You've got that right, they are a lot of work. But they have character.
My wife walked up to the door of the previous owner 19 years ago and asked if he wanted to sell the place. It was quite neglected (to put it mildly). He showed us through it and when we walked out the door I said to my wife, "That place needs a LOT of work.". She said, "Yeah, but just think of what it will be like when we're done!". You can see who won that debate... If it wasn't for her, there is no way I could keep up as I'm still working. She does 3/4 of the yard work. I've got a good one.