Not fixing cosmetic issues before selling house?
Kaitlin Bode
3 years ago
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millworkman
3 years agoRelated Discussions
Selling Home Issues, any advice?
Comments (19)adellabedella ~ The house (bird's eye view) is the one to the right of the house with the dark roof. I could tell because one of the last pictures was of a stand alone single-car size garage plus there was a new winter picture added of an enclosed porch. soccergoof ~ Perhaps you could get a rough estimate from a place like Home Depot as to what a small half bath would cost to put in. I wouldn't think it would be prohibitive price-wise. You could always think about renting furniture for staging but you might need to look into a professional stager to have it done right. I would be more excited to have an extra half-bath since that would make your home stand out from the competition. Not sure if it all might cost the same as a professional stager/furniture. If you put the half-bath off the laundry room area I wouldn't think the cost to plug into the pipes would be too terribly high. Good luck and let us know what you decide. If you were able to get in the high $170's or low $180's wouldn't that be worth it to you? You stated that you bought the house for $168K. Did you put money down on the house so that you could pull the money out to start building your new home? Robyn...See MoreHow Much to Fix Up Before Selling
Comments (8)I sold a 1925 house about 10 years ago. The market was hot, so it didn't last a week. I wanted top dollar, so I did a few things - painted the downstairs a neutral color. I left the upstairs the very personal bedroom paint colors. The oak floors were rescreen and polyurethaned and the first impression was "WOW" because I sold it empty. It was only 1500 sq ft and looked much better empty than full, and those oak floors were THE selling feature. That kitchen was old. At least 30 years old. I did nothing to it except paint it the neutral color. It didn't deter the house from selling fast. I would update the lighting as long as your old fixtures are not architecturally important, but if you do update, leave the old ones for the new owners as you never know. So IMO as long as your market is not a buyer's market, painting neutral and having the house clean and decluttered may well be enough. Just make sure your pictures are great. A professional real estate photographer is always worth the price....See MoreHow much 'cosmetic' work is needed to sell townhouse?
Comments (7)Agent said to replace the carpeting in the worst bedroom and have the rest cleaned. After looking at it today in daylight we decided it all has to be replaced. Cleaning is one thing but with the burn marks, itÂs beyond cleaning. The carpeting was new 5 years ago but in my opinion it canÂt be saved. The agent said spend $500 and then list it $20,000 below the next comparable. But I donÂt see how thatÂs possible. $500 doesnÂt even come close. ItÂs the largest unit, and no other 3 bedroom has come on the market for over 3 years (so that would be pre-downturn prices). Carpet is $2000, painting is another $2000. Beyond that itÂs hard to know what is worth doing. ThatÂs why I thought IÂd ask here about what kind of cosmetic improvements make a difference and which buyers donÂt mind doing or would rather do. If it were me buying IÂd rather fix it up my way, but I donÂt know how common that sentiment is. And ron6519, if you couldnÂt be helpful, why did you bother to reply? Excuse me, we didnÂt ignore it! I asked for practical advice, not condemnation. Everything was maintained as well as possible. Especially considering the tenants were elderly (and quirky) and did not want to be disturbed. Even replacing a ceiling light fixture required making numerous appointments which then were broken because one or the other one were sick or not home. Replacing the hot water heater they turned the installers away 3 times. They smoked (and said they didnÂt) and set the place on fire, more than once, it looks like. They took down all the smoke detectors. The extent of the wear and tear we did not know until we got in there last week and finally saw it empty. They had so much furniture you couldnÂt see the walls. What we spent on new appliances alone over the last 4 years, added to expenses, exceeded the rent we collected. Next time you have an elderly tenant and let them rent below market value (because you feel sorry for them), let them pay late every month (because you feel sorry for them), and can seldom get in there to do anything, letÂs see how well you can keep your place up. klaire2001, thanks for being constructive. Painting the cabinets sounds promising. If we can get the tacky damaged varnish scraped off that might be a good option....See MoreBuilding a new craftsman style home. Builder wont fix major issues!!
Comments (63)Just to be clear, I don't see causation for the developer, it isn't that you and your attorney can't argue causation for the developer, feel free to sue him and roll those dice, but it is an expensive get. Your chances of winning are much less than they are against the builder, and you are unlikely to be awarded attorney fees on a negligence case with this many questions. You must show that the developer had a duty and but for neglect of that duty your house would not have these issues. There are many problems with this assertion, first, and hardest to overcome, is if you knew the approved builders before you bought the lot then you found them acceptable. You have to prove that the developer had a duty to the homeowner. Someone please tell me how selling a lot with certain covenants and restrictions creates a duty for him to fully insure the benefit of those covenants and restrictions that supersedes your acceptance of those covenants and restrictions. That is just one of the three things that you are going to have difficulty overcoming. Once you establish duty, you have to show that there was no reasonable action available that would negate the damage, noting that there are other builders available you would have to prove that they all have similar issues. Once you get past that, you have to prove that the developer actually neglected his duty, which since he has kicked the builder off the development is another tough get. It just seems like a tough win, that is going to cost more than you end up with. Sorry, but that is my opinion. ---------------- Along with my father I have developed several mixed use developments (homes, apartments and shopping), and I am currently a member of an LLC developing a small shopping/condo warehouse district development. I am not saying the developer will not want to help, I am saying as a developer, access is the leverage I have (the money that builders can make from me). Once the builder is removed he is going to tell me to go pound sand. I will happily testify on your behalf if need be, however, if I start paying for things to get done I am opening myself up to an argument that I accepted responsibility. As much as I want financing and publicity to be positive, that has to happen on the front end. I can't start paying for the mistakes that builders make without opening myself up to being responsible for every problem by every homeowner....See Morelittlebug zone 5 Missouri
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