can you post pics?

I think the first thing you should do is talk to a real estate agent and see how much the reno will likely change your price or saleability. If could go either way - kitchen updates usually help a house sell, but you also want to be very careful what you spend.

I like to play things safe, so if it were me, I'd probably wait and see if the move was really going to happen. If it were, I'd only update the kitchen enough to make the house sell more easily.

If you are dying about the counters and put in granite, and then DON'T move, will that affect your ability to put in your dream kitchen? If not, then go ahead and make a few changes that make your kitchen more palatable for 12-18 months, knowing full well that you might rip it out.

If you can't manage that, then don't do anything very expensive. Just wait until you know for certain.

You will NOT make enough on the sale to cover the cost, and that's money you will need on the kitchen where you will be living.

Clean it thoroughly and forget about it.

Or, paint/stain the cabinets and walls to make the countertops look their best.

willis13, I've been thinking about having the agent that sold us the house come in and tell me what she thinks, thanks for helping that idea solidify in my brain :)

joyjoyjoy can you post pics?

Certainly! A couple of these are blurry phone pics, and the others are just old. We've actually decluttered the counters a lot since we've put knife blocks in drawers and tray and cutting board dividers under the counters. Anyhoo, here it is.

Counters:

{{!gwi}}">

Peninsula and cooking area:

{{!gwi}}">

Sink and Fridge area:

Looking back over the peninsula to the Bar Area (with my back to stove):

{{!gwi}}">

Did I scare y'all away with my pictures? ;)

That is a quite pleasant airy looking kitchen. I assume that's laminate - but a nice pattern - neither too busy or too stark.

Of course check with what your agent says and I can't see if there is wear and tear that might show up more in person, but from here it looks like you could leave it as is.

Only one picture shows on my computer and it is dark and hard to tell the details, but my first impression is that the kitchen looked pretty nice. If I were thinking of moving in a year I think I'd do a spiff up by decluttering, perhaps new paint here and there, clean everything so it sparkles and call it a day.

Thank you cloud_swift for your kind comments. The cabinets look great on the outside, it's just that the counters are very worn and, too be perfectly honest, depress me. DH doesn't like them either. We do a lot of entertaining in this room because it sits between the LR/DR and the Family Room. The only guest bathroom on this floor is also to the right of the Bar Area.

segbrown If you are dying about the counters and put in granite, and then DON'T move, will that affect your ability to put in your dream kitchen?

This is a great question that I've actually thought about. No, if we changed the counters and then ended up staying it would not keep us from eventually redoing the kitchen in our "dream" manner. If we changed the counters out and then moved, fine. If we changed the counters out thinking we were moving but then stayed? I'd live with it all for a couple or so more years before starting a full-on gut. I'd repurpose the materials for sure.

I think it looks like it would appeal to plenty of people the way it is. Since white cabinets are what people are still using, I think that they work. Hardware appears to be ORB, which is still popular.

Personally, I wouldn't do any reno stuff. I might change the window treatment, I think that the shutter is blocking light and seems a bit "old" style to me. Maybe just a bamboo roman shade, pulled all the way up. I know so many people put stuff on their fridges, but if it were my kitchen and I was selling, I would completely clean it off. Your appliances all look new, so show them off.

I think you would get your money back if you put in granite. And it would definitely help you sell the house. So many people upgrade their countertops to granite just for resale. You don't have a huge amount of countertops so it shouldn't be a huge price.
Your cabinets don't look bad & they layouts o.k. SO maybe just new countertops & a fresh paint job. New hardware also helps
Good Luck

I agree with Bee and the others. Do the minor things now and wait to see if you move. It looks to be a very pleasant, inviting space now and would appeal to potential buyers I would think. If you don't move, then you can really go for it!!

Disclaimer: I'm having to change the subject line to actually reply to my own post. sigh.

beekeeperswife I think that the shutter is blocking light and seems a bit "old" style to me.

I appreciate this. The funny thing about it, is that it really is old school! Our house was built in 1930 and that is one of the original windows and window shutters! I appreciate the de-cluttering, too. A lot of things have found new homes since these pics were taken, but things could still get a bit more tidy in here.

granite-girl I think you would get your money back if you put in granite. And it would definitely help you sell the house. So many people upgrade their countertops to granite just for resale. You don't have a huge amount of countertops so it shouldn't be a huge price.

I'm only going to show DH your reply, LOL! Just kidding everyone, I really do appreciate all of your replies! It's great to get the opinions of outside parties that can see past the issues that I obsess over.

I hope you didn't take my comments the wrong way.

