How to Use fixer-upper in a Sentence

fixer-upper

noun
  • The options have been too small, too remote or too much of a fixer-upper.
    — Conor Dougherty, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2024
  • How does a two-bedroom fixer-upper a block from the airport sound?
    — Arthur C. Brooks, The Atlantic, 30 Mar. 2023
  • But profit is not the main driver for most buyers of fixer-uppers.
    — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 13 May 2024
  • Her kids come back and suddenly the farmhouse fixer-upper has been fixed up.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025
  • The best way to deal with fixer-uppers and frenzied fans is to silence them early in the game.
    — Scott Springer, The Enquirer, 12 Jan. 2024
  • Of course, there are plenty of downsides to buying a fixer-upper as well.
    — Becca Stanek, theweek, 26 July 2024
  • The high cost of borrowing has squashed the fixer-upper market too.
    — Kevin Williams, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
  • The home, paid in cash, proved to be another fixer-upper, and came slightly charred due to a past fire.
    — Rachel Ventresca, Fortune, 16 July 2023
  • In this one, the gang ends up at Carol's fixer-upper of a house (Benton brings beer!
    — Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 27 Nov. 2024
  • The house is a one-bedroom, one-bath fixer-upper that once belonged to the parents of one of Lee’s high school friends.
    — Roger Vincent, Los Angeles Times, 1 July 2023
  • With some time, money, and elbow grease, a fixer-upper can be a pocket-friendly way to make your dream house yourself.
    — Aksha Mittapalli, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Joanna Gaines just pulled off a fashion fixer-upper by taking the simplest look in your closet up a notch.
    — Clint Davis, Peoplemag, 9 Sep. 2024
  • And with their exit comes a great opportunity for people eager to buy a fixer-upper of their own.
    — Lew Sichelman, Miami Herald, 13 May 2024
  • Before gearing up to buy a fixer-upper, consider your skills, time, and most timely, your loan program.
    — Aksha Mittapalli, Better Homes & Gardens, 15 Jan. 2025
  • Image Many people trying to buy their starter homes are finding only fixer-uppers.
    — Rukmini Callimachi, New York Times, 2 June 2024
  • For many Americans, the math behind buying a fixer-upper no longer pencils out.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • In many cases, the sort of historical idea of a starter home is often something that requires work, a fixer-upper.
    — Taylor Wilson, USA TODAY, 3 Sep. 2024
  • Not all of them work for transcendent fixer-uppers Chip and Joanna Gaines.
    — Michael Barnes, Austin American Statesman, 2 July 2025
  • Tom had some arcade games for me, in various states of functionality, from mint to fixer-upper.
    — Ezra Dyer, Car and Driver, 25 June 2023
  • The shift away from fixer-uppers also showed up in earnings reports from home improvement retailers.
    — Samantha Delouya, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • There are a couple of outbuildings including a fixer-upper cottage that in the right hands would one day make a fabulous pool house.
    — Mark David, Robb Report, 22 Mar. 2024
  • Burke moved to the neighborhood in 2012, purchasing a fixer-upper that had been on the market for a year.
    — Jillian Atelsek, Washington Post, 14 Feb. 2024
  • The couple helps families choose a fixer-upper home, then fix it up in Joanna's signature farmhouse style.
    — Kaitlin Menza, House Beautiful, 29 Aug. 2023
  • The renter is selling her home, a Victorian fixer-upper in Kansas.
    — Daniel De Visé, USA TODAY, 26 Feb. 2024
  • That verdict can’t come until the fall, but with spring camp underway this week, Florida’s fixer-upper is at the survey stage.
    — Noah White, Miami Herald, 5 Mar. 2026
  • But interest in relatively cheap, old fixer-uppers has boomed as the cost of newer houses has skyrocketed over the past few years.
    — Chris Moody, Washington Post, 22 Aug. 2023
  • More than six in 10 are open to buying fixer-uppers and more than half are willing to move to another state or even country to afford a home, the survey found.
    — Rachel Barber, USA Today, 17 May 2025
  • Still, compared with those slick fixer-upper shows on HGTV, that only makes success seem less assured.
    — Peter Debruge, Variety, 3 Sep. 2024
  • First-time buyers are more likely to find discounts at the lower end of the market, such as among condominiums or fixer-upper homes, real estate agents say.
    — Christian Leonard, San Francisco Chronicle, 10 Feb. 2026
  • Homebuyers who are choosing move-in ready homes instead of outdated fixer-uppers are reporting big monthly savings.
    — Calesa Township, Miami Herald, 28 Oct. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'fixer-upper.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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