If I could get past the door - my husband calls me the "super sniffer" - the curry house would be a great deal. I could install a lot of tile for $40K.

The 4 bedrooms vs 3 bedroom would be nice, but at only 110 sq ft larger other "more important" rooms might be shortchanged to make up that fourth bedroom.

I assume you want to list at $289K? If your house is updated you'll probably sell faster then the other $289K house but don't be surprised if the curry house sells the fastest.

herus, in my case the cat was urinating in a bedroom that was one of the children's rooms. I don't know if there was a litter box in their or not. The smell is very pervasive. We painted all the walls and base boards and sealed the floor. We thought the smell was gone and put new carpet down. Within a week the smell was back almost as bad as it was before we did anything. We ended up taking off all of the baseboards and bottom 1/3 of the drywall all around the room. We then had the studs sprayed with urethane and the floor rolled with two part urethane (very expensive and extremely smelly) and then put new carpet down again.

We sold the house about a month after fixing the small room and never got any complaints from the buyer, so I assume it worked.

I'd be discounting the price based on pink old carpet and paint. I don't think curry smells would be the deal-killer. Although, you never know. Cat smell is a deal killer for sure. That stuff never goes away. You have to practically burn the house down.

I am convinced that cigarette-smoke odor is one of the main reasons why a relative's house has sat on the market for over a year (and probably closer to two)... she smokes like a chimney and the house is just permeated with both the smell and the discoloration from the nicotine/tar, which just painting over won't get rid of because it bleeds through paint. DH smokes and I will not allow him to smoke in the house or garage.

Extremely strong odors are a big turn-off to me, and the stench (especially in the basement) was one of the reasons why we reduced our offering price way down when we bought this house. Among other things they kept their very large, unhousetrained dog in the basement - when we toured the house the raw concrete was caked in feces and urine from a winter in the basement because this wussy dog from down South refused to put his delicate tootsies in the snow and they didn't make him. My dog doesn't like to go out in the rain, TDB. He goes out, we don't let him eliminate on the floor because Little Mister Prissypaws doesn't like getting wet. We had to scrape and scrub the floor multiple times with cleaners strong enough that we had to wear respirators. The other dog that was allowed inside the living areas peed on the floors, which caused our dog to overmark it even after the carpets were cleaned, because of the urine soaked into the subfloor; when we had saved up the money for putting in wood floors we sealed the subfloors with a thick layer of "Kilz Odorless" (which ain't, but it IS thick and pudding-y). So if I encountered a house in my travels that had strong odors necessitating immediate removal of carpet (something I would likely do eventually but when I could afford to do so, not right away since we'll almost certainly max out the ready cash on purchasing) and painting (which I would pass on if the rooms didn't need it, we both hate painting) but was otherwise good, my offer would be lowered pretty significantly to reflect the additional hassle and expense. Or I'd be asking for a plump credit. But then, it's a general "duh" that I would offer less for a house that looks tatty and beat-up than for a house that doesn't need to be updated, because I would need the money to do the work on the house!

The gravel yard on curry house wouldn't bother me except for having to pull weeds growing through the gravel; it would bother me a lot more to have landscaping necessitating large amounts of water usage in a desert location.

IMO there's a pretty significant difference between a temporary odor such as from the last meal cooked (I'm not sure I would be willing to give up cooking anything that has any scent on the off chance that my house might be shown before the garlic or egg dissipates... food with no flavor would be quite depressing) and a stubborn odor that's absorbed into the drywall, carpet, etc.

Cat smell is the worst, but don't panic if there are just cats in the house. The home we just left has absolutely no cat smell whatsoever and we own two.

To answer a previous question: As long as they use their litter box, there should be no smell left behind.

We have over 80 languages represented in our town's school distict, so we obviously have lots of different ethnic groups and cooking smells. We purchased our home from a Korean family and it did have really strong smells of Kimchi. Our home inspector's wife is Korean and he said they keep a separate fridge for those dishes. The house had also been a rental prior to the previous owner and had 30 years of pets on the carpet.

None of those things made a difference. It was price and location which made the sale. We had a harder time getting rid of the scent of the wife's perfume in the bathroom. It was really soaked into the drywall.

Gloria

I hate to say it, but it sounds like the "curry" house has already been discounted for the pink carpet. For 40 or so thousand dollars I would go with the curry house. 40,000 can buy a lot of paint and floor coverings.

So hard to say which will sell first. Carpets, wallpaper, paint, smells all depend on the price point. As other have said 40k can buy an awful lot of tile. However, there are other posts where someone wanted to lowball a house at 300k with old bathrooms and kitchens where they could get an updated turnkey house for 350 asking. 20 years ago I probably would have gone for the fixer, now I realize it will cost me at least 50k to replace the bathrooms, paint, kitchens and rugs. Plus the effort involved. I do not want to do it. However if the turnkey house is not to your taste or you actually like decorating then maybe the 300k is a better deal for you (assuming you had the money to fix it up)

The smell would make an otherwise turnkey house unappealing. A house that was not liveable anyway because of the pink carpets would not matter

As for cat urine. My parents bought a fixer at a discount when I was a teenager. They paid a contractor to fix it before we moved in however one of the first things they personally did was rip out every carpet in the house. The wood floors were so damaged they needed to be covered (but carpet was still in fashion then anyway). The cat urine was so bad I could not stay in the house while they did this. They moved while I was away for the summer. When I came back there was absolutely no cat smell. On the other hand my MIL had a cat whose litter was in the laundry room off the family room. For years after he died you could still smell him in the laundry room. I have a feeling that floor was never properly washed

I have a strong sense of smell but that would not deter me from buying the curry house. $40K goes a long way and in my opinion the more expensive home would cost more to update. Both homes need to be updated but the curry house looks to be the easier to update of the 2. It's a major PITA to have to remove wallpaper than it is to paint. Plus the kitchen in the more expensive home needs MAJOR updating IMO.

