Help me shop for my grandmother’s condo - New pics!

[redheadk]

** I added new pics in a new post **

My grandmother’s 55+ condo is on the market and we need to make it look less dated. We don’t want to spend a ton (max $5,000) since it isn’t a very expensive place. We are basically trying to freshen it up.

My thoughts:

First, remove all the leftover furniture and rugs (there’s actually less now than in the listing photos)

Remove the ugly curtains/rods, patch & touch up paint

Kitchen: install stainless steel appliances

Bathrooms:
New lights
New faucets
New shower curtain
Possibly new towel bars

New, updated lighting & ceiling fans throughout (ceiling fans are nonnegotiable, we live in Houston and old people love them here).

New paint is low on the list as my mom just had it repainted. The color is not great but I'm hoping we can work with it.

There are 2 bathrooms, they basically look the same. The other has the walk-in shower instead of a tub/shower.

Kitchen option #2 is new countertops and backsplash. Both is more than we want to spend and obviously appliances are much easier to replace quickly.

Any other ideas? Any suggestions for lighting and faucets?

[k3am]

I'm not in your market at all, but if it were here, I would... not replace anything? Is there anything in there in disrepair? Everything looks like it's in good shape, clean, light, airy. I was expecting to see some hideous things, but everything there is fine. I don't think spending $5k on something that already looks okay is going to get you much more.

If anything, I'd say that I'd just add a bit of staging to liven up the place and make it look less stark.

[RockNVoll]

I pretty much agree with k3am. I don't know your market either, but I would probably just look into hiring a stager to warm up the feeling a little. I'd expect it to cost a lot less than $5k, but that's just a pure guess.

Have you asked the real estate agent for their advice on what, if anything, needs to be done to best position the property?

[Susie]

I pretty much agree with pp's.

If I'm seeing correctly that you have these faucets in the bathroom/etc., 

then sure, those are objectively dated and you could probably replace those with something more updated fairly inexpensively.  But I wouldn't do much more than that, and I'm not even sure I'd do that unless a REA suggested that the place looks dated compared to comps.  I probably would not do lighting because it can be so taste specific.  It really looks pretty good, IMO.  Bright, light, clean.

[penguingrrl]

Honestly, I think it looks beautiful in the listing photos and I wouldn't change anything. IME this is a quiet time of year for home sales, so if it's taking longer to sell than you expected it may be that.

[statgirl]

I would update the bathroom fixtures and get rid of the chandelier. Really, it looks fine. If the living room is carpet, I might replace or clean it depending on age.

[sakura]

I think it looks really nice as is.
If you do updates, would you put up new listing photos? Since the 2 bathrooms are basically the same, do you have something in the photos that differentiates them? I’m house shopping right now and I like when I can easily tell bathrooms or bedrooms apart from one another, and not that it’s just the same room from a different angle. Framed art, a throw pillow or other decoration to tie it all together in my head. Also nice to see is a layout diagram.

[hocus2]

I would not install new appliances. The ones you have are fine and you're unlikely to recoup the cost. I actually think you could do the counters pretty cheap if you really wanted to do that but it seems best to just lower the price 5K.

Touching up paint seems like a good idea but you'll need to give the place time to air out so it doesn't smell like paint when people walk though. I don't think the table is a huge issue but you could get rid of it.

Are the picture's warped? The doors seem very wide. The fridge seems odd too. I would just fix that before doing expensive changes.

[k3am]

hocus2 , my guess is that the doors actually are very wide in order to accomodate a wheel chair since it's a 55+ community. But you're right on the fridge. It looks veeeeeery large.

[nicolewi]

Um. yeah, I'm with the others that the place looks great. Basic, but clean and neutral. If you aren't in a really high end, competitive market, or way out of line for the neighborhood, I don't think you need to do anything at all!

[aprilsails]

Replace the bathroom faucets, the dining room chandelier, and get brighter curtains, cushions and towels for staging purposes.

[thejackpot]

Yep, don't do much. It looks great. I would stage it and keep it moving. 55 and up folks are not necessarily looking at it from our perspective.

[dr.girlfriend]

I don't think you'll benefit from replacing the appliances. I would at most do the dining room chandelier.

