What cosmetic upgrades to make your house increase (hardwood, granite, Home Depot)

[dreamofmonterey]

in value. I am interested in everyone's thoughts as I may be selling in a year.

I am in a desirable location- but the kitchen cabinets look like they are from 1980- also cheap looking.

Also the carpet is a nightmare (I have 3 sharpeis!) dog fur gets stuck in the carpet.

The master bath- some idiot put it in crooked- and I need to renovate with a smaller vanity and maybe add a tub. I also have a basement shower, but there is rust in the drain- anyone know what that may be?? Plumbing expense gives me fear- what will this all cost, does anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Thanks,
sunny

[cdcdguy]

I love dogs,but some do shed a lot. I would wait as long as you can to replace the carpet.I am replacing my carpet soon. It was bad when we bought the house. Offered quite a bit less. Told them the carpet would need replaced, and they accepted the lower bid. It cost them quite a bit, so even if you have to, buy cheap. Don't try to sell with bad carpet.

[dreamofmonterey]

Thanks- I did that when we sold the Fl house-lol- the dogs were moved up here already and we put brand new white Berber carpet- A realtor told me cream or white is best- makes everything look new- does anyone agree with that? I do know when we looked at houses, cabinetry is a big issue. The old clunky styles are definitely dated. I would also have a problem with a house with all pink walls-lol

[Wanderlust07]

Hi, sunny! I sold a house recently with a carpet that had some normal wear (and 2 dogs, sharpei mixes, and 3 cats had lived there, so you can imagine the fur!), and several agents said not to replace the carpet, as the new buyers would want to pick their own color, etc. I ended up just having the carpet professionally cleaned. If the color is really funky (70's shag?) or deeply stained, then I would replacement, but if not, would just try to clean it up or offer, as cdcdguy suggested, a carpet allowance. Also, I would think that people with pets or kids would stay away from white/offwhite carpets..? One good bout of cat vomit could pretty much destroy a white carpet.

I know you know the drill re "what sells houses", so if you think the kitchen needs some updating, you could look at getting the cabinets refaced, which I understand is quite cost-effective. I would consider doing the countertops if needed, and if you the budget for it and it makes sense in your market, something like granite could really wow buyers. Buyers can become fixated on how great one aspect of a house is and overlook other flaws.

Re the bathroom: I think it would be worth doing the cosmetic fixes you mentioned. I've seen very nice sink/vanity combos at home improvement stores that shouldn't be cost-prohibitive to have a plumber attach if needed. People seem to be really picky about bathrooms, so if there are other relatively inexpensive improvements you could do, like paint and tile, you might consider them if the baths would benefit.

Note: I'm not a realtor, but I do watch a lot of HGTV and other real-estate related shows

[yellowsnow]

If you have some time, I would wait. Budget the money and bide your time. Wait and see what the housing market is going to do. If it keeps going down like a rock, you can gold plate that house and you're still going to lose money on it. If it sells at all. Now is a good time to start following the market. Pick out some homes for sale comparable to yours and see what happens over the next few months. If cheap is all that counts, not going overboard on the fix it up costs may allow you to sell at a better price.

I like clean. It doesn't have to be new. Any house I bought with carpet would have that carpet removed before I moved in.

[riveree]

I wouldn't invest much if you plan to sell soon.

The four areas I would focus on would be:

1) Landscaping: Manicure it and keep on top of it, plant some young shrubs, maybe a flowering tree or two, really green it up (try Milorganite...I love the stuff ), then at the last minute, put down fresh mulch and flowers.

2) Repairs: Rust in the drain might simply be a leak from the showerhead (might want to open up the showerhead and take a look). Make sure everything is functioning as it should throughout the house.

3) Clean: Clean and declutter....it's the square footage people want, so make things as open as you can. Clear all horizontal surfaces.

4) Paint: Paint the entire interior a light color (cream, off-white, etc.) - just one light continous shade throughout - this will give the house a feel of more space (no matter how big it might be, it never hurts to make it look bigger, right ?).

[thepizzaguy]

I like this topic, have done some home improvements before, but I get most of my information from This Old House and the internet.