Food smells are much easier to take care of than smoke or pets. A fully updated home is nice but only if someone has the same taste as me. When I move into a home I will always paint it to my specs b/c I want to make it my own (but I also have a handy husband). If I have the $$, I would also replace floors and appliances. With 40K more, it would allow me to do just that. Given the choice, I would take my chances with the curry home.

berniek, be caeful not to enter a home with the ozone treatment until it has finished and aired out. Ozone is dangerous for the tiny bronchioles where our real breathing takes place. In a lab envioronment, workers wear tags that record their cumulative exposure. Ozone is the primary ingredient in ground-level smog, the one that makes those with breathing problems seek emergency room care.

Sparksals, you seem to assume that since your house is freshly painted, with new tile and updated plumbing and light fixtures, it should be worth more.

Well maybe...but maybe not. Maybe your updates are not to my taste--which makes them worthless to me, since I'd have to redo them anyway.

Is it just me, or do I sense a bit of distaste in your post for folks from other cultures? You talk about "ethnic" smells and an "ethnic looking chandelier."

The only thing I can smell from here is a bit of ethnophobia.

infodivamary3 - I think that was uncalled for and had nothing to do with the topic.

sparksals, I don't know if you could get a whole lot more than the "pink" one based on your changes as it is an entire taste thing. I personally like the "pink" one as it seems like all the hard stuff is done such as landscaping and not worry about watering grass etc. which would appeal more to me. The easy stuff is left imo and would allow me to make my own selections, also depending on the look of the ethnic light fixture I may like it too as it may fit my taste.

Now if your location is better than theirs it might make a big difference. As to the larger one you have one less bedroom, however yours will likely show better. Though I don't know the show better or cosmetics such as wallpaper and painted really gives you a higher appraisal. Your tile should though over the others. Just have no idea how much in your market.

"berniek, be caeful not to enter a home with the ozone treatment until it has finished and aired out. Ozone is dangerous for the tiny bronchioles where our real breathing takes place. In a lab envioronment, workers wear tags that record their cumulative exposure. Ozone is the primary ingredient in ground-level smog, the one that makes those with breathing problems seek emergency room care."

What does one do after a thunderstorm when the air is full of ozone? (besides holding your breath for 30 minutes lol)

infodivamary3 - I think that was uncalled for and had nothing to do with the topic.

Maybe not. Sometimes our emotions and feelings get the better of us, and interfere with clear thinking. Perhaps the original poster finds the "curry house" more distasteful than it really is as a result of her own feelings towards other cultures?

I have never heard a chandelier referred to as "ethnic" before. It struck me as an odd way to describe something.

It's just a thought. In any event, the market will make the decision about the price.

berniek, thanks for the ozone info. I have some "doggy" smell that's bugging me at home. I did a search online and found a place that will rent a machine for 7 days for about $150. So I'll give it a try after a go with Nature's Miracle.

(I've also done some research on ozone therapies for disease. These practices are much more common in Europe, but here ozone is still considered dangerous. Proponents of ozone therapies explain the headaches and initial negative reaction to ozone as part of the body's detoxification process.)

I agree that curry is a smell that is very distinct and permeating; I once rented a home where the owners obviously cooked with a lot of that spice and once we were in it, I realized that it was the stove that was the culprit, as far as retaining the not fresh, very stale curry smell.

3 hours later, a box of SOS pads and a bottle of Mr. Clean, the stove was spotless on all 4 sides, and 95% of the culprit smell was gone. The house was relatively clean, but obviously the previous renters did not know that a stove has 4 sides, it can be pulled out and that drips on the unseen sides of a stove that are not cleaned for years will stink up a house.

I kid you not, it was as simple as that.

I only read the part about all the light fixtures being original to the home, and must have skipped over that one of them was an 'ethnic chandelier'. That really is an odd description, because at the very least, it's not actually all that descriptive. But anyway... I have almost always replaced all the light fixtures when I bought a house. The pink carpet, or the smell would be the problems in my view, but for the right price those problems go away.

"So, my question to you is, would a home with such a strong ethnic food scent be a turn off to you?"

Absolutely yes it would be a turn off. More on that in a sec.

" Would you be more inclined to pay a higher price for a more up to date house that does not have this fragrance and one that you would not have to update?"

Let's put it this way, I would be willing to pay more for a new construction or house in very close to new construction shape and with the new-house-smell. Unlike most people, I like my houses to have no evidence of prior occupation. I look at everything as wear & tear. Odors are wear & tear. Crumbs between the range and counter are wear & tear. A pin prick in the wall is wear & tear. Pet claw scratches on the wood floors is wear & tear. Why would I pay MORE for a house with wear & tear? I wouldn't but some people would citing location, school district or other ammenities.

