There are TONS of foreclosures and shortsales in this market, but usually, they are sold "as-is." Yes, you usually get a great deal, but you often get a great deal of work along with it. Or maybe you want to increase the value of your home with some simple upgrades and improvements. Maybe, you're an investor, and want to do a "fix and flip," or a buy and hold income property. There are lots of ways to increase the value of your home by putting a little work into it, and there are lots of ways to finance it. Here is a great article from Thesimpledollar.com that describes the "Best Home Improvement Loans of 2016." http://www.thesimpledollar.com/best-home-improvement-loans/