1915 Fort Scott Home, Hardwoods, Knotty Pine, 2,014 Sq Ft — $53,900

The price works out to $26 a square foot. That number is worth sitting with for a second, because this is a 2,014 square foot house built in 1915 with original hardwood floors through most of it. That combination is hard to find at any price, let alone this one.

The hardwoods are the first thing. Original floors from 1915 that have made it this far tell you something about how the house was built. Whether they need refinishing or just cleaning, you have something real to work with rather than something you have to undo.

The family room has knotty pine walls. That is either exactly what you want or it is not, but it is a specific thing and it gives the room a particular feel. Warm, wood-heavy, a little retro. Some people would pull it out. Others would build a whole aesthetic around it.

Out front there is a large concrete porch. In back, a concrete patio. Both are the kind of outdoor space that actually gets used, the kind where you put furniture and stay awhile, not a decorative strip of concrete at the door.

Upstairs, there is a landing area at the top of the stairs that the agent describes as a potential office or TV room. It is not a bedroom, but it is extra space, which in a 1915 house is sometimes how those things went.

The mechanicals have seen some attention. There is newer central heat and a newer water heater, so the obvious infrastructure items are not starting from zero.

The house is tenant occupied and sells as-is. You need a day's notice to show it. That context matters practically: you will not get deep access on short notice, and you are buying whatever condition the inspection finds.

At $53,900, the house is priced as a project. The floors and the bones are there. The updates are on you.