In the bathroom I think replacing the carpet with tile and replacing the toilet would be a good idea.

I would do something about that corner in the kitchen. It looks bad and would turn off a lot of people. At the very least finish off the walls and paint it.

It's a two sided issue -- on the one side if you don't finish it off, buyers will certainly inflate what it will cost to finish the space and the offer you receive will reflect that. On the other side, if you do finish it off you have to be careful about not putting so much money into it that you don't recoup it or conversely going so cheaply that you turn buyers off.

I'd definitely get rid of the carpet and tile that bathroom. Don't do a high end tile, do something moderately priced. Replace the toilet, that's very inexpensive. I agree with happyladi about finishing off the unfinished wall and at a minimum paint the kitchen. I don't think you should put a lot of money into the kitchen and should leave that for a buyer who can finish it to his/her specific taste. Just adjust your price accordingly to reflect the fact that the kitchen needs work.

The other thing, is if the buyers can get a loan with some of the rooms under construction.

Another possible snag depends on whether buyers would be required to get builder's permits to finish the job, and if one would be issued if work was begun without one.

Some places need one for anything more involved than a coat of paint.

I would also think that your potential market shrinks due to the as-is condition. Most people don't have the vision to see what can be done. They'll just see a construction site and turn away.

Yes, I had the same thoughts as those on the Home Dec board....I'd rather finish things to my taste. Then again, I'd also want the place to look halfway decent until I got around to it, which could be upwards of a year or more.

My old neighbor was selling his house with the master ripped apart. He was going to finish it to the buyers liking...

Not sure if it was the market tanking or what but it took 5 months to sell. I can see the house from my computer room and used to watch buyers go in, then turn around and come right back out. I think the master scared them until a handy couple came around.

I'm pretty sure I gave input on your other post, my concern was the unmatching tile. I would do what's suggested above, then if you can carpet that tile

I'm sorry not to reply sooner - myself and kids came down with bad colds and I'm just now starting to feel better.

Thanks for all the opinions everyone, I appreciate the help in clarifying what we need to do.

I should note that the work done was permitted - no problems there. Also, the 'major' work is complete (electrical and structural) - no additional permits needed.

Roselvr, I did ask for opinions on the mismatched tile :) We plan on asking the agent for his opinion based on the market here - tile is so popular here that I just don't know if covering it would be a negative or not. We're not opposed to carpeting the whole thing if it means a sale versus no sale or that we'd get most of our money back out of it.

For sure we will finish the walls and paint (they basically just need drywall put up). The real question is whether to put in new cabs and counter tops. I think I'll have to ask the agents opinion on that, too. It's such a unique market that we're in that it's hard to figure out what to do. I guess I need to get an agent in here pronto because it takes so many weeks for cab orders to come in!

I think there is a difference between the home decorating board and the general population. The Home decorating board has people that can visualize what difference changes will make and lies to do them. I don't think this fully applies to the masses.

I'm not sure doing an all out kitchen re-model is worth it to get your money back, but I would eliminate anything that would raise any questions in a buyers mind.

Fix any drywall stuff and the mismatched cabinets. Could you paint those to match the others. Can you find some replacement doors to match the others. There are lots available on the web and if you need just a few, it might just be a couple of hundred.

I think what is most important is to fix-up and eliminate anything that would bring a question to a buyers mind. Such as why is the drywall off there, why are the cabinets not matching etc. The other thing is to have things in a good shape. It needs to look well maintained to not make a buyer wonder what else has been neglected.

If your kitchen countertops are in good shape and matching and fits and neutral then I'm not sure you need to do anything there. Yours look neutral.

As for the toilet that might gross some people out so I would replace (Easy to do yourself and ~ $100) and carpet in the baths would gross me out too even though all houses we bought previously has had it and I've replaced it with vinyl or tile depending on the neighborhood, I didn't want to deal with that when we looked last time.