It's a nice, neutral color!

[dr.girlfriend]

redheadk, Also...want to PM me where it is? My mom is looking for a retirement place in Houston ASAP. :-)

[redheadk]

Thanks, I don't think it looks terribly dates either (mostly dull without her furnishings in there, it actually looked better with all of her furniture and decor) but it's been on the market 6 months and every piece of feedback has mentioned the kitchen. So, we need to do something. Even dropping the price $5,000 won't be enough, we'd have to drop it about $25,000. The people looking for this sort of unit in this range want something a little more current. Honestly, the appliances are lightly used but about 20 years old. She hasn't done any updates since she moved in 15 years ago. Also, the list price is deceiving as there is a monthly HOA fee that is more than the yearly fees for regular neighborhoods. This is strictly 55+, not independent living, so it's sort of the 1st step for many couples when downsizing.

Part of the issue is that the building flooded 2 years ago during the hurricane so all of the 1st floor units are completely redone. The 2nd and 3rd floor units, including hers, were fine but she couldn't live there for 4 months while repairs were made to the elevator and fire alarm system.

Some of the doors are wider to accommodate a wheelchair but I think it's because I screenshot the photos to remove her address. The pictures aren't distorted on the listing. The carpet is in really good shape and was recently cleaned.

My concern with doing the counters is that it is more involved and takes a lot longer than replacing the appliances.

[redheadk]

And, yes, there are pictures of the other bathroom and it's obvious they are different (the other bathroom has a different layout, has a walk-in shower, and the washer/dryer). I just didn't include the other in the post.

[carmenere]

Agree with the PPs - you could easily freshen up the paint and change the hardware, faucets and light fixtures, and other than that it really looks pretty good. I would focus your effort on staging - does your agent provide staging services?

[k3am]

I looked at a couple of the other units available in the same complex, and I still don't know that this one looks significantly more dated than the others. I want to say that the money might be better spent on staging, even with what you added in your update. What does the listing agent suggest? They should have an idea on what needs to be done in order to get it sold.

You could do a bare bones appliance suite and new counter for around $5k to modernize the kitchen, which is still less of a hit than $25k, if you're not getting any nibbles.

[redheadk]

Jan 28, 2020 18:50:05 GMT -5 k3am said:

I looked at a couple of the other units available in the same complex, and I still don't know that this one looks significantly more dated than the others. I want to say that the money might be better spent on staging, even with what you added in your update. What does the listing agent suggest? They should have an idea on what needs to be done in order to get it sold.

You could do a bare bones appliance suite and new counter for around $5k to modernize the kitchen, which is still less of a hit than $25k, if you're not getting any nibbles.

The units that have sold (there are 2 sister complexes) are more updated than hers. But it's also really hard to tell since the 1st floor units are fully updated BUT they were flooded. Our whole market is insane and all over the place right now. 

She's most concerned with the kitchen and is on board with whatever we decide. I think she would prefer new countertops but I've kind of been left to deal with this because my mom just simply doesn't have the time between her job and dealing with my grandmother's needs. So, I'm trying to do what I can that will be quick and not require me to do a lot of coordinating. Countertops will be more involved than new appliances all delivered and installed at once. My dad is a builder (my parents are divorced) and will send one of his guys up to spend the day installing lights and faucets plus anything else that needs to be done. 

ETA: It's either the countertops & backsplash OR appliances. Just to be clear

[redheadk]

ONE MORE, lol!

If I do end up keeping the appliances and replacing the countertops, what would you suggest? We had black appliances at our old house with white cabinets, black pearl granite, and a white marble subway tile backsplash. Would you suggest black countertops again to tie in the black appliances? Black seems less in these days but I'm concerned that white countertops would make the black appliances feel even more out of place.

[dr.girlfriend]

Also, I would add nice-looking hardware to those kitchen cabinets.

[aprilsails]

If the appliances are 20 years old then I would put money into those and get a stainless steel suite over countertops (unless they are lifting or peeling anywhere).

[redheadk]

Jan 28, 2020 19:54:23 GMT -5 aprilsails said:

If the appliances are 20 years old then I would put money into those and get a stainless steel suite over countertops (unless they are lifting or peeling anywhere).

