Prepping a home to sell

[bambam]

If it's on television, it must be true. And universally applicable.

Ken

[hallerb]

If it's on television, it must be true. And universally applicable.

Ken

Theres also flip that house, househunters and a bunch of other shows, ALL indicate you get back more than you spend for a kitchen makeover. so do realtors and friends that have sold homes. Heck I sold one and redid the kitchen with lowes cabinets and new appliances. Nice but not expensive:)

I had a couple realtors look at the home before i remodeled it. then after I was done.Did most of the work myself and some friends. The realtors had ZIP profit potential for whatever advice they offered. What I mean is their buddies werent getting the remodeling job and they knew that from the get go!

It was a LOT of work, spent $12,000 grossed about $30,000 more total. So my 12 grand netted me a 18 grand profit.

[Random Netizen]

I don't think I'd go through the hassle of a kitchen reno just to boost the selling price. Yes, it's _possible_ that there might be a profit from the renovation, but it's also possible that the costs of the renovation won't significantly boost the selling price, in which case you've taken on a huge PITA with no real return for your efforts.

Personally, I think that "before selling" renovations should be limited to basic things like ensuring all necessary minor repairs are completed, painting the home a neutral color, removing clutter, and cleaning everything thoroughly. These items are all guaranteed to make a buyer more comfortable with the home and don't cost too much to do.

If you do a search on the net for "renovation payback", you'll find plenty of averages of the cost recovery for various renovations. Very rarely are the percentages greater than

100%, meaning that you won't make back all of the money that you put into the renovation.

[Random Netizen]

True - if you're going to reno a whole kitchen (and do a decent job of it), you're probably going to end up spending something like $15,000 to $30,000, and the chances of recovering all of that money in the selling price is pretty slim, not to mention the fact that you're not going to get compensated for the PITA of having a kitchen under renovation for God-knows-how-long.

That said, spending some limited money in the kitchen might be worthwhile - things like thoroughly cleaning everything, refacing cabinet doors, putting in a tile backsplash, or replacing old faucets, could be a good way of sprucing up the kitchen for a limited amount of money, and making the house more appealing to a potential buyer.

[Oren]

So "word of mouth" would not be applicable? It wasn't stated as true. Your market may vary.

Oren

"My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."

[ccs>ikyr]

IMHO, having just bought a house in a hot market a couple years ago (DC), this could work for or against you depending on the part of the market you're in. In DC, as another poster pointed out, people who can pay, say, above the median home price in the market are usually looking for a turn-key house -- everything upgraded and ready to go. OTOH, a market like that has a lot of bottom feeders, like myself, who are desperate to get a house that fits their budget. I was specifically looking for a house with good bones, but old everything, because I wanted my money to go toward paying for the neighborhood. The renovations will come later. The house I bought has the original 1958 everything.

So, I guess I would recommend, as others have, cleaning and painting, stripping the wallpaper, and leaving the structure of the kitchen as is. If you're going to redo the kitchen, you'll have to redo it so it suits the standards of the neighborhood, not do it on the cheap, or the buyer won't value it much. Completely redoing a kitchen for $10K, as seen on TV, in a hot market sounds like a pipe dream. You'd be lucky to buy the *cabinets alone* that an upmarket buyer would expect for that amount.

One other random thought: when shopping for a house, if I saw evidence the homeowner had tried to do repairs or renovations that were beyond his abilities, I generally turned around and walked out. You never know what's hidden behind the walls that the owner tried to do himself and screwed up. If you're going to do anything really serious, hire a professional.

[hallerb]

OTOH, a market like that has a lot of bottom feeders, like myself, who are desperate to get a house that fits their budget. I was specifically looking for a house with good bones, but old everything, because I wanted my money to go toward paying for the neighborhood. The renovations will come later. The house I bought has the original 1958 everything.

-----------------------------------------

Bottm feeders by description are looking for LOW prices:(

I guess it depends on what you want to sell your home for:(

[ccs>ikyr]

Everyone is looking for low prices, actually...

