Upgrades to house, how much do they add? (Austin, Shepherd: real estate, countertops)

[cBach]

Originally Posted by mm57553

Also wanted to add that it depends on what section of Steiner you are in. If you are in one of the much older areas (Plateau, Canyon Glen, etc.) doing all of that would be a great over improvement for the neighborhood and not a good investment. Those are really "entry level" homes. The people that tend to buy them are ones who want to live in Steiner but don't have $400K+ to spend. Having the most expensive home in the neighborhood is not a good thing.

I'm not in an entry level home. I'm in the Headlands, which is an older section but most of the homes on the block have granite countertops and wood floors as upgrades. They were mainly added as owners changed hands and upgrades were needed for selling.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by gpurcell

My guesses:

* done: conversion of balusters from wood to rod iron and refinishing wood on staircases, cost $3K, recoup: $0
* done: conversion of half bath, redo mirror, granite countertops, oil brush bronze finishes, eco-two button flush toilet, cost $800, recoup: $0

* to do: installation of hardwood floors bottom floor: cost $14K, recoup: $2,000-5,000
* to do: restain kitchen cabinets, granite countertops: cost $10K, recoup: $2,000-$3,000
* to do: redo master bath, granite countertops, custom shower with duel steam multi-flow showers, oil brush bronze finishes, antique soaker tub, cost $10-15K, recoup: $5,000-$7,000
* to do: redo deck with wood-plastic composite deck surface, conversion of balusters from wood to iron: cost: $2K, recoup: $1,000-$2,000

Why are the balusters $0 recoup? When I visit a home, if they have the old white wood balusters that is a definite negative for me.

Also why $0 on the half bath. Is granite countertops not important in there?

Based on your estimates, it sounds like the biggest bang for the buck is the deck resurfacing.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

From my understanding, 'upgrading' floors is one of the riskiest 'investments', because you don't know what people will want - if they wanted carpet or tile, then your wood is a negative. Floors are one of the easiest things for a buyer to change - it only takes a few days after you buy a house to get a crew in there and put in the floor you want.

When I put my house on the market a while back, almost all of the comments were about not having hardwood floors. I don't like hardwood floors on stairs or upstairs, it makes the house too noisy (my sister has hardwood floors throughout the house and it's really loud there).

Also, is it okay to leave tile in the laundry and half bathroom? I'm always worried about water damage. Have had washing machines break before and tile is easier to clean up. Same thing with sink faucets in bathrooms.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by mm57553

I live in Steiner and would say you would re-coup most of your money on the hardwood (make sure it is real hardwood that can be refinished), the kitchen, and the master bath. I really don't know anyone buying here who has NOT wanted hardwood floors.

I will also add that I don't know how you plan to do an entire master bath for $15K. We re-did ours 2 years ago, just replacing what we already had (not changing the floor plan) and spent close to $28K. Granted, we did do very high-end finishes (marble, polished nickle, etc.).

No one cares about the half bath. You can change out the light fixture, hardware, and mirror for less than $200 and have what looks to be a brand-new bathroom. No ones spends enough time in a half bath to need any more than that. And if you're in Steiner, your toilet is not old enough to really need replacing.

Well, I do most of the work myself, that's why it's not $28K. For instance, for the balusters, quotes were for $7K but I did it for $3K and that was with baskets every 4th one (Did 121B121 pattern where 1 is 1 twirl, 2 is 2 twirls, B is basket), angle brackets at the top and square metal brackets at the bottom. Each bracket is about $2.50 and each baluster is $5-$7.50. I had 120 balusters so it gets pricey quickly.

Also replaced all door knobs and door stops with oil brushed bronze and that cost $500. They are only about $15-$30 each but when you have over 25 doors it gets costly quick as well.

[riaelise]

Well I'm not in Steiner, but most the $400k+ homes we've been looking at do not have hardwood floors throughout the first floor, let alone the second. They're still getting sold (which is too bad for me).

As for the hardwood comments, it depends on what your asking price was. If you were asking for $500k+, then people might expect that. I've seen a mixed bag of flooring. For me, at least, it's not all about floors but about the flow of the house and how everything somehow fits together.

Tile in a laundry room is a given. I had a fish tank overflow in the living room. I've had tile floors mostly everywhere since...they really are great for moisture and are indestructible...

And, isn't your realtor giving you advice? Ask him/her so that you don't spend excessive amounts of money if you can.