Kitchen and bath are the two most common areas that require updating in just about every house in the country, besides basements of course. The type of materials used to upgrade depends on taste and size of area. Putting granite in my mom's kitchen would be out of place. The area is like a 15 x 10 foot hallway. Unfortunately it has an outside and a main supporting wall, so it's pretty much non expandable.

As for carpeting, we removed all our carpeting. The wood floors need refinishing, but the wood itself is in great condition. It's got that natural look. CDGUY is right. With a dog, cats or constantly shedding pests, you would want wait to replace the carpeting so that it doesn't see much wear before you sell. If it's in bad shape, removing it before showing the house is a good idea.

I don't like carpeting. It's dirty and requires constant vacuuming, and still that doesn't really do much for allergies. I suggest removing the carpet Inspecting the floors, and go from there. Looking at my floor, the dog doesn't seem to be scratching it all up with her claws, most if not all the damage was caused while the carpet was on the floor, via wet spots.

If you like the look of the floor, you can alway add a carpet allowance as an incentive to a home buyer. So the home would show with the wood floors and should someone be interested in buying, you can offer like $2500.00 as a carpet allowance. Of course you can price out the replacement cost. $2500.00 seems low to me.

Riveree has the stuff. Windows. Also go through and check all the window glass for cracks, and breaks. If you have several tight windows or windows that won't stay open, windows with leaks, replacement windows may be in order. I can do it. Could explain how as it's not hard at all. Basically remove the molding around the window, remove old window and hardware. Install new window, don't forget the caulking, reattach moulding. In older houses there are a few details. Like if you had counter weights inside the frame walls, cut the chains and pack the space with insulation.

Just make sure the crew installs new windows from the INSIDE. I think it cost my mom 8500 for 25 windows proffessionally installed not including the 4000.00 bay window she added to the front of the house.

Maintenence free siding is another good place. The windows and siding will add value to the home

Finally you can spend $25,000.00 on solar panels before rebates and incentives, and get every single penny back in equity. Not to mention a possible "GREEN" home rating.

Good Luck!

[DawnW]

I would not advise any vynil siding on a house if you want to upgrade it.

We are debating about our flooring too. We want all hardwood, but DH is hesitant to put in until we are closer to moving. We have 3 young boys and a dog. But I want to ENJOY it while we live here!

Dawn

[MacFan]

I wouldn't replace the carpets unless they are beyond a decent cleaning.

When we sold our house, our agents told us of a couple of clients that had new carpeting installed right before selling. When the new owners took possession the first thing they did was rip out the carpet and have it replaced because they didn't like the color/style.

I personally would recommend having a professional carpet cleaning company come in right before you list the home. Be sure you ask for a truck mounted cleaning as that will do a much more thorough and much deeper cleaning. Be sure to watch them as they clean, we had a couple of pieces of our furniture damaged by the cleaners which they had repaired at their expense.

As for your kitchen cabinets, you could check Lowes or Home Depot to see if their off the shelf oak or maple cabinets would fit. They are pretty reasonably priced and could make a pretty dramatic improvement.

As others have already said, kitchens and bathrooms sell homes. Realtors say that unless you go completely overboard, you will recoup the cost of most improvements made in your kitchen and bathrooms.

Just some ideas for you to kick around.

[dreamofmonterey]

Originally Posted by SharPit

I wouldn't replace the carpets unless they are beyond a decent cleaning.

When we sold our house, our agents told us of a couple of clients that had new carpeting installed right before selling. When the new owners took possession the first thing they did was rip out the carpet and have it replaced because they didn't like the color/style.

I personally would recommend having a professional carpet cleaning company come in right before you list the home. Be sure you ask for a truck mounted cleaning as that will do a much more thorough and much deeper cleaning. Be sure to watch them as they clean, we had a couple of pieces of our furniture damaged by the cleaners which they had repaired at their expense.

As for your kitchen cabinets, you could check Lowes or Home Depot to see if their off the shelf oak or maple cabinets would fit. They are pretty reasonably priced and could make a pretty dramatic improvement.

As others have already said, kitchens and bathrooms sell homes. Realtors say that unless you go completely overboard, you will recoup the cost of most improvements made in your kitchen and bathrooms.

Just some ideas for you to kick around.

I have plenty of time and money.....my life is not determined by the housing market, I am a smart person I see what is happening in this country, and learned well from my father who grew up in the Great Depression. It is coming again.