Is that all that you think is questionable about your home?

We have our list, didn't need to go into that. Should we add this to it?

No.

(Really, reading here-some buyers would benefit from reading fairy-tales, brothers Grimm or something, and shut this HGTV off..fairy-tales teach you about right priorities lol.)

Depends on your local real estate market and pricing. In some parts of my city houses sell in less than a week, brass knobs or not.

We are putting our house on the market this week and I am not. Looking at the pictures online of other houses in my area -most people around here don't replace their brass look accessories. In our case in would be a LOT. It is a large house. I am focusing on the really obvious cosmetic things (dirty carpet) and the things that the inspector is likely to notice like rotten wood or things that are broken.

I would say no. I live in a Northeastern major urban area that is usually on trend or slightly ahead of trend for the country, and I don't think this is something that most realtors would say is necessary for a 35+ yo house. If it was new construction or a complete rehab, they may recommend the latest finishes (actually satin brass is starting to show up on more things here), but for an older house with basic updates not so much.

Thanks to those who offered helpful opinions. Our potential to-do list is long, not implying this was a top priority.

It depends. If the whole house is dated, changing out the brass knobs is a waste of effort.

If the house looks good, changing them out is unnecessary.

I de-brassed my house for the sale as part of a pretty extensive list of things. It cost me about 400 bucks including hinges, pulls, knobs, etc. But my house was a contemporary and I was bringing it from 1995 contemporary to 2015 contemporary. It was money well spent.

I could not find anything to match the door knobs from my 1939 house, so I painted the really questionable ones black with flat Rustoleum. I was surprised the paint did not wear at all in 10 years after I painted them.

It really depends on the rest of the house. Is everything original to 1979? Or are parts updated? If the former, then just make sure it's clean and uncluttered, and price accordingly. If parts are updated, making the brass stick out, then consider swapping everything. You can get $10 knobs and $1 hinges on ebay and do a full-house update for a couple hundred dollars (depending on how big it is).

Thanks for your very detailed response.

Yes it's more than just knobs and thresholds. It also means the entry porch lights, which have to be replaced no matter what. So I guess that means bright brass ones.

I would put it in the middle of the list, not the top or bottom. One of the first things I did when we moved into our new house was replace the 1990s brass knobs on the interior doors with polished chrome levers. It does give the house a more modern feel without changing floors. It is not crazy expensive.

I'd consider replacing the knobs if your floors and walls are in good shape and you just want to freshen up the look a bit. Also helps if you only have a few doors (we only have 9 in the house). Our hinges are painted so they don't need to be replaced -- just the knobs and the strike plate. If you need to repaint or replace flooring due to wear make that the first priority.

I think this also depends upon the area of the market this house will occupy price-wise. Is this entry level for buyers in the neighborhood, middle of the market or higher than middle of the market?

I wouldn't like a $10 knob no matter how current the finish, honestly. They feel awfully cheap. I know because that's what I put in my house before I moved in and was renting it out for two years. During which time the renters broke a couple of them.

And the builder's grade knob of 1979 is better than the builder's grade knob of 2016. But you know what? A lot of people would have cheap and brand new than sturdy and dated. So it depends upon who is going to be looking at your house.

I don't think the knobs are worth replacing, either in the monetary sense or the impact on the room. They are a tool more than a decorative element, and people stay on the doorway when looking inside the rooms (and inside the rooms they look at the walls and windows not at the door). We've got those and really they are the last thing in our mind to replace. It's also a matter of the context -- we have bright brass fixtures in one bathroom, but they go with everything else and they are not overtly offensive.

On the other hand, non-rectangular brass light switch covers, like we had in parts on the house we bought, definitely stand out and are worth replacing with plain white plastic covers, which are super cheap. The small other change that made a big impact for us was changing the obviously worn vent covers. It really refreshed the feel of the bedrooms in particular (and probably the air too, given how much dust was stuck on the other side).

Leave the finishes alone, it's just not worth it. Stick to the "big bang" issues like obvious repairs, removing hideous wallpaper, neutralizing colors. Reserve some money for the buyers' wish list. Try to get your house on the market just before the seasonal peak, then price it well, don't overprice.

What scone said.

And who knows? The buyer who buys your place may love shiny brass.

Concentrate on the bigger more important things such as dated wallpaper, paint, carpeting/flooring, cabinets, fuxtures, appliances, etc. I have been looking at houses, and while many have the newer nickel finish, i'm willing to change them out for ORB. I'm not so willing to redo cabinets/countertops. Keep in mind, it's kitchens and bathrooms which most buyers notice first. For myself, storage would be second.

Also do things that inspectors will get you on, or may be a lender requirement like smoke detectors in bdms and halls, gfci outlets within 4 ft of a water fixture, any outlets that aren't grounded or grounded improperly, leaks resealing roof penetrations, garage door sensors that should reverse if obstructed, etc.

No one will pass up a house because of brass door hardware.

Brass is actually fashionable again - the aged mellow type at least. As for shiny yellow brass - just wait a few years, and after everyone's yanked it out of their houses, itll become a rare retro thing, evocative of its era, and appreciated once again. Im old enough to have seen this phenomenon repeating several times over.

Short answer: no, people can spend the couple hundred dollars to replace offensive hardware..... if they want to. As long as its solid and well cared for house, with all necessary repairs done.... let the new people do the decorating & fun stuff and make it their own.

There's production-builder-grade mirror-shiny brass, and there's solid brass in several finishes. I dislike the former and have Baldwin polished brass in my 2001 traditional style home.

If the OP has solid brass that is tarnished, she could remove the knobs and take them to a metal shop for polishing and re-lacquering. (Don't let them tell you they will 're-plate' if it's solid brass!)