Historic, Renovated, Victorian, Character Home
1888 Stanton Victorian, Restored Top to Bottom, 1,839 Sq Ft — $125,000
7
out of 10
HousesUnder150K Score
Property Merit 50% · Condition 25% · Price/Sq Ft 15% · Market 10%
| Category | Wt. | Score | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property Merit | 50% | 8 | 1888 4BR/2BA, 1,839 sqft, original hardwoods, tall ceilings, restored woodwork, rebuilt porch |
| Condition | 25% | 7 | Beautifully restored; new kitchen, both baths updated, electrical and plumbing overhauled |
| Price / Sq Ft | 15% | 8 | Listing $68/sqft vs zip median $84/sqft — 19% below; thin 4-comp dataset, directional signal |
| Price vs. Market | 5% | 4 | Listing $125K vs zip median $124,946 — essentially at median, neutral |
| Market Conditions | 5% | 7 | 66% price drops signals buyer leverage; DOM 226 days vs 61 median — stale but negotiable |
The work is already done. That is what stops you with this one. An 1888 Victorian in a small Iowa town, and somebody put in the real money: new kitchen cabinetry, new counters, a breakfast bar, bay windows added to the dining room, both bathrooms fully renovated, electrical overhauled throughout, most of the plumbing replaced, and the front porch and deck rebuilt. That is not a cosmetic refresh. That is a house someone took seriously.
What they left alone is just as important. The original hardwood floors are still there. The tall ceilings are still there. The woodwork has been restored rather than ripped out. A house built in 1888 that still reads like a house built in 1888 is harder to find than the listings make it sound.
The layout gives you a full main floor with a living room, a dining room large enough to use as one, a den, laundry, and an updated bath. Upstairs there are three large bedrooms, another renovated bath, and what the listing calls bonus space, which you can take as a reading room, a home office, a nursery, or just storage that does not feel like a closet. Total square footage is 1,839. For a family that needs four bedrooms and room to spread out without stepping on each other, that math works.
At $68 per square foot, it prices below the zip median of $84. The list price of $125,000 lands right at the local median sale price, so you are getting more house per dollar than the typical transaction in this market. The house has been sitting for 226 days, well above the area's 61-day median, and 66% of listings here have taken price cuts. That combination tells you the seller has been patient and the market has given you the upper hand on any conversation about price.
The one thing to go in clear-eyed about: Stanton is a small town, and small towns in rural Iowa carry their own realities around resale, services, and job proximity. Know what you are buying into geographically before you fall in love with the floors.
But if the location works for you, $125,000 for a fully updated 1888 Victorian with original details intact is a house that would cost twice this in most places people are trying to move to.
