1940 Willow City One-Level with Steel Roof and Half-Acre Lot — $139,900

The big stuff is already done. Steel roof, newer windows, vinyl siding, two-stall garage. On an 84-year-old house in North Dakota, those are the things that can eat a budget fast, and here they're behind you before you move in.

The house is 1,764 square feet, and most of it lives on one floor. Kitchen, dining area, living room, two bedrooms, a full bath, and laundry all on the main level. That's a practical layout. The upstairs has one more bedroom and a second bathroom, which gives you separation if you want it. Not a full second story in the traditional sense, more of an upper room with its own bath attached.

Below the upper level there's a four-foot concrete crawl space. That's storage you can actually use, not just a dirt void under the house.

The lot is close to half an acre, which is a lot of yard for a small-town in-town property. The agent description calls it well-manicured, and the photos back that up. You've got room to spread out.

The house was built in 1940, so there's age here. The siding and windows are newer, and they've kept the weather out. What the listing doesn't tell you is much about the interior finishes or the age of mechanicals. The agent description is light on detail, which means you'd want to walk the property and ask those questions in person.

Willow City is a small community in north-central North Dakota. At $139,900 for a three-bedroom, two-bath, one-level house on a nearly half-acre lot with the major exterior work done, the price reflects where it is. That's not a criticism. It's just the math of a rural market, and for the right buyer it's a solid entry point.

If you want a house where the roof and windows aren't hanging over your head as deferred projects, this one has that going for it.