I just wanted to let you know that your room really looks very fresh and lovely, but the shutter doesn't seem consistent with your updated looking kitchen, and now I know why. Also, I know lots of people use their fridge for, well, everything, from family notes to photos, to holding coupons, it's totally normal. I hope you understood that I meant if you were to put it up for sale, while showing it, then I would clear it off. Otherwise, keep it the way you live!

beekeeperswife I hope you didn't take my comments the wrong way.

Oh my goodness, not at all! I really do appreciate your comments, seriously. :)

There are some tutorials on youtube on how to put a concrete surface on top of your laminate. If you are able to DIY it would only be a few hundred bucks and looks fantastic.

Thanks for the pics ... if it were me, I would replace the counters with an inexpensive granite and leave everything else. That way, if you move, you've done something good for resale. If you don't, you've done something good for your soul. ;-) A lot of granites have come way down in price, so as long as you don't pick some crazy exotic, anything would be better than your mottled laminate. (I'm sure it is fine in a different context, but it looks gross with white cabinets. IMO, of course.)

Everything else looks great! Very cheery and I can't imagine it would be hard to sell. I wouldn't worry about the appliances. If one dies or needs an expensive repair, then maybe find a good deal on SS rather than fix it, but otherwise, I don't see the need.

You can get prefab granite slabs in the more common colors for $200-$300 an 8' slab. If you could spiff up your kitchen for under a grand... I think it would be worth it for resale.

Resale all depends on your market. If things are selling where you live, a little spiffing up could possibly help. You kitchen, however, looks fine to me. If you put in granite, I believe that it is very chancy about making the money back. People have very definite tastes about granite, and if the buyers don't like yours, it will not help you sell your house.

I am in Michigan (like that is a surprise with my screen name!). My father-in-law moved into our tiny 3 br 1 bath home and we felt we needed to move. He was almost 90 and our laundry in the basement and stairs to let the dogs out were keeping him from being independent. We figured that with our 2 year-old kitchen, the house would sell in a hot minute, so we bought a new house and moved, then got the old house ready for sale. This was the fall and winter of 2005. Today, we still make mortgage payments on the old house. It never sold. NOTHING is selling. There has not been a sale in that neighborhood yet this year. The houses that sold in the last couple of years are selling at less than half the price of what my house appraised at when we put it up for sale. My kitchen did nothing to help the house sell. I could have had every bell and whistle on this forum and nothing would have helped it sell.

So it depends first on your market, then on the cost of your remodeling, and mostly on the tastes of the individuals who march through the place on their way to buying their homes. I would get new laminate counter tops that I like and leave it until the danger of a move in the future has passed.

I think it would be fine to leave it as is--but if the countertops depress you, then I'd change them out for something that doesn't depress you, even if it's another laminate. Laminate wouldn't be very expensive at all--and if you DO end up staying, you could replace it with granite with very little guilt. If you end up moving, at least you didn't have to look at something you hated for that last year and it'll look good for resale.

Just my $.02.

Cj

To me, your white appliances keep the eyes moving because your cabinets are white. SS would make the eyes stop and chop up the space. Plus, what if the new SS range is also gas, but the prospective buyer wants an induction or is deathly afraid of gas and wants electric? Or what if the person wants ice and water in the door, but the new SS doesn't have it? If your appliances work, the frugalista in me doesn't want to see them in a landfill. Plus, you know Murphy's Law: The one who otherwise loves your house has a baby, a toddler, and a young child who plays in the mud so doesn't want SS quite yet. Also, if I were a buyer, I would be delighted if you were to sweeten the pot with an appliance allowance in lieu of replacement.

Your counter laminate looks like a slate pattern that I rather like, in a floor, anyway! Of course, the photo doesn't show the wear. I also recommend prefab granite for its general appeal and price point or even one of the nicer laminates. (I have soapstone, but live in my *forever* house.)

The real deal breaker for me would be a bad layout since the only fix would be a $$$ gut. Your kitchen doesn't have that problem. Cosmetic changes are much easier for a prospective buyer to imagine.

JMHO.

I'd only replace the counters if they are chipped or worn. I'd check current local listings in the house's price bracket to see what material they have for counters. If most have granite, then it could be harder to sell without also having granite. Otherwise, I'd replace with new laminate. Apparently there is a way to just remove the laminate itself while leaving the underlying support in place. If you get granite counters, be aware that being able to reuse them is iffy-have the installers use minimal amount of caulking.