The point I was hoping to make is that hot markets are not just populated with upscale buyers who will turn their noses up at an old kitchen. There are plenty of bottom-feeders who will gladly buy a house without a new kitchen.

The question is not what price you want to sell your house for. The question is what will be the *net* gain from upgrading the house before selling. My amateur assessment is the OP should either upgrade as suits a turn-key buyer or leave it alone.

[Banty]

There are also people who plan to remodel to get exactly what they want, and don't want to pay for someone else's upgrade first.

Yep. Depends on the market and neighborhood. But there is probably no reason to do a real fancy upgrade beyond what makes a fairly pretty and servicable kitchen. Leave alone, or do a few refurbishments. No remod.

Banty

[Norminn]

I like purple, but would change that to reduce the "ugh" factor.

I would never do that to sell a house, as it is an expense for esthetics not likely to be recovered on selling.

Clean. Reduce clutter. Paint if you love painting or the old paint is damaged.

Vinyl? What have you used? If the surface won't peel off, use coarse sandpaper to score it horizontally. Spray with warm water, let it soak in, spray again, soak again, and start peeling/scraping GENTLY. Wallpaper paste will not soften unless moisture reaches it - that is the secret.

Unless it is horrible, leave it alone. The new wallpaper may rate as "just as ugly".

I would make sure that systems are secure, like no leaks or holes. When I last sold a house, it needed paint in the kitchen - faded and worn paint around wall switches, a small stain here and there. Needed reroof. Home was 10 years old, solid and well built. Those qualities are essential and usually very obvious. Realtor said not to worry about cleaning carpet or painting or reroof, and we got a good price. Some folks will be shopping for a house which requires nothing immediate, and some will be shopping for a home that is the right size, style, location and amenities even if it needs new wallpaper.

[Jennifer]

Yep. I'm one of those. With my last house, the kitchen had been remodeled within the last five years, but I hated everything about it... pinky-tan oak cabinets, white appliances, a strange little range and hood, ornate brass lighting fixtures... I spent two years in that house thinking, "I really hate this kitchen, but it would be such a waste to remodel when it's all practically brand new". That kitchen is one of the reasons I was so happy when we got the opportunity to move :)

When DH and I were shopping for our new house, we deliberately looked for places with older kitchens that we could upgrade/update without feeling completely wasteful. We actually wound up finding a home that had been recently updated by people with our same taste, so we got really lucky there. Both of our runners-up had old kitchens with good layouts that just needed updating (new countertops and appliances, mostly).

I agree with most of the responses here, by the way... double prime the attic, clean clean clean, leave the kitchen cabinets alone except for cleaning and maybe a change of hardware, and either remove the wallpaper or leave it alone. If you really have the time to devote to it, sanding and painting the kitchen cabinets might help, but that's a LOT of work and you run the risk of people like my husband coming through and saying "ugh, I hate painted cabinets". You can't please everybody, but you only really need to please one :)

-- Jennifer

[The Reverend Natural Light]

I've never seen these disclosures everyone talks about here. In my area, every house sells with a disclaimer. The last place I sold had zero problems and I knew it's history from day one. The realtor still insisted that I list the place with a disclaimer instead of disclosure because "It's just how they do it".

Then there's "As-Is", which basically means the well or septic is bad or it's a termite farm.

-rev

[Goedjn]

The fact that the wallpaper in question won't come off with the standard removal techniques implies that it's some sort of plastic-coated steam-resistant crap. You'll probably need to perforate it with a ponce wheel before any chemical/steam treatment stands a chance.

[Neill Massello]

And do those sources of information have any interests involved in the question? Who advertises on those shows? And if it was generally believed that renovation didn't pay off, how many people would watch them? Do the realtors who advise owners to renovate before selling get commissions based only on the pre-renovation value of the house?

[hallerb]

And do those sources of information have any interests involved in the question? Who advertises on those shows? And if it was generally believed that renovation didn't pay off, how many people would watch them? Do the realtors who advise owners to renovate before selling get commissions based only on the pre-renovation value of the house?

Amazing the divergence of opinions on thisa subject. my situation invested 12 grand made a extra 18 grand and the house sold faster.