If you were to find a home priced in btwn the two that was completely updated and turnkey, would you pay the extra to not have to deal with a fragrance in the lower priced home or the updates the more expensive home requires?

It depends. If your updates are not in line with my tastes then, no. Cooking odor can be easily ameliorated, as you said with paint and new flooring. As a matter of fact, the lower priced house would be most attractive because I can do a lot with $40K (actually, I didn't find the pink walls at all unattractive) and as someone else pointed out the hard outdoor work had been done.

BUT, if I needed a 4th bedroom, only the more expensive house would even be considered. Both your house and the "curry" house would be out of contention. It really depends on the buyers' needs and tastes. I would not assume that if you priced yours at $269K, it would sell faster than the one at $249K.

xamxs -- I assume you want to list at $289K? If your house is updated you'll probably sell faster then the other $289K house but don't be surprised if the curry house sells the fastest.

No, I was thinking btwn the two at around $269K. The $289K home needs alot of updating in terms of paint, wallpaper and carpet removal since they are unusual patterns and colours.

I agree the curry house would sell fastest given the price, but my line of thinking is that some people wouldn't want to deal with the updates necessary - painting the entire house as well as carpet removal and replacement.

simplifying -
Regarding gravel being a turn off: It is to me, but unfortuntately, here in AZ, it is the norm. I'm from an area where grass is standard, however, here it is too difficult to grow and takes alot of water. So, for most, the gravel yard would not be anything unusual and is considered low maintenance and drought friendly.

rrah - I hate to say it, but it sounds like the "curry" house has already been discounted for the pink carpet. For 40 or so thousand dollars I would go with the curry house. 40,000 can buy a lot of paint and floor coverings.

I agree that one can get alot of tile for 40K. We were thinking of listing btwn the two at around 269K since the new tile and carpet are already installed and the entire house re-painted. Some people dont' want to deal with the disruption of major renos like tile installation.

As for comps, this floorplan has sold from $260-275K in the last year, but the market has slown down considerably, so I think you may be right it is already discounted for those issues.

Would you be inclined to consider buying one priced btwn the two at around $269K that didn't need all the work the curry house did taking into consideration the most expensive home listed at $289K would also need alot of work? I think it's one of those things where people are either willing to do the fixups or not. I'm hoping to capture the market where they just want to move in and not have to worry about doing any major renos.

One other thing to note is that carpet and paint was in that home when they bought it. My realtor looked at the past listing from 5 years ago and it had the same carpet and paint.

saphire -- As other have said 40k can buy an awful lot of tile. However, there are other posts where someone wanted to lowball a house at 300k with old bathrooms and kitchens where they could get an updated turnkey house for 350 asking. 20 years ago I probably would have gone for the fixer, now I realize it will cost me at least 50k to replace the bathrooms, paint, kitchens and rugs. Plus the effort involved.

That is where my thinking is coming from. We did alot of renos to our house and I have decided NEVER again. It's very disruptive, not to mention makes the house filthy. I would rather pay more for "turnkey" (which I know is a loose term and everyone defines it differently) than one that needs alot of fixing.

infodiva -- Sparksals, you seem to assume that since your house is freshly painted, with new tile and updated plumbing and light fixtures, it should be worth more.
Well maybe...but maybe not. Maybe your updates are not to my taste--which makes them worthless to me, since I'd have to redo them anyway.

Is it just me, or do I sense a bit of distaste in your post for folks from other cultures? You talk about "ethnic" smells and an "ethnic looking chandelier."

The only thing I can smell from here is a bit of ethnophobia.
====
Maybe not. Sometimes our emotions and feelings get the better of us, and interfere with clear thinking. Perhaps the original poster finds the "curry house" more distasteful than it really is as a result of her own feelings towards other cultures?

I have never heard a chandelier referred to as "ethnic" before. It struck me as an odd way to describe something.

It's just a thought. In any event, the market will make the decision about the price.

I agree that everyone's updates are open to interpretation. However, our house is far more neutral than the other two. We put in the same tile that was in our previous house and everyone loved it. Now, I'm sure there will be people who won't, but I do believe that compared to the other two, our house is most neutral with the least fixes necessary. If one wants to paint some walls, that's a heckuvalot easier than ripping out tile.

I think your comments about my view of ethnicity/cultures were uncalled for. I posted asking if an ethnic smell would be a turnoff for some. To me it is, but that doesn't mean I am xenophobic. I have absolutely nothing against the cultures who use curry. I am an immigrant to the US myself, so I resent the accusation and it was uncalled for. Please do not turn this thread into one that is debating xenophobia.

lyphia --Now if your location is better than theirs it might make a big difference. As to the larger one you have one less bedroom, however yours will likely show better. Though I don't know the show better or cosmetics such as wallpaper and painted really gives you a higher appraisal. Your tile should though over the others. Just have no idea how much in your market.

