space, which realistically means a fourth small room that could function as an office, nursery, or storage depending on who's living there. The main floor has laminate plank flooring. A mudroom with laundry sits off the back. All appliances stay.
The rear deck is private. The basement is unfinished and dry, which makes it usable for storage even if you never finish it.
The FSU proximity is real and cuts both ways. For a faculty member, a grad student, or someone who works on campus, this is a short walk to work. For a buyer who wants quiet and distance from student activity, that's a different calculation.
The house has been sitting for 52 days, and about a third of active listings in the area have taken price cuts. So there's some give in the market right now. At $95 per square foot against a median of $119, you're buying into a house that's priced below its surroundings before you even factor in the work that's already been done.
A 135-year-old single-bath house is still a 135-year-old single-bath house. One bathroom for three bedrooms will limit who finds this comfortable long term. That's the honest constraint here.
But the heavy lifting on the building itself is done, and the price reflects room to finish the job on the inside on your own terms.