I'd finish it. Go moderately price on all items you replace. There is no way after going thru a major move that I'd want to tackle a remodeling job that someone else started before I was even settled in.
Yes, once you move into a space most folks do like to make it there own BUT they want to do it on their time line. What you have now is a forced fix, something that would not settle well with most folks. Remember moving is very stressful right up there with losing a spouse add a remodel on top of that and your asking too much from most people to deal with.

Finish it, using moderate but consistent quality. Even in a hot market, turnkey houses sell faster than anything else.

I think that this is a simple issue. Your house will not be as competitive as finished houses, even ones that are a bit outdated. At least if it is outdated, you live with it for a while. As suggested, finish it up with average grade materials, sell for a good price and come on out to beautiful Colorado!
Diane (in CO)

Roselvr, I did ask for opinions on the mismatched tile :) We plan on asking the agent for his opinion based on the market here - tile is so popular here that I just don't know if covering it would be a negative or not. We're not opposed to carpeting the whole thing if it means a sale versus no sale or that we'd get most of our money back out of it.

My comments about the tile was if I was a buyer, as I spent 7 months looking at houses in my area. IMO, the tile did not photograph too well and looking at your very 1st picture, if the agent was to take a similar photo, all I'd be thinking is how I have to rip tile up and what a big job it would be. If you could carpet at least part of it, it would look that much better; and might sell faster. I think asking the agent is good, but I would also prepare and get estimates just in case you do list and nothing happens. Then you know something is making them not want to walk the house.

What ever you decide to do, try not to take too long to get it done as you might miss the hottest parts of the market like we did last year. Our master took longer then it should have due to what I felt was the contractor getting mad at me for not liking how he hung a door, he then took a few weeks off. Thankfully, my hubby got my BIL to come finish it.

I agree, definitely finish it. One thing I would also do is make the peninsula a large square to make room for barstools-- one or two on each side-- does that make sense? If you made a 12" overhang on each side of that corner it would be an eat-in kitchen.

Thinking about carpet stresses me out, lol. The entry, kitchen and sun room all share the same tile - and all are open to each other. The LR has the other, gray, tile - that room is also open to all the others. The sun room is on the other side of the dining room - where I am standing to take the 2nd picture, and you can see the entry to it in the 3rd picture.

Just what should be carpeted? The LR only - then the 'flow' is cut off to the dining room. Both LR and DR - and leave the tile in the sun room? PO's - the one's before the PO's we bought from - had white carpet in the LR.

For the kitchen I'm thinking -
-In stock cabs from HD
-New ss dishwasher (to match the ss stove w/black glass top) - with new cabs it has to be moved from left side of window to right side).
-Vented micro over stove - or just a spot for one??
-New pantry door (to match other new doors in the house) and new sink and faucet.
-Finish walls and either repair tile floor or install new tile (depending on carpet??)
-The fridge - I don't know, ughh. The big white one sticks out like a sore thumb, but I doubt we'd get money back on a new SS and not sure we'd need it in our new home. Maybe keep white dw and fridge - and buy a new white stove/oven?

We will be DIY - because of new construction going on in town there are NO contractors or even handy men available for work. Just impossible to find anyone. Even getting carpet installers will be a pain. Plus we have only 6 weeks to complete work before dh leaves for his new job. But would really like to be done by end of March so we can list in April.

Agree about the little peninsula having an overhang for stools! That was our original plan :)

LOL at your post carol_from_ny . I so agree that most people don't want to tackle any work after a major move. But it gave me a chuckle because we ourselves are facing the stress of both a remodel and a major move. Better us than the new owners I guess :)

I'm still not feeling well, had a relapse on Wed and dh has been working out of town all week, but will hopefully get some work done over the next week and I can show you all some new pics.

Thanks again for all the suggestions, it really helps with the stress and confusion.

Lyfia said it well, go moderate but make the house enticing. I'm replacing the badly stained toilet in my son's condo, even though we will be selling in less than a year; people can be grossed out by things like that.