[Aquitaine]

Why are the balusters $0 recoup?

Because it's the kind of thing where not having them just means 'house won't sell because it looks shabby' and having them means 'acceptable' - it doesn't mean you're getting the money you spent specifically on that one one item back. It seems to me an abstract but useful way to think about most home improvements. There are not very many things that people will look at and immediately be willing to pay more for, and most of the things that are in that category are kitchen / master - where everybody spends their time!

I'm less certain about hardwood floors. I know a lot of people like them and the only drawbacks I've heard of have to do with how well they show dirt (depends more on the color than anything else) and whether they're pet- or child-resistant. Super easy to replace a couple cracked tiles. Not so much with hardwood (YMMV - I've heard some newer products are like puzzle pieces where you can more easily replace a section).

I wouldn't ever want hardwood in a bathroom or laundry room. Seems impractical. But maybe some folks really want the complete look?

[cBach]

Originally Posted by riaelise

eh, if you're doing it just for resale, I wouldn't spend that much. If you're doing it because you plan to live there and enjoy the upgrades, then go for it.

HGTV be damned, but you don't need to redo a perfectly good deck unless your maintenance was poor and a total replace is necessary. You don't have to install granite countertops. Hardwood is nice but from what I've seen, there are many people selling homes with mostly tile floors. You don't need to do a custom multi flow shower either. Unless of course, you're planning on bloating your asking price to accomodate upgrades that people may or may not agree with and you run the risk of looking like the odd man out. Your realtor should be giving you tips on what to upgrade and what to leave alone.

I really think a shower where both man and his lady can fit in it at the same time is very desirable. There needs to be a bench as well for the lady to be able to shave. The steam shower is really great too, my uncle has that and that gave me the idea. All the extra jets make the shower a very enjoyable experience

The shower is not for resale, but I know that people will definitely desire such a feature.

[petro]

I think you'd definitely get your money back on the hardwood floors and the master bath. These rest of it, I'm not so sure. But, either way, you get to enjoy the updates you've made.

[cBach]

Originally Posted by riaelise

Well I'm not in Steiner, but most the $400k+ homes we've been looking at do not have hardwood floors throughout the first floor, let alone the second. They're still getting sold (which is too bad for me).

As for the hardwood comments, it depends on what your asking price was. If you were asking for $500k+, then people might expect that.

Tile in a laundry room is a given.

And, isn't your realtor giving you advice?

Um, my realtor had stated that hardwood everywhere in the house, including laundry room and bathrooms provides a consistent look. I disagree and so the flooring will be the last improvement.

I don't know what to do. I want a consistent look, but practicality triumphs. I almost want to keep tile in the kitchen, you know how many spills there are!

[riaelise]

Originally Posted by cBach

I really think a shower where both man and his lady can fit in it at the same time is very desirable. There needs to be a bench as well for the lady to be able to shave. The steam shower is really great too, my uncle has that and that gave me the idea. All the extra jets make the shower a very enjoyable experience

The shower is not for resale, but I know that people will definitely desire such a feature.

I agree, it is a nice feature. I'm 5'10 and my husband is 6', and it would be nice if we could fit in the shower together. And jets are always welcome as well. As a buyer, I would view it as a nice feature, but I'm not sure if it would go down as a must have feature.

Originally Posted by cBach

Um, my realtor had stated that hardwood everywhere in the house, including laundry room and bathrooms provides a consistent look. I disagree and so the flooring will be the last improvement.

I don't know what to do. I want a consistent look, but practicality triumphs. I almost want to keep tile in the kitchen, you know how many spills there are!

I've seen MANY houses not have [x flooring] throughout. MANY. Lately I've seen wood/laminate in entry, carpet/wood in the family, tile in the heavy traffic areas, carpet in the bedrooms and carpet on the second floor.

Practicality has always ruled for me. Personally, I like the 12mm beveled edge handscraped laminate floors and tile. At the end of the day, when it came to getting the house "sale ready", my biggest ticket item was paint. Yes, paint. You wouldn't believe how fresh paint transforms a house. It was expensive because our house was big, but so worth it. After that, it was a hodge podge of updates like what you've done (i.e. bronze fixtures, doorknobs, draw pulls, etc.) Whatever you do, do NOT go overboard!! You'll find your bank account draining really quickly and you might not get a lot of it back. That's all. Just passing on the word since I nearly did the same thing.