Question for all the real estate professionals out there. How much work does it make sense to do on a house before putting it up for sale? For example, carpet in living room is old and stained, and vinyl floor in kitchen/dining area is damaged. Would it be worth it to replace that with wood laminate? This would be a moderately priced house. I would definitely do the wood laminate if I were staying, but I'm about 90% sure I want to make a move to a managed apartment. If I would recover most or all of the investment and get a quicker sale, I would still go ahead with the laminate.
KD's Grandma, I think it would definitely be worth it to go ahead and replace the carpet & damaged vinyl. The home would show so much better & hopefully sell quicker & for more $$$. Many buyers look at having carpet/flooring replaced as a major expense. Although it may only cost $3000 to replace, they imaging $5000+. Also it would be an out of pocket expense they may not have the money for after downpayments & closing costs. PM if I can answer any additional questions for you!
Thanks, I appreciate the input. That's what I was thinking, but I wanted reassurance from a professional. I love hardwood floors myself, but I think that might be an over-improvement for the neighborhood, so the wood laminate seems like a nice compromise.
MamaApe, How about updating a kitchen that's about 15 years old with new counter tops and/or new cabinets etc. I've heard that kitchens need updating every 10-12 years for the most part. Our kitchen is in great shape but is dated with counters/cabinets that was popular about 15 years ago. Is it worth the hassle of updating it before we put the house on the market or should we let that be a bargaining chip for potential buyers and have the most updated appliances, having them be part of the eccentive to buy the house? We're looking to do the same thing just before retirement, condo/townhouse with all the amenities.
I think that the extent of the repairs really winds up to be what you are comfortable with. I just sold my house and when I started fixing it up I would do a little more and a little more and so on. In the end I was really happy with how the house was when I put it on the market. I replaced the kitchen vinyl with a laminate floor and it really looks good. I think I have about $1k in that. I would definitely suggest replacing the kitchen floor because it really made a big difference. Have you tried cleaning the carpets? Do they just not clean up well anymore?
The carpets are original, and the house was built in '96. I'm debating whether to try a professional cleaning for the bedroom carpets, or have them replaced. I've been thinking about that wood laminate for the living room, dining area and kitchen ever since we bought the house in 2003, but stuff happens and I just haven't gotten around to it.
KDsGrandma, You will love the laminate. We have it throughout the living room and bedrooms, tile for the other areas. We had wood in our other homes and hands down will continue having the laminate, it doesn't scratch or dent like wood, all around tougher esp. if you have dogs. We stopped having carpet in our homes years ago due to allergies and boy did it make a difference. Laminate is easy to install if you are the do-it-yourself type people, not really hard at all to do, we hired the tile to be done. If you are thinking about doing it yourself, take a look at Ollie's in Cary, discount place that sells Armstrong etc. at great prices, not to mention they have all kinds of other goodies in that discount store.
INTHEBUFF, I would like to see your kitchen to give a definite answer. Appliances are one of the most important upgrades in my opinion, however there are ways to "upgrade" the kitchen without spending alot of money. The cabinets can be refaced, new hardware added, and new lighting fixtures installed. This would make a big difference depending on what you currently have. They make a brushed nickel paint, so if you have brass fixtures that are still in style, only brass, you may want to consider painting them. Also, countertops can be fairly inexpensive to replace depending on what you are replacing them with. Laminate counter tops have come a long way and they have some very nice choices available now. I hope this helps! Feel free to PM me for more info
We're doing all our "fix up" stuff now too in order to list. Some folks can't see past stuff that really wouldn't take much but time to fix. I know our neighbors got nickeled and dimed to death on every little thing. Everyone now I think has the mindset of there are so many homes out there, I'll just pick another one. Maybe it is surplus, I don't know. I know we can see past paint when we go looking. We did when we moved into this house! But right now, we're painting ALL the rooms to neutral colors and such. What we're doing to prep is serious cleaning(spring cleaning type), touch up painting AND new painting, switching rooms into bedrooms again, fixing up th eyard, etc. I've heard from real estate agents that houses priced below $250K are still moving but the higher ranges above that are not. Keeping fingers crossed. I know what will hurt us is the fact that our heat pump is 15yo. It's still running, absolutely nothing wrong w/ it. We have a HVAC guy come out every year to check on it. But buyers will look at that as a near future expense. Every little repair needed is being done. So, anyone up to a 3100 sq. ft. home on an acre w/ an above ground pool???-- LOL. All the work has been done. It's crazy b/c I think folks fix up houses way more nowadays than when we purchased this one years ago. We never fixed up our last home like we arew this one in order to sell. Good luck to those selling. Hope to have ours listed next week. Now, if I can only find a place to put the kids while buyers come to look--LOL. Stephanie--mom to 7
My carpets were a little older. I used a carpet shampooer (like this) and then used a steam cleaner to remove the shampoo and water. The carpets really looked good afterwards.
I can't say it any better. A small investment in those sort of things normally pays big dividends in a faster sale and less nit picking. Your home should appear well cared for and loved. Neutral paint and carpet, remove clutter and clean like a military drill instructor is coming with his white gloves. Clean the litter box and Fido's area! Pay special attention to your appliances, I've had several clients get turned off by grimy stoves and refrigerators. 8) Clean up flower beds, put out some fresh mulch, wash your windows, clean out the cobwebs. A good week of elbow grease and sweat equity will go a long way! Oh, and don't over-do the scented candles/air fresheners. Makes people think you are trying to hide something. The smell of clean is best in my opinion. Also, be somewhat flexible on showings, don't block off huge amounts of time when your house is unavailable. Most folks won't come back if they get turned down when they want to look the first time. Good luck everyone! Market is looking better all the time. :hurray:
You could ask your HVAC guy to give you a copy of the last inspection that everything was working properly, or the AHS Home Warranty which costs approx. $300-$500 and is a great marketing tool!
That is an excellent idea!!! I can ask him AND we could purchase the warranty for the future owners on the HVAC system. Thanks for the suggestions folks. Glad this thread was started. Now, back to prepping the house and getting ready for the yardsale this weekend so we can clear the clutter. (--and use the yardsale money to pay for the warranty--LOL) Stephanie--mom to 7
