House buying/selling

[mbcdefg]

So we're starting to bat around the idea of a new house. We're currently in our starter home and we've begun to outgrow it, and the layout doesn't really work for our family. Plus we're getting tired of it and don't really want to sink a lot of money into major projects for a house we don't absolutely love.

In the 8 years we've lived here we've replaced the roof, done MAJOR foundation work, upgraded the garage door, and gotten a new hot water heater and furnace. The dishwasher, microwave and oven were all new when we moved in (the house was a flip). 

We definitely need to do something about the dining room - the floor isn't in good condition and it's covered with a cheap, low-grade carpet that didn't look great even when it was new. We've always meant to have hardwood floors done but it kept getting put off for other life events. The driveway also needs to be re-paved. 

What else do you look for when you are buying a house? Our next-door neighbor moved out last spring and her house wasn't purchased until the late fall - the online listing showed a very outdated kitchen and bathroom so I'm sure that played a role, but I don't want ours to sit on the market for a long time so I'm trying to brainstorm projects and upgrades we can do to help get people interested.

I know the obvious - purge whatever we don't need, remove personal items/wall stuff once it starts getting shown, but what else can we do to not turn people off?

[lilac05]

Talk with a realtor in your area. The answers to these questions really depend on your market, your price range, your location, etc.

There are some neighborhoods and price ranges here where an updated kitchen is almost mandatory for a reasonably quick sale. There are others where people are buying houses in rough shape mostly for the location. Sometimes I think good photography and an excellent description of the home matters as much as the house itself.

Our “must have” list has varied greatly depending on where we were purchasing. Sometimes it was as simple as “safe, no sex offenders nearby, reasonable drive to work” and others it was “move-in ready, big yard, very small cosmetic changes needed within a few years.” Hardwood floors have never been a must-have for us. We have tile in the entry, kitchen, baths, etc. and good carpet elsewhere.

[k3am]

Jan 29, 2019 11:05:30 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

Talk with a realtor in your area. The answers to these questions really depend on your market, your price range, your location, etc.

Basically this. We live in an area where if you chose to do nothing, a house would still sell. 

Before you get too far into purging/removing personal items/etc, you'll want to have that conversation. We did basic purging and then we had our realtor walk through each room and give us feedback on what he recommend staying and what he'd recommend going.

Based on his recommendations, we didn't bother to depersonalize with the exception of replacing our gallery wall with one large canvas. That was even more than he recommended us doing, I just didn't feel comfortable with strangers seeing very personal photos of my children. We had toys (scaled down from normal, organized, in bins, under the coffee table) present, our kids rooms were clearly kids rooms, purple paint and all. 

In other markets, this would have been terrible advice. 

[Velar Fricative]

Did your next-door neighbor price it right or did they have to reduce at some point? I feel like this area (the metro area since I only know your general region) is not an HGTV bubble (even though I love watching lol) because things like new construction and 100% renovated, turnkey houses aren't a thing here like it is in many parts of the country, so the expectation is that people are buying an existing house, faults and all. And I feel like almost no house can be turnkey unless you pay a real premium for it, which many people in this area probably aren't willing to or can't afford to do.

SO, having said all that, if you can replace the floors and do HW, that would be a key way to increase the value of the house. I think the fact that you've done so much foundational stuff is also a big perk for buyers, even if they may not love your kitchen or whatever. I feel like if you don't want to fix any of that, you don't have to but you'll then price accordingly (which a lot of sellers don't seem to want to do because of course their house is the best and everyone will love it!!!). When we bought, we cared about the foundation and structure of the house (and are still very skeptical of new construction or flips in this area). We still have an outdated kitchen and bathrooms 4 years later, but when the time comes we'll get it done ourselves and do it the way we want to and make sure it's a quality job since we also plan to be here for years. I like to think everyone else thinks that way but maybe not...

You also did mention this is a starter house. I have a different definition of starter house than most I think, so I am wondering if you think buyers would consider it a starter house as well. If you think you'll attract a starter-house market, maybe you don't have to do HW but instead put down LVP or something, or do cosmetic updates that don't cost a ton if you wish. Obviously, it all comes down to finding a good realtor and figuring out who would be most likely to buy a house like yours.

[mbcdefg]

Velar Fricative, I don't remember exactly but I don't think the neighbor's house sold for much less than the listing price.

I'm in a suburb of Newark.

[bullygirl979]

Jan 29, 2019 11:05:30 GMT -5 lilac05 said:

Talk with a realtor in your area. The answers to these questions really depend on your market, your price range, your location, etc.

This.

Every buyer is going to be different. I would ask a REA what he/she thinks you need to upgrade and go from there. When I sold my last house, the stuff I thought I "needed" to upgrade my agent told me not to bother with. But the stuff I thought was NBD he told me to fix.

[farmvillelover]

Aside from what you’ve said already:

I’d paint the walls that are dark or dated a light neutral color

Maybe cover the dining room floor with a large area rug to cover up the condition of the underlying carpet

Possibly replace kitchen counters with light quartz

Possibly paint cabinets white if they’re currently very dark

I don’t know that I’d sink a ton of money into a starter home bc the buyers probably want a good value that they can personalize themselves along the way.

[k3am]

Catlawdy, I forgot that we had our house power washed and windows professionally washed. It made such a difference. The price wasn't bad either - I really wished we'd spent the money and also did it while we still lived there and could enjoy it. I really think that in any market, showing your home as clean, well kept, and taken care of is crucial.

Now to convince myself to use that same logic and power wash the new house...

[VillainV]

I agree with asking a REA for an assessment of what you should look at updating for your area. Some people prefer to do their own updates so they get what they want, and some people want things more turnkey.

You might also consider exterior updates -- sometimes fresh mulch, some pressure washing, and a few new plants can make a huge difference in curb appeal.

[aspentosh]

I'd say fix anything that is glaringly bad. Rotten wood on the exterior, peeling paint, etc. As far as cosmetic things, I wouldn't stress about those unless you're in a slow market. Things like new countertops or updated appliances. The person above that said repaint dark colors is probably right. We left one dark accent wall in our TH but repainted a dark green bathroom (horrible color to begin with, lol).

But definitely agree that asking a REA is probably a good step #1. We thought we'd need to replace our carpets in our TH before we sold but our REA told us not to since they were in decent condition and white... it wasn't an issue and we sold without problem.