You're right. The market is so strange right now and I realize the market will ultimately determine how much we get. My worst fear is that the pink carpet/walls/curry house will bring down the values in the neighbourhood in terms of comps. That's why I'm asking this question in that we want to be able to show potential buyers the reason why that house is priced so low, that it needs alot of work and ours doesn't. I realize that people's tastes are different, but when we did the renos, we did them to suit as neutral and wide ranging taste as possible.

We also have a brand new roof, the other two don't. From what we can see, both are the original 20 YO roof.

jymd -- BUT, if I needed a 4th bedroom, only the more expensive house would even be considered. Both your house and the "curry" house would be out of contention. It really depends on the buyers' needs and tastes. I would not assume that if you priced yours at $269K, it would sell faster than the one at $249K.

You're right about that. You would think that a 4 bedroom would be more desirable, however, the $289K house is definitely overpriced. Add to the scenario all the work that needs to be done to spruce it up.

I should add that both the homes mentioned in this thread also have a DR. We have full LR/FR and DR. We use the DR as our computer room. It seems that use of the DR as a formal eating area is becoming passe.

I'm just trying to guage people's viewpoints on the various criteria in terms of what would be a turnoff to them.

I do know that the only way to get rid of the curry smell would be to rip out the carpet and repaint. It wasn't a fresh smell as in they just cooked curry last night, this is one that has developed over the 5 years they lived in the house. I should add that all the bathrooms had carpet as well and that the smell permeated completely throughout the house.

My first house had been previously lived in by a major smoker. I am a non-smoker, so, yes, walking into the house and being hit with cigarette residue/smoke smell really turned me off. However, the house had everything I'd been looking for, even hardwood floors under smoke-scented carpet, was in excellent condition, and since I had been looking for a couple YEARS, I didn't let the smell turn me away. I had the carpet ripped out and floors refinished before I moved in. We also painted every ground floor room and ceiling before moving in. You should have seen the bright white rags we used to wash the walls before painting...they turned a dull puke yellow color due to all the tobacco stains on the walls! It was GROSS. We washed all the draperies and curtains. In the end, we were able to wash away and clean away the smoke smell/cigarette residue. So to answer your question, no, I wouldn't let an icky smell stop me from making an offer on a house that had everything else I needed/wanted. Keep in mind that you can always change cosmetics fairly inexpensively over time. The big things, mechanicals, roofs, foundations, etc., are more expensive to replace/repair.

In defense of infodivamary, I think that the OP probably should have titled this thread "strong curry odor in house". I don't see where the word "ethnic" provides any additional information and can be seen as inflammatory, especially when the title is simply "Ethnic odours in home". What is that supposed to mean? Does it mean that the occupants don't bathe or douse themselves with strange smelling perfume?

Saying "ethnic cooking odor" would be fine, but I did expect a nativist screed instead of a discussion about food smells! "Ethnic odor" sounds like the whole ethnicity has a smell, not just the food!

What are the updates you've done? Tile and light fixtures and new paint? Even if you're thinking about pricing in the middle of the two homes, $20,000 buys a lot of tile and light fixtures and new paint. The new roof would be a biggie for me, but if the roof on the "curry house" is in good shape and doesn't need to be replaced yet, I'd still consider that home. I'd weigh which of the two was a better deal. Some people do want "turnkey" but even as you have indicated "turnkey" is different for every individual, your tile choices and paint choices and lighting choices may be neutral which will appeal to a greater number of buyers, but I know how difficult it is to tear up tile off a floor, carpet is much easier to rip up. So if I didn't like your neutral choice in tile, I would lean towards the curry home.

I should add that both the homes mentioned in this thread also have a DR. We have full LR/FR and DR. We use the DR as our computer room. It seems that use of the DR as a formal eating area is becoming passe

Not Passe at all where I live. Although it is as far from AZ as you can get. In fact most of those home shows have the homeowner turn his dining room back into an eating room from an office. You may want to start a separate thread.

As for the thread. I saw a house today that sort of changes my throughts. It was a beautiful colonial in good shape for the area (equivalent to turnkey, hard to explain but nothing is perfect where I am looking and you do not expect it). Out of my price range but my agent wanted me to see it as they are desperate and may sell it for less. The house had the most beautiful kitchen cabinets I had ever seen. They were so nice they looked like fine cherry furniture. A gorgeous matching Sub Zero fridge. It had a great location and property and all the updates were reflected in the price. The cabinets were perfect for the older couple that lived there, as was the sub zero which is one of the smallest ones I had ever seen! The kitchen was a tiny gem! Meanwhile we are a family of 7 plus 1! Another problem was an upstairs bedroom they used as a storage area. They had removed the closet. I would have to put it back since I needed every bedroom and then some. So this house, while well maintained would require a ton of work for it to be useful for me.

Which was the problem. If this house had cabinets from the 60s like the next house I saw and ugly wallpaper on every ceiling, it would have been at a price such that it might be in my price range. This next house is one I am considering because in my price range to hire someone to remove wallpaper and install hardwood, is just not a major issue. In my price range (over 800k) I am buying location and property more than tile, carpeting or nice paint. At a lower price range, you have to figure out how much it would take the curry house to get to where yours is. Also 249 is an asking, it will probably go lower. No one pays MSRP anymore! If possible download some pictures or go there and take some. Then when buyers use it as a comp you can show them the difference

Not sure I understood, do they not have a family room and you do? If that is the case yours is worth more. As for the 4th bedroom, that would be important to me and I also would not look at 3 bedroom houses

terriks - In defense of infodivamary, I think that the OP probably should have titled this thread "strong curry odor in house". I don't see where the word "ethnic" provides any additional information and can be seen as inflammatory, especially when the title is simply "Ethnic odours in home". What is that supposed to mean? Does it mean that the occupants don't bathe or douse themselves with strange smelling perfume?

