Ugly can be fixed

Buying a house that needs work, then fixing it up yourself can help turn a nightmare into a dream.

A can of paint can be your best friend when you buy your first home, as Nadia Abuseif and Brad Hughes discovered after moving into a modest 1920s house last month.They're glad they listened when their real estate agent kept telling them, "Ugly can be fixed."

They bought near St. Clair Ave. and Dufferin St. – a six-room home with a basement apartment for Abuseif's mother.Hughes, a research analyst with IDC Canada, and Abuseif, an IT guru for TD Bank, met agent Wally Brazy at an open house. With his guidance, it took only three weeks to buy a house.