“A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.” – Colin Powell

For one woman, when the right deal came along to buy a house she jumped at the chance. In today’s economy, a good deal can be hard to find. And this house had something extra special about it – It only cost $1.

North Dakota TikToker Tia (@tiatortillaaaa) wanted to sell the house she lived in to find something that fit her budget better. And when she went looking, she knew she wanted to stay in her small town.

“Houses here are usually under $100,000 already. I was looking to sell the house that I’m in right now because the mortgage was more than what I needed. Because of the small town, I felt like if I sold my house, I could get something else and be able to have a little bit more financial freedom. That’s kind of the beauty of a small town compared to the city,” Tia said.

@tiatortillaaaa I bought a house for one dollar! Will keep you posted with all renovations! #1dollarhouse #homerepair #oldhouse #iboughtafixerupper #homerenovations #oldhouse #historicalhouse #100yearoldhouse ♬ original sound – The $1 House

After looking, Tia found a home she had been interested in, but unfortunately, she had to turn it down due to a bad foundation. But, in a twist of luck, the owner of that house told her had another property and this one was a bit different. The owner told her that he was so ready to be done with it, that he was willing to sell it for a low price. He said he did not “know of anybody who would want to fix it up.”

The $1 house. Photo from TikTok

After looking at the two-bedroom house, Tia said that once she saw that the foundation was solid, but the house needed a big overhaul. But first she would have to clear the left behind belongings from the previous owner. She could see the potential in the house, though. “I was like, ‘I might take on that challenge,’ and then I went through with it,” she said. “We drew up the sale paperwork for $1.”

Ignoring the people who said it was too much to take on, Tia knew that in the end it would be worth it. “I knew that it would be a lot of work, but my mindset was that houses are so expensive right now. Even if I was to spend like $30,000 on it, which is my goal for it, then I would still be in a significantly better place than if I was to buy just a normal house,” she said.

With some work she did not feel comfortable taking on being delegated to a contractor, the rest would be done by her.

“So, my mindset going in has been [to] take it one step at a time. If I can get out of the contractor work for under $20,000, then hopefully I’ll have enough to do the interior. But even with a big house downtown, it would be like $30,000. I felt pretty optimistic about it from the jump because of that.”

The bathroom in the home. Photo from TikTok

The contractor will oversee the electric and furnace work, she said. The rest is going to be a DIY project. “For the roof and the plumbing, I’m going to try to do it myself. This morning, I looked up a YouTube video about how to remove a tub for the bathroom remodel. I will try to do it all myself, but I’ll have help from asking questions. Hopefully, family and friends can also step in a few times and show me some things,” Tia said.

Between work on the roof and her plans to start working on the bathroom, she said she hopes to move in within a few months. One of her biggest projects will be the kitchen, but she said she feels confident.

Tia, who has been on TikTok since 2017, said she knew immediately she wanted to document her work on the home. Not only does she enjoy it, but Tia also said she has been getting help from others leaving comments on her videos. “I have learned a lot from them because there are a lot of people who fix up houses for a living. It’s been a pretty positive experience so far.”

@tiatortillaaaa My $1 house: electric quote, my budget update, carpet removal, bedroom closet and dressor. Future plans 😍 #oldhouse #100yearoldhouse #antiquehome #1dollarhouse #fixerupper #iboughtafixerupper #declutter #carpetremoval #remodeling ♬ som original – ɪʟɪɴx

Source: People