Ohhh... never looked at it that way and I can see where ID was coming from. I specifically meant food odours as in very strong smelling spices.

cordavamom - What are the updates you've done? Tile and light fixtures and new paint? Even if you're thinking about pricing in the middle of the two homes, $20,000 buys a lot of tile and light fixtures and new paint. The new roof would be a biggie for me, but if the roof on the "curry house" is in good shape and doesn't need to be replaced yet, I'd still consider that home. I'd weigh which of the two was a better deal. Some people do want "turnkey" but even as you have indicated "turnkey" is different for every individual, your tile choices and paint choices and lighting choices may be neutral which will appeal to a greater number of buyers, but I know how difficult it is to tear up tile off a floor, carpet is much easier to rip up. So if I didn't like your neutral choice in tile, I would lean towards the curry home.

We've done tile in the entire house save the bedrooms which got brand new neutral carpet. All walls freshly painted in golden beige, all ceilings painted, new light fixtures replacing the original 80's lights, new plumbing fixtures in the master bath, guest bath and kitchen, new windowcoverings, including vertical blinds with removable sheers overtop in the LR, blinds in two guest rooms, drapes in master, blinds and panels in FR, new toppers in kitchen. Brand new roof last fall.

Tile is not cheap. Well, the materials are somewhat, the installation is not, especially when done on the diagonal, keeping in mind this home is almost 1800 sq. ft. Had we been able to do the installation ourselves, it would have cost less than half, but we value our marriage too much to try DIY stuff! ;)

I do see what you're saying. We're not trying to get back all the money we have put into the house. My biggest worry is this other home will be a solid comp when the houses are not on the same level of datedness. Yet the updates we did haven't priced ourselves out of the neighbourhood - we were careful about that.

Also, tile is the norm here in AZ and carpet, especially in the entire almost 1800 sq. ft house is far more undesirable. People would be far less inclined to remove tile and far moreso to remove carpet.

Saphire - our DR is not a full blown office. Only our computer and desk is in here with an armoire and a wine chest.

I agree that DR's are necessarily passe, but since I don't have a DR set, this room would have been too empty and it allowed my dh to have his own office and me to have my dedicated guestroom. If I had DR furniture, I would definitely be using this as a DR and we would be sharing an office in one room. If anything, I think using the DR as a computer area possibly shows variability in terms of different uses for the room. People can see that it can be a DR or how we are using it.

No, I meant all three houses in question have an FR/LR/DR and a breakfast nook. The 4 bedroom house, the bedrooms are smaller as is the LR and our lot is almost double the size of both other houses.

I think in our area, having to do the fixes or updates, price would be an issue. We're talking homes less than 300K. If I had the money to buy an 800K home, I wouldn't think twice about paying someone to do the fixes. I think that's a matter of economics and that this area is pretty much as middle class America as you can get.

At any rate, the market will determine the price that people will pay for the updates we did. We're not unrealistic and don't expect to get the money back for the updates, but we hope that in this scenario if all three houses were listed at the same time (which is entirely possible), people would see that they have little to do here and take the middle of the road in terms of price rather than one that needs alot of updating.

I think I will start a thread about the DR - that's a very good idea.

sparksals So, my question to you is, would a home with such a strong ethnic food scent be a turn off to you? Would you be more inclined to pay a higher price for a more up to date house that does not have this fragrance and one that you would not have to update?

Currently, there is a home very similar to ours listed for $289,900. The home has awful wall paper, teal carpet and needs some updating, although they have only 110 sq. ft more than us, they have a 4th bedroom, our house is 3.

The home that I'm referrring to in this thread is listed at $249,900 with the strong curry smell that I think would only be removed by ripping out all carpet and painting the entire interior, including all ceilings which are popcorn except for the kitchen. Not a cheap proposition.

If you were to find a home priced in btwn the two that was completely updated and turnkey, would you pay the extra to not have to deal with a fragrance in the lower priced home or the updates the more expensive home requires?

Looking at the lower priced house I might consider it, depends after walking through it. Cleaning & painting doesn't bother me, I expect it because after doing professional cleaning, not many people clean like I do. The colors in the house would go with my stuff, but even I wouldnt have that much pink & never on the walls. If it was the same color when they bought it that long ago, it probably needs painting any way. Carpet would be replaced for sure.

I would be saving $20,000 compared to your house, which I might not consider due to the tile. To us, we wouldn't need $20,000 to fix the curry house up, so that's a savings to us. There are people that your house will appeal to, the question is are they willing to pay that much for it? Probably. Depending on how different your house is, for someone to hire a person to match the curry house to yours may spend more than $20,000. I haven't seen your house, so it's hard to say.