I suggest anyone considering selling check their local library. its free and see what the sell house books say.

I have a question for the dis believers....

Why is house flipping became so popular today if upgrading doesnt result in more profit:)

Go right ahead sell your house cheap if you want, a hard worker will buy it, fix it up and make a nice profit.... by selling it to someone else for a lot more

[Oren]

Here we use "disclosures", the seller must disclose any previously known problems, problems fixed, etc. It's legal to bury a body on my property in Las Vegas, but I MUST disclose this information to the buyer. They can back out of the deal if they don't like the information disclosed. I don't know about disclaimers, but I imagine they both provide similar information. I won't mention every nail hole I patch, but I will say "yes the AC compressor was replaced under warranty"...

Zackly...... I have a house listed with an above ground spa and it is clearly stated "as-is" for the spa. I didn't want to move it.

Oren "My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."

[Frank Boettcher]

On Sun, 26 Feb 2006 18:46:57 GMT, KLS wrote: .

I just went through this decision process (wall paper, paint or remove) In my kitchen I removed it. What a nightmare. Used solution, with the tool that scores or makes holes so that the solution can get through. No dice. Went to the rent center and got a steamer. got the wallpaper off and a good portion of the drywall surface paper. Spent a week fairing out and repairing the drywall and then had to prime with a shellac based stain blocker because the adhesive residue after multiple cleanings would not let the paint stick. Came out OK after a lot of work.

After that nightmare I decided to paint over the dining room wall paper. Put on a coat of oil based stain blocker. Then used a lightweight vinyl spackling compound at the seams and silconized acrilic caulk at the chair rail and crown molding border with the walpaper. Then another coat of stain blocker. Then normal, high quality latex wall paint. The finished dining room is outstanding, much better than the kitchen. With far less work.

[hallerb]

I think the reason most here dont believe upgrading is a good idea is very apparent!!

This board is universally populated by the DIY group, and for that reason isnt a good base to ask.

Myself I would rather buy a fixer upper.

My wife on the other hand has NO INTEREST in remodeling.

This became very apparent in orlando florida where we used the last day of our vacation for some home shopping. She wanted a turn key special preferably brand new.

My favorite house was a older one near a dead end street with old stately trees and large lots. My wife didnt like this home, since it had a odor problem and needed work.

I told the realtor pull up and toss the carpets, scrub the entire place, seal all walls and floors, and put in a new kitchen.

realtor responded obviously you have done this beforee, this house will sell slow since only 10% of the market is looking for a fixer upper, and the sales price will be at least 20% under normal value.

For board members here WE ARE THAT 10%, hope the original poster finds his:)

[hallerb]

I think the reason most here dont believe upgrading is a good idea is very apparent!!

This board is universally populated by the DIY group, and for that reason isnt a good base to ask.

Myself I would rather buy a fixer upper.

My wife on the other hand has NO INTEREST in remodeling.

This became very apparent in orlando florida where we used the last day of our vacation for some home shopping. She wanted a turn key special preferably brand new.

My favorite house was a older one near a dead end street with old stately trees and large lots. My wife didnt like this home, since it had a odor problem and needed work.

I told the realtor pull up and toss the carpets, scrub the entire place, seal all walls and floors, and put in a new kitchen.

realtor responded obviously you have done this beforee, this house will sell slow since only 10% of the market is looking for a fixer upper, and the sales price will be at least 20% under normal value.

For board members here WE ARE THAT 10%, hope the original poster finds his:)

[Oren]

Don't rule out common sense of the DIYer (I'm not a tradesman). I read this thread and see plenty want to save money, time and effort. Maybe from experience they think the local market won't recover the dollars and effort invested. I've made extra efforts to ensure a selling home is "move-in" condition...and it paid well....

A first time buyer may option for a fixer upper. An investor/speculator wants it ready - no hassle.

Good for your wallet, I can't say the same.

Oren "My doctor says I have a malformed public-duty gland and a natural deficiency in moral fiber, and that I am therefore excused from saving Universes."