Where are you located? The reason I'm asking is that carpet is not desirable in some areas. When we lived in AZ, I wanted to carpet our LR and DR to give them more formal looks. I was strongly advised against it because in AZ, tile is the way to go. It was a tough decision for me to let go of my engrained mindset since I was raised in Canada where carpet is the norm and tile is reserved for bathrooms and kitchens only since the weather is so cold.

If you're in an area where tile is the norm and carpet is frowned upon in living areas, then go with what is the standard in your area.

I do agree that the tile in the two rooms seem to clash and add confusion because of the different sizes, design and colours.

Sparksals, we're in NM and tile is more the norm, like in AZ. But carpet is also used - AZ is more 'strick' about tile I think, in the sense that most rooms have tile, even bedrooms and formal living rooms. The new builds here have a mix of tile and carpeted floors.

Frankly, I really dislike tile. It's hard on your feet and back, hard to keep clean and hard on dishes and kids. My youngest has a huge bruise on his forehead right now, from falling onto the tile. We had planned to install wood floors after finishing the kitchen remodel.

We don't have the time or the funds to re-tile all the rooms, so the choice is to either leave as is, do partial carpet, or carpet all the rooms. Right now we are leaning towards new tile in the entry and kitchen, and new carpet in the LR, DR, and sun room. The sun room opens to the back yard and could be used as anything - office, play room, family room, etc. We use it as a music and sitting room.

If you do carpet have the installer glue down the tack strips rather then nail them down. This allows the buyer the option to remove the carpet with no damage to the tile.

When my mom carpeted over tile in her house she did this. The buyers were very pleased when I told them there was undamaged tile under the carpets. The did remove the carpet.

I gotta tell ya, I'm a hard core DIY'er, and that would scare me off. Mostly because I would have to IMMEDIATELY begin work on the kitchen/bath, both of which are torn up. I think you might have a hard time even getting people in because it looks so bad.

Really, I know from a construction perspective that it looks much worse than it is, but my visceral reaction is "oh, man, forget it, they've torn their whole house apart!"...

Lol, disneyrsh it scares me too!

Turns out we will have to replace the tile in the kitchen because the match is no longer available :( BIG "I'm going crazy" maniacal laugh now - THREE different types/styles/colors of tile!!!

Hopefully by Wed. I will have some progress to show you all.

well, you have plans for the tile now, so this is moot, but I was going to ask,

would it look better w/ some sort of area rug over the tile? Or is that just such a royal PITA in New Mexico (I'm thinking of the sand and gritty dirt I saw in Arizona) that it wouldn't be worth it? It would sure break up the huge expanse of tile.

Hi Talley_sue, you must have read my mind because I was just thinking about that. I do have two large area rugs - they were removed for the remodeling. After we're finished I'll put them back out and see what you all think.

I'd really like to avoid the expense of carpeting (we are already putting new carpet in the master, the hallway, and one bedroom).

Hi everyone, just an update. We finished 4 days worth of work on the kitchen and here's the result -

{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

We've spent about $4,400 so far and I really hope it's worth it!

Making good progress. Do you need to remove all the tile in the kitchen or could you find a tile to just create a border around the edges that coordinates with the old tile? This way you don't have yet another different floor transition.

Good progress!

Thank you :) I appreciate the feedback after we worked so hard for 4 solid days. Posted on the kitchen board and didn't receive any replies.

The floor - ughh. We just don't know what to do yet. I'm having a flooring 'guy' come out next week to take a look. We've searched all over town for a matching tile with no luck. Dh is also going to look while he's gone.

I also haven't decided which laminate counter to use yet. Have taken two back to HD already - they just look so different once they're in the kitchen.

The remaining work has to wait until dh is back from his business trip on the 27th. After he's back we'll have two weeks to work on the house before he heads off to Denver for his new job :)

If anyone is reading this - Do you think it's necessary to replace the large white fridge with a smaller ss or black one? Cost will run about $1,300. I think most of the potential buyers will be first time home owners who may not have the $$ for a fridge. But I don't know if the cost is worth it just so everything matches.

Is it typical for a fridge to stay when you sell in your area? In my area it goes with the owner. In my house that I sold in November I had a black fridge, but all white appliances.