The curry house probably won't sell for full price even though it's priced considering what it needs; who knows I could be wrong depending on your market. The only way to find out if you are priced right is to list and see the type of traffic you get. Depending on a buyer is searching, all 3 houses may come up, or you will be more in competition to the higher priced house then the curry house.

btw, using the term ethnic doesn't bother me. Depending on what area you are in, it could mean different things. At one time it may have described Italians or Hungarians like myself. Pretty sure this all came up in another post, it bothers some doesn't bother others.

terrig_2007 We also painted every ground floor room and ceiling before moving in. You should have seen the bright white rags we used to wash the walls before painting...they turned a dull puke yellow color due to all the tobacco stains on the walls! It was GROSS.

I'd have to say my parents old house topped any one else's where cigarette damage was in the house. Dad owned his own business and after I left 10+ years ago, he worked alone w/ mother helping 2 days a week. He wasn't home a lot. Both parents smoked, dad 3 packs a day, went down to 1 1/2 last few years, with my mother probably a pack a day but not inhaling. The painter we hired didn't use Killz nor did he clean the walls. In the livingroom, kitchen & one bedroom it bled through. I was in charge of the cleaning, all woodwork, baseboards, windows, etc & had to repaint a few of the rooms..

The water had to be changed frequently. I'd spray the greased lightening on, the tar would ooze down. In the end, we managed to kill the odors, even the cat odor.

We didn't clean / paint the apartment upstairs, house sold smelling of curry. I know how many months it took me to clean the downstairs, I'm sure that cleaning the apartment, all flooring and painting would remove the smell.

The upstairs once had Phillipinos, it was no problem cleaning the house and removing any cooking scents.

If need be you could buy or borrow a small dining room set but see what the experts think

I like the outside of the curry home much better than the other. The fact that you have a double lot is a REALLY big deal especially if it gives you a big backyard. Those yards do look a little small. That alone may be worth 20k, you can always replace carpeting but you cannot get a bigger lot once you buy without moving

To be honest I thought the curry house would be much worse from your description but it is based on how much new stuff is available. Where I live there is almost none unless it is a teardown.

800k is a middle class house in many areas where I live

"800k is a middle class house in many areas where I live"

It may buy one a middle class house but actual middle class people shouldn't be buying $800k houses.

"In defense of infodivamary, I think that the OP probably should have titled this thread "strong curry odor in house". I don't see where the word "ethnic" provides any additional information and can be seen as inflammatory, especially when the title is simply "Ethnic odours in home". What is that supposed to mean? Does it mean that the occupants don't bathe or douse themselves with strange smelling perfume?"

I agree with this. There was no need to call it "ethnic" - any strong, permeating odor would be a turn-off in a home.
I saw the title immediately in an inflammatory light, intentional or not.

"800k is a middle class house in many areas where I live"

It may buy one a middle class house but actual middle class people shouldn't be buying $800k houses.

quickyquercus - your judgements crack me up!!
What is your definition of middle class?

cmarlin20 - everyone has a different definition of middle class. The latest I read (local newspaper right about April 15th) was the top 1% of tax filers make $361,000 and up per year. That $361K is just a bit more than what you'd need to earn per year to qualify for an $800K mortgage. So with that in mind, I'm not sure anyone could classify an $800K house affordable to a person making a middle class salary.

I will grant my above example does not include previous sale equity or a down payment. However upkeep on a home was also not included.

roselvr - From the comments here, I'm finding that tile is definitely regional in terms of people's taste. It's just so common here that it's very rare to see a house with carpet throughtout the entire house.

I know this has been difficult without pics of my house. I'm going to take some so it's easier. We don't know when we're listing as we're waiting for dh's job transfer to go through. With the feds, you just don't know how long that will take.

Saphire - I don't know how people can afford an 800K house! When dh put in for his transfer, we intentionally chose places that weren't sky high for housing. We'd be in the poor house if we have to move from a $250K home to an area paying 800K. Even with the cost of living stipend, we'd never get ahead.

Gina - it's only inflammatory if it's intentional. As I stated above, I meant it to mean the food odour. Where I come from, ethnic is used to describe food all the time. It may not be in your area, but it is in mine. Please do not turn this thread into a debate on the use of one word.

All tile floors are common, if not the norm, in the desert southwest, Florida, & the Carribean. Even Houston has a lot of tile. They are cooler than either hardwood or carpet making them more attractive.

The food odors wouldn't bother me as I know it could be removed. I would be looking at structural stuff, lay-out, mechanicals, etc. All of the decor I'd undoubtedly change anyway whether that be yours or theirs. BUT, in that price range...the newer finishes "may" translate into a quicker sale. Then again, I'm basing that on prices in my area. For $250K to $280K in my area, one would not expect to find much of anything with newer fit/finish.

The larger site would absolutely have value to us. Probably not your entire price difference though.

As for the dining room...I'd strongly suggest you stage it as a DR. Quite possibly, I've just watched too many "Designed to Sell" shows; but they always want to highlight a dining room. For those Holiday meals, ya know! That said, remember that 99% (or more) of Americans looking for a home have NEVER seen even one episode of "Designed to Sell". They don't know that one is "supposed" to stage a home before selling, remove all of the family pictures, pack all of your stuff in boxes & rent a storage facility, and strategically place props on the fireplace mantel. (lol)

Have you requested a couple Realtors prepare CMA's for you? Please excuse if you've already answered that. They would best be able to tell you how your home will compare to the others.

