Renovated, Garage, Finished Basement, Historic
1945 Fort Wayne Ranch with 2024 Roof, Detached Garage — $130,000
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 | 1945 home, 1186 sqft, detached 2-car garage, partially finished basement, single-level |
| Condition | 25% | 7 | Roof and water heater replaced 2024; HVAC age unknown; partially finished basement |
| Price / Sq Ft | 15% | 6 | Listing $110/sqft vs zip median $138/sqft; ~20% below median; thin data noted |
| Price vs. Market | 5% | 4 | $130K vs zip median $133K; within 3%, essentially at market |
| Market Conditions | 5% | 6 | 40% price drops is strong buyer signal; sale-to-list 96%; DOM 30 days balanced |
The two big maintenance items you'd otherwise be walking into blind have already been done. Roof replaced in 2024. Water heater replaced in 2024. On a 79-year-old house, that matters. You're not buying fresh problems on the things that hurt most when they fail.
The house itself is a single-level 1945 ranch, 1,186 square feet, three bedrooms, one bath. That's a tight layout, and you should know it going in. One bathroom for a family means morning logistics. But the footprint is manageable, the basement adds usable square footage even in its partially finished state, and the detached two-car garage gives you storage, a workspace, or just somewhere to put two cars without fighting over a shared wall with the house.
The basement is worth saying more about. Part of it is finished, which makes it functional now for a rec room, a home office, or a hobby space. The unfinished portion handles storage so it doesn't eat the main floor. That's a real addition to a house this size.
Pricing is essentially at market. The zip median sits around $133,000, and this is listed at $130,000, so there's no dramatic discount here. Where the value actually shows up is in price per square foot: $110 against a zip median of $138, a roughly 20% gap. The data is thin enough that you'd want to look at comps yourself before leaning hard on that number, but it points in the right direction. The market itself has seen 40% of listings take price cuts, which is a buyer's signal that sellers are adjusting.
The yard is partially fenced. HVAC age is unknown, which is the one question mark left hanging after the 2024 work. Get that answered before you're under contract.
For someone who wants a single-level house with the two biggest-ticket replacements already behind them, a real garage, and basement space to grow into, $130,000 in Fort Wayne gets you there.