I see what you mean in that first photo. I would replace the countertops with a laminate if you might stay and redo the kitchen but doing granite now could prevent that. I would put in an inexpensive granite (perhaps the prefab counter slabs or large tiles with as little grout as possible) if that would allow you to enjoy your kitchen now and possibly increase the value for resale without getting in the way of a full remodel if you wind up staying. And I don't think you need stainless appliances in a white kitchen. Replace appliances only if they need to be replaced.

I 2nd the suggesstion of just changing the counters.
You will get your money back at resale. Look for
remants.

I would not invest the 1000s it takes for a full or even
mini renovation that you may never get back in a tight and
depressed economy. I am one of those worriers, What if we
hit a 2nd recession or what if my DH looses his job?
What if some one gets sick in the family??...
Save your money in the bank until you can enjoy your space.
Meanwhile dream, plan and it will happen.

~boxer

I'm in the camp with those suggesting new laminate counters and keeping the appliances until you know for certain you will be moving/staying. It's an inexpensive way to get a new look for now and make you happier in the meantime.

I think your kitchen is quite pleasant as is, including the shutters, which of course could be opened if you wanted more natural light.

It seems to me that whatever you replace the countertop with, the result will not be to the taste of at least some potential buyers. In that context, you might want to ask your realtor about the utility of offering a credit toward new countertops in the price of the house. This would allow buyers to exercise their own taste but pay for the new counters over the term of the mortgage.

Best of luck in any case.

I actually like the look of your counters (in the photos at least; perhaps real life is different). The contrast is a bit much with the white cabs, but what if you found an earthier color for the wall? Paint is cheap and fairly easy, and fresh paint is usually appreciated in a house on the market. A different wall color might really bring out the best in the counters if you are stuck with them for a while. I did the "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" routine with my avocado green bathroom to make the existing fixtures work and was quite pleased.

I second looking at houses in your area for sale before you determine how much to invest. Most realtor sites these days let you search the MLS with a map layout so you can easily locate homes in your neighborhood and look at pictures of their kitchens. You might be surprised how many don't have granite!

Here is a link that might be useful: Wall color made a lot of difference for my bathroom

I see some color fighting between the cleans and the dirtys: you have bright white cabinets, clear yellow walls and orange-toned wood flooring. The countertop is 'dirty', in that it is a greyed/peachy color.

Changing the walls so they don't clash with the countertops would probably make you feel a lot better about them, and it's the cheapest fix.

See this: http://colourmehappyblog.blogspot.com/2009/03/5-questions-to-consider-when-selecting.html

Painting the cabinets pale peachy/cream or a warm, pale grey could be stunning.

Here is a link that might be useful: The best colour blog on the web

What if you bought granite and then didn't move? You'd miss the chance to redesign the whole kitchen as you were planning.

I would keep planning the remodel and doing my research, making my selections, but not purchasing or signing anything. Paint the yellow for now, as suggested above.

If you move, I wouldn't change a thing in this kitchen. And then you are also steps ahead on designing your new kitchen, since many of your selections can travel and you haven't wasted any money. If you don't move, you start signing contracts. Take this extra time to plan, plan, plan. You can never plan too much.

The counters and appliances are so easily changed by the new owners, I have my doubts that that would make or break a sale. I also have my doubts that you'd recover 100% of the money invested in them.

From previous answers, I don't think the point in changing the counters is to recoup the money on sale. It's possible that granite would help over the laminate, but not the reason they would add it.

segbrown I don't think the point in changing the counters is to recoup the money on sale. It's possible that granite would help over the laminate,

This is correct. Your "something good for your soul" comment from yesterday made me smile, too. I have lived with these counters since we moved in almost 4 years ago and I think I'm just "done" living with them and would like to see something nicer. The house deserves it, she's been around a long time! :)

I wouldn't like the counters and as a buyer would start looking at how much else I would have to replace in the kitchen. The reductions in offer prices will be more than counters. Something needs to change before you put it on the market, so you might swell make a short term change and get to enjoy it in the mean time.

Counters are the most obvious because they are fighting the wall color -- maybe the floor too, and they are not what people are used to seeing on white cabinets these days. Wall color would also help, but I'm seeing the colors differently on my monitor than the poster above. I'd be looking at a green to an aqua, but I may be seeing it wrong.

There is a hybrid of these two fixes -- paint or coating for laminate counters. I've seen it on TV and I think at Lowe's (which means Home Depot and paint stores probably have versions too). Maybe you can cover the counters with a dark grey or black and do nothing else -- probably less than $100. It probably isn't a long term solution, but I bet it would get you through a year or two.

IKEA butcher block is another possibility for a lower cost counter solution. Maybe a combination -- butcher block on the island/peninsula and a dark color on the remainder?