Tricia

triciae - When we first started looking here in Tucson, I was surprised by all the tile and how informal it looked. Until we saw several houses and commented to the Agent, that's when she told me that tile was far more the flooring of choice here. I really had to get past my desire to have a more formal LR/DR with carpet as I was told by several people that carpet is a huge turnoff and that tile would ultimately be more desirable in terms of selling the house.

This is exactly what I was hoping - that the updates will translate to a quicker sale, not necessarily a higher price, although that would be nice.

The range of prices in our area is not considered low end, but certainly not high either. We were very careful not to over update ourselves out of the neighbourhood.

I watch the MLS for our area almost daily and there's some houses that have been way overdone and they are priced taking into account the expensive upgrades. They're sitting and sitting and sitting.

We've already taken out the storage room and have decluttered considerably. I packed up a whole bunch of boxes last week of all my breakables, serving dishes etc., that were in the garage from being removed from the house for when we had the renos done.

I've found some good deals at Big Lots and Tuesday Morning for props.

Our realtor who will be listing for us has been really helpful in advice on getting ready. He and his wife came over a few weeks ago after everything was completed and they were amazed by the transformation. The wife gave some staging tips and was brutally honest in the small things we needed to do to strategically stage with our existing things.

He also took me to the curry home and said that a higher price would be legit, but disclaimed it with the fact that the market will ultimately determine the price. He has already printed off the photos from the curry house from when it was sold 5 years ago to show the age of the carpet and lack of fresh paint on the walls.

He also said our house will appraise higher because of the new roof and that 80% tile will give a higher appraisal as will the larger lot size.

Basically, I want to be able to show justification for a higher price by having the ammo from the previous listing for the curry home. I also realize we have to be realistic that the market has changed, but we will try our darndest to get as much as we can without being unrealistic.

As for the DR, we could probably rent some DR furniture and move the desk into DH's office. Our realtor said that many homes don't even have the DR and that it's not a huge deal to be using it as a computer area as in our price range, not everyone has the DR furniture anyway.

All I really care about is that we break even with realtor's fees. If I have to swallow a lower price to sell, so be it. I won't like it but we did make alot on our Flagstaff house in a very short period of time, so it all evens out in the end.

Unless the odor is super gross (like body juices from a corpse that soaked the floor boards), this would not be of concern to me.
The house I bought reeked of cigarette smoke. Now, a few months later, after a good cleaning (which I would do regardless) and new paint (which I also would do regardless), the smoke odor is gone. And it isn't a matter of getting used to the smell. I just came back from 2 weeks travel and couldn't smell anything offensive in the house.

I'd rather buy the cheap, smelly, not-updated house and save $$$

That $361K is just a bit more than what you'd need to earn per year to qualify for an $800K mortgage. So with that in mind, I'm not sure anyone could classify an $800K house affordable to a person making a middle class salary

trust me we make nowhere near 361k (although it would be nice). I doubt many of my neighbors do either unless they like to live down. If you make 360k a year that means that you make 30k a month. I looked it up and for an 800k house with 20 down you are financing 640k. your taxes etc are about 1000 per month. The mortgage is about 3800 per month at 6%. In my area according to Money magazine people averge about 31% of salary for housing. 31% is 9300 NOT 4800. So someone making 360k can afford about twice that size house. I ran it through the financial calculator and assuming no other debt and 20k in annual taxes, someone with good credit would qualify for a house worth 1,866,000, not 800k

Yes it is a problem because a samll fixer in a nice area costs 500k. Alot of people did buy when prices are lower so they are just moving their equity around. Still many people worry because their children cannot afford the area. 800k buys you 3, maybe 4 bedrooms, with a not great kitchen on much less than a .25 acres. Many but not all have family rooms

Saphire, if you read my entire post I said I did not take into account a downpayment or a previous home equity. If you want to run real numbers;

$361K per year with no downpayment is not going to qualify for a $1,866,000 mortgage. It will qualify you for a bit over a million dollars assuming no debt.

The average person assuming $20K in taxes on a $800K house with nothing down needs to make approximately $275K per year.

As you ran the numbers, you'd need to make $235K a year ($640K, $20K Taxes, 20% down, 6% interest). Well beyond what most people consider a middle class yearly salary.

While the mortgage payment with 20% down would be a bit more than $3,800 per month, you'd also need to add taxes and insurance. Now, add in upkeep, utilities and all the other incidentals that go with homeownership and you will see that the a middle income salary cannot afford a $800K home.

So, to reiterate my statement - I'm not sure anyone could classify an $800K house as affordable to a person making a middle class salary.

Reread my post. I assumed 20% down in the first example and 3800 was from the online calculator, I ctually rounded up a little. I also assumed a 1000 per month in taxes which I stated and which is probably high. Insurance is not very significant where I live, way less than 100 per month.

