For us -- the issue was getting the house sold sooner rather than later. So, we redid the MBR and bath. We did not get the remodel money back, but the house sold quicker than the competition in a down market in 2010. And, that is what we wanted. If you think you will get a better price, that is a risk that may not pay off.

Currently, we have ended up having to build a house because people have done shoddy remodel jobs and upped the prices to the point where building is about the same cost. Had we been able to find a place we could have done ourselves to make it like we wanted, we might not be building.

We did the same as Nighttowln. Wanted a quick sale during the market crash. But, I did a modified remodel of two baths.

Our master, I removed all brass and pink sink/toilet with white. I shopped around and found a high end vanity floor model with some minor chips. They threw in the sink and I had my handyman put it in.

Ran around granite yards and found a piece of white marble which was left over from a job and put that on top. Removed the shower doors and did pay full price for new seemless shower doors. Put in new lights (Target) over the sink. The bathroom had pink tile half way up the wall. We put white beadboard over it with chair rail. New shower fauctes (home depot). We left the pink tile on the floors.

Bath looked fantastic. No one noticed anything and saved us a bunch of money.

Did the same with a basement bathroom but did not change the shower doors. Took them off, patched the tile and put up a white shower curtain. Regrouted the tile and again, found another double-sink vanity and put it in.

House sold close to list, had the offer after 2 months.

Jane

Sounds to me as if you could refurbish the bath instead of doing a gut remodel. But pictures of the room would help.

But changing out the brass knobs is simple. Bit more difficult to replace the brass-framed shower, but doable/affordable.

The countertops--what kind of synthetic are they? Some are trendy right now, some aren't. You could probably keep the cabinets and just replace the counter top with a granite or other stone remnant.

But again, when are you planning to sell? What's the market like in your area? Are you willing to lower the price of the house to allow for re-doing the bath? Do you need to sell quickly or can you wait months? All that will also factor into your decision.

If you are planning on putting the house on the market this spring, I'd get a few agents in to look at the house. They'll give you advice on what needs to be fixed/changed before putting the house up for sale.

Thank you for the info. The house looks good. Everything works and nothing looks "tired"--just a bit out of date and especially in comparison to the rest of the house. I think what we'll do, is get a couple realtor friends in and ask them. We could easily put on a granite top and do a frameless shower and possibly new cabinets. We're looking to sell in about a year; so we have time.

Post pics in the decorating forum for ideas. You may be able to gel stain or paint cabinets.

You need to make the buyers feel like they don't have to redo immediately, even if it is not all brand new.

Now is probably a good time to get stuff done, or get some items on sale, the shower doors may be expensive, so you might monitor CL for a pair that were mis-measured etc.