PAT GREENHOUSE/GLOBE STAFF

This house in Athol sold for $39,299. Real estate agent Anthony Paoletti said area showings require a flashlight and boots.

PAT GREENHOUSE/GLOBE STAFF

Scott Parker bought this house in Orange for $36,500, waiting until the asking price dropped by tens of thousands.

PAT GREENHOUSE/GLOBE STAFF

Parker worked on the walls of the house in Orange he bought for $36,500. His mother, Sandy, stripped wallpaper in the kitchen.

PAT GREENHOUSE/GLOBE STAFF

This Main Street house in Orange was a bargain at $24,900. Paoletti said buyers fixing houses up won’t be flipping them at a big profit.