Appliances are negotiable. They belong to the buyer, but many first time buyers want them because they've wiped out their savings to put money down and to pay closing costs. We sold our last house with the appliances, bought this one without any.

Either way is fine by us.

It's coming along nicely.I like your cabinet choices. I hope you can find some tile.

If you are leaving the frig it would be best if it matchs but I don't know how important it is. Could you get it spray painted black? I've heard that can be done at auto shops. Or maybe you can find a stainless/faux stainless for less then $1,300.

Thanks happyladi :) Dh is moving to Denver while the kids and I stay here until school is out. We'll put the house on the market as soon as he leaves - mid April. Anyway, that's why the fridge will be here, because I'll still be here.

Seems silly to spend money on a fridge we don't need, but I also don't want to ruin the look , the appeal, of the new kitchen.

In any case it's still 100% better than it was - more cupboard and counter space, plus it's now more open when before it was a narrow galley type space. When viewing my 'before' picture just imagine being only able to see the sink at the back, that's how it used to be before the walls were removed.

Lady: I've been following along on both this and the deco forum. Have you talked to any realtors to find out what MUST be done vs what you THINK must be done??

Carpet and tile are 2 things that can really turn off a buyer. I'm trying to help some friends house hunt and we are seeing a lot of places that the owners are replacing flooring w/ choices that my friends would have to do over. The idea of removing new materials is just killing them! They would much rather have a new flooring discount to the selling price.

I could say the same thing about your lighting decisions. Don't replace just to replace unless the RE thinks it needs to be done.

Hi Syllabus :) I agree with you on the carpet and tile. I myself wouldn't want new carpet because of one son with bad allergies. And I'd feel bad if po's had spent money on something I couldn't use. On the other hand, we do have to do something about the missing tile in the kitchen.

I did decide not to replace the lighting/fans that I brought up in the question I asked about on the deco forum. Everyone's advice made a lot of sense.

A part of me is having a hard time figuring things out - many of these projects, like the kitchen, new paint, etc. were started or recently done, and supplies purchased before we knew about our upcoming move. Believe me, my dh was griping half the time while we worked on the kitchen..."I wish to heck we hadn't torn down those walls just two weeks before I found out about this new job!" (that's the polite version, lol)

Kind of funny because last winter and this spring were when we started and planned to continue doing major work on the house. Now I just need to figure out which parts of my plans to keep and which to let go.

No time yet for an agent, that's scheduled for when dh returns from his business trip late this month. Meanwhile I'll keep doing what I can around the house (tore up the carpet in the master bath last night - kind of had to since the jacuzzi tub overflowed and flooded it all ;)

Where the tile is missing could you put another cabinet there? That might be cheaper and easier then retiling the entire kitchen.

Yes, there's room for another TWO cabinets at the end, and we even have them here. But there are still missing areas on the back left (seen in 2nd 'after' photo), and there would also be a few inches at the end (where the two corner walls had met).

We tried so hard to save some of the tiles we removed. Not so easy. Only managed to keep one intact. Thought about removing some from under the fridge area, too, but again I don't think we'd have much luck (maybe not much skill) at removing them intact.

We'll figure something out, I'm not one to give up easily. I always (sometimes foolishly, lol) believe that is a solution to every problem.

How about create a tile border like I mentioned before. Make it look like a design feature.

Here are some pics. Wouldn't be exactly like it, but just for ideas.
This gallery has a lot of differnt ones. Just go through it for lots of different kinds. The middle all kind of seem to be similar, but towards the end there are several different.

{{!gwi}}

Hi all, I thought that everyone who gave us such great help and ideas for our kitchen should get to see the final results. Our re agent sold us the flooring for $100 and I think it turned out great. This was a HUGE worry for us and I can't thank you all enough for making it less stressful.

We've been on the market for two weeks now and have had great feedback.

You can see the 3 different styles of flooring in this pic, on the bottom left -

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's pics of the rest of the house

Wow, that's just gorgeous! Good luck and good selling!