I wouldn't replace them. The space is updated, only 2.5 years old. You bought the house with the countertops and you didn't like them. There will be buyers that feel the same way you do. The original sellers did like them and there will certainly be other buyers that will like them, or at least not be bothered by them. The countertops are nothing I'd choose in my own home, but they're not hideous and it wouldn't stop me from buying the home. My vote is to leave them as is.

let them use the buyer's bonus to put in the granite they like.

I vote no as well.

I agree with the others. Although it might not be to everyone's tastes, judging from the picture the color is not offensive at all and doesn't detract from the look of the kitchen.

Don't change the countertops - what guarantee do you have the any potential buyer might like the replacement counter?

Thank you all!

Does this change your opinion?

We live behind a storrage facility. It was a concern for us when we purchased but compared to looking directly into someone's house, we decided it would be fine. And it has been fine, it's keep up, it's quiet, I have no complaints. (Although this does put a 8 ft tall barbed wire fence directly behind our 6 ft wood fence.) Next to the storrage facility is now going a new housing development. Where we are, there will not be a home directly behind us a plus we think but still a pain to live through while they build. Would nice granit countertops make up for any of that? Or... it is what it is?

No, granite countertops won't make up for any of it. Stop fetishizing the countertops; price your house to take the storage facility into account, and make sure the place is uncluttered, clean, and well lit.

I wouldn't change them as others have said you won't know what your potential buyers will like.
They are not my taste but they are not bad enough to be a "deal breaker"
I would just go with the buyer bonus or reduce the price by that amount
IMHO when I was looking at houses and I saw "carpet allowence or counter allowence" it made me wonder if they didn't take care of these things what else didn't take care of. of course if they are so bad, holes or really large stains that they are the first things you notice it might be better to replace.
One house we looked at the front of one cabinet was peeling off and there was duct tape on the pipe under the sink so that put my senses on "alert" things I might not of noticed now stuck out like a sore thumb and this was in a very upscale neighborhood.
Your house shows very well from the pictures
Karla

I vote to keep them. We are moving next year and I am hoping to get a house with ugly formica countertops so I can pick out my own granite to my taste. I don't want to pay extra for updates that aren't my style.

Good luck with your sale!! We are in Issaquah, and hoping the market here is OK this spring when we have to sell!

The countertops look fine, even though I agree with about the color. We had replaced our countertop BUT it was damaged (hairline crack in one place and a bump in another) and we felt we absolutely needed to replace them. That said, we got an offer before the countertop was replaced (we went ahead and did it anyway).

I vote for no replacement.

I also second Kaleberg - if you think the location is a problem, price the house accordingly. Granite won't improve the location.

Good, thanks. I'll stop.

Not crazy about the time and effort it would take to change them out anyway.
I wish all my decision could be made that easily. : )

Good Lukc jellyben!

No amount of granite, marble, frankenscent or myrr will make up for a poor location. If buyers don't want to live next to a storage facility or mass new construction, they'll walk.

LOL....I'd be a perfect buyer for you. I liked the countertops...haha. It's like everyone else said, people have different tastes. You have a beautiful home. If you market it enough, you should be able to sell it. Don't forget to be a walking advertisement.

I wouldn't worry about the countertops. I'm going to look at a house that seems ok for the price - and it has bright yellow counters! They would have to go, but the price is nice so if everything else is ok, I can afford to replace them.

I know granite is all the rage, but I would prefer to have something else, so as the others have said, you never know what a buyer will like or will want to change.

I agree with Karla, don't offer an allowance. Makes them wonder what else is bad and they may LOVE the countertops and it won't be an issue at all!

The current countertops wouldn't be an issue for me. But, I hate granite. Really hate it.

I think your place looks very nice. Good luck.

Gloria

One way to counter the new construction if anything is said by potential buyers, is to turn a possible negitive into a positive.
tell them that with the newer more expensive homes going up it will probably increase the value of your house.
When we moved to this house we were one of the first 15 in the neighborhood. I looked at every hammer sound as money in the bank. Bang bang = cha ching cha ching
By the time they were finished our house was worth 15k to 20k more
Karla

I wouldn't give an allowance either. Why put it in a buyer's mind that there is something wrong either aesthetically or physically with your countertop. That's what an allowance signals.

I've never bought a house where I liked the countertops!
With that said, I would be willing to pay more for the house if it had granite. Granite, not corian. I would like a small portion in granite for a feel of luxury because it's not the easiest to clean. Having this upgrade would cause most to overlook other miscellaneous shortcuts or flaws in the home to a certain extent. Sort of like the flooring topic. People want to feel like they're buying a really nice house.

I've seen some ugly granite in some homes that I'd have a hard time convincing my husband to replace. I'd much rather buy a home with laminate countertops that I planned on replacing myself with granite of my choosing. As a matter of fact I'd have to say three of our 7 homes we've bought have had ugly countertops that I replaced with what I liked. Unfortunately a granite that is not my taste would be much harder for me to overlook than a laminate that wasn't my taste.

Great house! Love everything about it, EXCEPT for the countertops...that being said, the countertops certainly would not be a deal breaker for me.

Have you packed up stuff already to stage your home for showings? I noticed a considerable lack of knick nacks and brick a brack. We have our home on the market, and I have removed personal pictures, but still have some decorative knick nacks lying around. I am considering paring down to just a few decorative items to have the home staged more as a model home. I have hesitated to do it though, because I'm not sure how long we are going to be sitting here waiting for a buyer, and I do still want it to feel like home. After seeing your your pictures, it really helped me to see how much better a home for sale looks without all the clutter around!

Good luck on the sale of your lovely home!
:) jiggreen

I wouldn't do it. As someone who has granite, I have become really picky about what stone I would put in my kitchen. If I saw a laminate I didn't like I wouldn't hesitate to rip it out, but I would feel really bad ripping something out that I knew was expensive. Granite is so subjective that I think it is hard to find a true neutral that makes most people happy. I don't like common stones, or porous stones, or too much pattern........

I've never seen a granite top I didn't like.
But that's true, it would be difficult to rip it out. I still say do a small portion in granite so the buyer can say hey I've got granite tops in my new kitchen.

ojoy- you are my neighbor- I live in Bonney Lake! The house is very nice, and although I'm not a fan of laminate at all, it wouldn't keep me from putting in an offer. I think you should leave it as is. Again, people have such different tastes and may not like the granite you choose, or may not like granite at all, as some of the above posts attest to.

anyone else have problems getting things to post?

thanks for all your input. We have only had one showing, in a month, so all your feedback is appreciated. We are not going to put an allowance, the buyers bonus is for closing costs. For those who don't like granite, why not? Just the look or cleaning? I am interested possibly for next house.

quirkyquercus - wht don't you like about corian? or were you saying you just wouldn't pay more for corian?

jiggreen - yes I did scale back nbut just for the photos. I was cleaning around my kids and had to quick take the picture before they did the walk and drop thing.

drcindy - hey neighbor! what's the market like around there? It's been very slow here. Hoping it picks up in Jan.