Character Home, Garage, Finished Basement
1961 Ranch with Walk-Out Basement, Hardwood Floors, and Deep Lot — $149,900
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 | Walk-out basement, hardwood floors, built-ins, oversized garage, deep 0.25-acre lot |
| Condition | 25% | 7 | Roof 2019, water heater 2026; hardwood floors intact; one bath; no HVAC date |
| Price / Sq Ft | 15% | 6 | Listing $132/sqft vs zip median $130/sqft — essentially at market; thin 8-comp data |
| Price vs. Market | 5% | 3 | $149,900 is ~42% below zip median $259,888 — but zip likely reflects larger/newer homes |
| Market Conditions | 5% | 5 | DOM 16, sale-to-list 98.9%, price drops 20.8% — balanced with mild buyer signal |
The price is 42% below the zip code median, which sounds dramatic until you factor in that the median here likely reflects newer and larger homes. Still, $149,900 for a solid ranch in Mackinaw with a walk-out basement and original hardwood floors is a real number worth paying attention to.
The hardwood floors in all three bedrooms are intact and original, which matters. Sixty-year-old floors that have survived to this point usually have more life in them than anything you would install today at the same price point. The living room is described as oversized, there is an informal dining room, and built-ins in the bathroom add a detail that most houses at this price have long since stripped out or covered over.
The walk-out basement is the most interesting structural feature. A full daylight walk-out opens the lower level to actual use, whether that is a fourth bedroom, a workspace, storage that does not feel like storage, or eventually a finished living area. The house is 1,134 square feet on the main floor, so the basement nearly doubles what you have to work with if you want to expand without moving.
The lot is a quarter acre and runs deep, which gives you a real backyard. The agent notes it is steps from the high school baseball field, which is either convenient or noisy depending on the season and your tolerance for aluminum bat sounds in April. The garage is a single stall but described as oversized.
On condition, the roof was replaced in 2019 and the water heater in 2026. Those are two of the bigger ticket items handled. There is no mention of HVAC age, which is the one thing worth asking directly before you get far into this.
One bathroom for three bedrooms is the constraint this house has always lived with, and that calculation stays the same regardless of price. If that works for your household, everything else here is reasonably priced for what it is.
