kitchen update to sell house
Julie PH
4 years ago
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Ivy Lou
4 years agoRelated Discussions
White kitchen that won't sell- $308 Update with tons of pics
Comments (74)You did a fantastic job! What a difference a few key touches can make. You know, it wasn't so much that the border was bad, it was more that it was too personal. It was almost like if you'd painted "Ncamy's Kitchen" on the wall. Nothing wrong with it for when it is your kitchen, but of course, I wouldn't want my kitchen to say that. Best thing about it is all the bargains you got for the knobs, lights & faucets. This could have easily cost you three times as much if you hadn't done your homework. Congratulations on a job well done. I hope your house sells quickly. Please come back and tell us when it does!...See MoreUpdating Fixtures to Sell House
Comments (23)Flyingflower: In response your question to the Realtor, I can't say how many are or aren't "aware" that brass is out of style. What I can say is that depending on where you live, there could be as many as 40 homes or more listed within .5 mile radius that are ALL comparable to yours and priced to sell. I HAVE sellers with that problem. A buyer may not know what is or isn't in style but most tend to gravitate to the cleanest, most updated home they can find for their money and like to have as much of the work already done so the house is essentially "move in ready". Prairiegirls5, I apologize, I didn't see your quesiton until now. Like I said in my first response, it's the little things that can make a big difference. Yes definately, changing a light fixture is an inexpensive way to give a fresh feel to a home as well as fresh paint in neutral colors, and clean trim. Small things a lot of people never think to do and are FREE are to clean their windows & window treatments or even the entry. Updating window treatments is another inexpensive way to update a room, or even changing out some old picture frames for new ones. In this market though, you don't want to go overboard, you just want your home to be clean, fresh and uncluttered more than anything. I don't know where you're located, but in the area that I'm in, we have lots of 50's bungalows, 2 story colornials and ranch homes that are older builds. No one is going to expect them to be perfect inside, but it's the clean, well kept home that definately sells before one that's not. If you have doubts about how it will fare once it's listed, now when you're in the process of preparation is the best time to call your Realtor and ask what buyers specifically in your area are looking for. I'd actually call more than one, so you'll get a variety of ideas. I hope that's some help, good luck! -- Lukki...See MoreUpdating Home to Sell - How Not to Overimprove?? (Long - sorry)
Comments (13)I appreciate the feedback. Although I was kind of hoping to enjoy some kitchen and bath updates for the remainder of time that I am here...! ;) I have spent a lot of time planning and imagining how much nicer the house would look with a few updates. The logical part of me understands that it would be far easier to cut the price and let the next owner deal with the headaches, but the emotional part of me wants to see it come to fruition. So to clarify what all of you have said: See some open houses and talk to some realtors to get their opinions. At a minimum, remove wallpaper, paint walls/ceilings in neutral tones, clean well, repair what can be repaired, declutter, and focus on curb appeal. I assume that means not repainting cabinets or woodwork unless recommended by realtors? The house did not have hardwood floors, but we did put in engineered wood in the family and living rooms last year. Kitchen and entry have original brick floors. Only the hallway and bedrooms are carpeted now, and that carpet absolutely needs to be replaced. Fortunately, our area has weathered the economic conditions much better than other parts of the country. Homes are selling here, and those in our neighborhood usually don't sit on the market too long unless they are in really bad condition or have weird floor plans, etc. But many are smaller than ours with one car garages, small lots, etc. so are priced lower than ours would (hopefully) be. We live on one of the more desirable blocks with a little larger homes/lots, and the surrounding homes are well maintained. So even pricing it low to allow for updates, I think the asking price would still be higher than many of the others that have sold. I don't know if that higher price would deter buyers looking for a less expensive home or if the need for updating would deter those who are looking for something at a slightly higher price point.... Guess that is a question for the realtors. Other feedback is still very much appreciated....See MoreSelling house in 5 years - update now?
Comments (17)We're on a similar timeline and did our kitchen sooner rather than later so that we could enjoy it. But we also started with a kitchen that I was really unhappy with and that was barely functional from a layout and modern convenience perspective---doesn't sound like that's your case at all. I'd make sure the improvements you do will bring the kitchen up to comparable kitchens, though---the worst thing the previous owner of our house did was to give the kitchen a facelift---new granite counters, new sink, new faucet and backplash, new paint for the cabinets---without correcting the very basic problems with the layout, inability to accommodate a dishwasher, structurally failing 75-year-old cabinetry, etc. It was really frustrating, and in retrospect I would much have preferred the old kitchen with an allowance for upgrades that we could have applied to the remodel. (From a real estate perspective, though, I'm sure it "showed well.") We ended up gutting the space three years later, so it was a real waste---the salvage team could only save a few things. I will say that the one thing we are already beginning to contemplate that wasn't in the mix when we started our project was the possibility that we will end up renting our house instead of selling it. The market where we are had started to turn around when we started design of the new kitchen, but is now pretty stagnant again, and if we had to move today, we'd rent the house instead of selling because the rental market is way up right now so we could cover costs with rent, but would lose money on the sale. Hopefully that will have changed in five years when we look start looking seriously at moving, but if it hasn't, there are a few things I may regret in the remodel (specifically our counters, which are soapstone and probably not the best choice for a rental). So if you might be in that situation, it could be a reason to wait and see before investing significantly in the space. Good luck!...See MoreHillside House
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