The countertops are corian and installed 15 years ago when she moved in. They are in perfect condition.

That’s the other thing, it seems less wasteful to switch the appliances (and donate the old ones) than to tear out the countertops. Corian just isn’t really very current but I think the color is neutral enough that giving the whole place a fresher vibe will make them not such an issue.

[k3am]

redheadk, I'd do appliances over counters/backsplash. The appliances will likely need to be replaced soon anyway, and the counters and backsplash look fine and are in good shape. Plus appliances are pretty generic, you're not going to have a whole lot of style coming into play when you're picking them. (That was my biggest annoyance in house shopping - I didn't want to pay extra for someone's "upgrades" when I didn't like them and would want to swap them out)

I would go stainless steel. Costco has some suites in the $2800 range. You may be able to find cheaper elsewhere. I haven't appliance shopped in a while, but when we did previously, Costco was one of the better priced when you added in delivery/install/haul away. They also double the manufacturer's warranty, which won't matter to you.

[redheadk]

k3am, Thanks. I'll check Costco out. Plus, they seem easier to deal with than Lowes (please, God, no).

[lilac05]

If she’s pretty set on doing something in the kitchen, I’d do appliances over countertops.

Swapping out the bathroom faucets is easy, cheap, and makes a big difference! (I have the ones that are pictured...only they’re two-toned! Fancy!)

I agree with the others, though, that a little staging could go a long way. A few vases of flowers, a colorful rug or two, and some color pops from towels in the bathroom. That’s all stuff that’s easily seen as decorations, but may encourage more people to look at more of the pictures.

You also may want to carefully read the listing and see if there’s any way that you can improve it. Does the listing tell a story and paint a beautiful picture, or does it just list facts? Does it outline benefits of living in that particular community? What can be said in that paragraph that might make people say, “I want to check this one out!”?

Also, how is the agent? Are they excited about this condo? What are they doing to help sell the place? Make sure you have someone who is actively trying to make sales rather than just waiting for a buyer to make an offer.

[redheadk]

The agent is awesome, we've used her a ton. I really do trust her.

It's had plenty of showings. There aren't a TON of these types of units available in our area so people tend to look at every one available.

The top 3 things they comment on are the kitchen being dated, the unit being a little dated overall, and not having a roll-in shower. There is absolutely nothing we can do about the shower, only the first floor ones are roll-in. I think the dated comments are coming because they are directly comparing it to the other units that were just updated due to the flooding.

[5thofjuly]

My guess is that part of the “dated” is really coming from the fact that everything is circa 2000 Builder Beige. It’s not bad- it’s just older (and what is currently on my walls because I’m too lazy to paint.). That was the only thing I noticed that said “dated” to me. The walls, floor, and countertops are all the same color. I think that would be FAR less likely to stand out if you have good staging. That alone would break up the beige.

[redheadk]

So... Anyone want to pick a dining room chandelier for me? I'm going with brushed nickel for everything to match the hardware that isn't changing.

Bonus points for a light to replace the boob light in the tiny 2nd bedroom/office. The other boob lights are being replaced with those white fixtures that mimic recessed lights since they aren't really in focal point places so best if they just fade into the background.

[aprilsails]

Jan 28, 2020 21:48:41 GMT -5 redheadk said:

So... Anyone want to pick a dining room chandelier for me? I'm going with brushed nickel for everything to match the hardware that isn't changing.

Bonus points for a light to replace the boob light in the tiny 2nd bedroom/office. The other boob lights are being replaced with those white fixtures that mimic recessed lights since they aren't really in focal point places so best if they just fade into the background.

I like this style for the space- the bulbs are a traditional style but the box frame is more modern. I think this would suit and appeal to the 55+ set:
www.kichler.com/kichler/products/indoor-lighting/chandeliers/linear-chandeliers/crosby-5-light-linear-chandelier-ni/
For the office, go with a UFO:
www.kichler.com/kichler/products/indoor-lighting/flush-mount-lights/semi-flush-mount-ceiling-lights/4-light-semi-flush-ceiling-light-in-brushed-nickel/