I also assumed 20% down for the person making 360k on his 1.8M house, sorry if I did not put that in, I thought we were assuming a typical purchase which is 20% down. I cannot imagine the person who plans to buy the house not having some type of either downpayment or equity. The reality is that if they do not then they probably should not be buying this house (but that thread has been beaten to a pulp already)

As for expenses outside of taxes, they just are not that high on a 3 bedroom 2000-2500 sq ft house with normal height ceilings. No more than they would be on the average 3 bedroom rental. Regardless of whether it costs 800k

Salaries are also much higher, so what is perceived as middle class here is different than in Alabama. I have a friend who works for legal aid locally. She is looking to relocate to another state. She has now put her plans on hold because she realizes that a job in the public defenders office would net half of what she makes here. Her house is currently on the market for 550k and is a half step above a starter house. I consider her middle class

Teachers here can make 100k after 15 years. This is not true most other places

I'm wondering why it is assumed that one only puts down 20%, Many people do trade equity, putting down maybe 50%. Therefore, a middle class earner may afford the $800k house.

I made this exact point in my post of a few days ago but I think it got lost. I completely agree

For the example I took the most common assumptions

I looked at a house with a very strong curry odor. It bothered me, but upon closer inspection, the kitchen and spice drawer itself with filthy. Then I spotted a moldy orange on the counter. I think I could have gotten past the smell, but the dirt and filth had me walking out - I refused to finish looking at the house. Six months later it did sell for a whopping 1.2 million dollars. The new homeowners painted the columns bright red - I still shudder everytime I drive by that house - suppose every home has a buyer!

trying2buy - this house wasn't all that clean either. The carpet was dirty, had stains and when I looked at the master bathtub, it had a big clump of hair on it. YUCK!

Some things you just can't get past. If anything, buying and selling is a huge learning experience. We made a few mistakes from our last two purchases and you can bet I won't settle again.

Of course, this board has been my wealth of info.

The discussion on what people 'ought' to be able to afford as 'middle class' interests me.
In my market I just checked out the current MLS listings nd the average one bedroom condo over 650 sqft is $491,866

The average 2 bed condo over 800 sqft is approx $660,000 and the average 3 + bed condo is around $1M

When it comes to houses, the average one family home available now is around $1.3M and the average 2 Family house is also around $1.3M.

This is close to NYC, but not actually in NYC, and is where many people move from Manhattan for more affordable housing.
I would consider most people to be middle class here. How do they do it? Well paying jobs, equity from other homes sold and help from parents in some cases. A starter studio condo here STARTS at $247,000 for 465 sqft. Most people start with something like this and then move up the property ladder from there. It's not easy. We started (with no parental help at all) five years ago when $250,000 would buy a niceish 650 sqft one bedroom condo and worked our way up from there.
A lot of people spend a lot of their income on housing around here.

I'm not sure that it's fair to state that someone who is 'middle class' should not be spending $800,000 on a home. It all depends on where you live and what your money will buy you in that specific area.

BTW the average income in my town is around $65,000 I think and so far (touch wood), I have only ever heard of one foreclosure and it was actually when the market was hotter.

If I were a prospective buyer, I'd steer clear of a home with a pronounced odor of cooking smells, particularly curries. The cooking odor permeates into the cabinets and is just about impossible to eliminate. The smell doesn't dissipate over time; rather,the nose just becomes acclimated to it.

I have to comment on the curry. We love curry so cook curry dishes about once a week. I notice that the day we a cook with it and sometimes the next morning, you can smell it as soon as you walk into our house. However, it is gone after that and you cannot smell it until the next time we cook a dish with it. Perhaps, this family had just cooked a curry dish and then had to leave because they had a showing scheduled.

Having a "curry" smell would not detract me from buying a home either. It can be removed. I think its a bit stupid to think you can fetch more money because of the presence of the smells. Cigarette smoke is probably a lot worse as it can tend to muck up ceilings and fabrics (as well as human lungs of course).

mmmMmmm.... Indian food.....

I think you can see that in a "normal" world there would be a buyer for all scenarios as there seems to be people here. Some would rather pay less and take care of it themselves, others would rather pay more in order not to have to deal with it. Some can't pay more and will buy anything they can afford if its an in to a better school district. Its supply and demand and location.

That said I think if someone wants your neighborhood, doesn't need a 4 bedroom house - then the fact that you are priced in the middle of the 3 houses for sale is probably a good place to be psychologically, as long as the buyers can afford it.
They can think that they didn't overpay, even if they didn't go for the great deal/headache. People need to be able to justify their decisions in their heads and to their family and co-workers, according to what motivates them.

I was surprised when I got the email notification from this post since it's over a year old. The curry house never did sell. They took it off the market after three or six months (can't remember), so it wasn't a competitor when we listed back in August.

From May to when we listed in Aug, house prices in our old neighbourhood tumbled. In looking at the MLS just the other day, we're lucky we got out when we did. We got $220K for our house with an offer in late Oct with closing in Dec. I saw a listing for a house very similar to ours for $175K.

Two of our old neighbours are in foreclosure or close to it. I saw many homes active capa/contingent and I have a feeling someone was buying up homes to reno and flip at a cheap price. After months and months of no bites, there were 9 out of 14 listings with contracts. Most of which were shortsales or foreclosures.

You know I didn't even look at the dates (I almost always forget to check), but the thought crossed my mind that you had already sold.