1920 Alma Home on 4 City Lots with Hardwood Floors Under the Carpet — $142,000

The lot is the first thing. Four city lots combined into one 0.81-acre parcel in a quiet Alma neighborhood. That is a lot of ground for a residential address. You could put up a workshop, plant a serious garden, park equipment, or just have a backyard that does not feel like a postage stamp. Most houses at this price point give you a typical city lot. This one gives you four of them.

The house is from 1920 and runs 1,073 square feet across two bedrooms and one bath. It is small but arranged well. The formal dining room is a real room, sized to actually seat people, with built-in cabinetry that holds its shape and gives the space some purpose. That kind of detail shows up in houses from this era and usually ages better than what gets built now.

The primary bedroom has a full wall of closet storage, which is rare in a house this age. Both bedrooms are on the larger side for the footprint. The living room has newer carpet, and so do the bedrooms. Underneath the carpet in the living areas, there are hardwood floors. They have not been exposed yet, so their condition is unknown, but they are there if you want them.

The bathroom has been updated. A walk-in shower was added, along with a new sink and vanity base. It brings the room closer to current without gutting the whole thing.

The house has been pre-inspected, which tells you the seller knows what is there and is not trying to hide it. That is worth something when you are buying a 100-year-old house.

At 1,073 square feet, this is a two-person house, maybe three if everyone is comfortable with close quarters. The square footage is modest. The lot is the argument for this one.