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My husband and I bought a house about 5 months ago. It was move in ready, but had some cosmetic issues. We painted and moved all of our stuff in.
We're considering replacing the cabinets. The ones that are there have been painted over so many times that the paint is chipping and every time a plate rubs against the cabinet wall, paint chips off. The cabinets and drawers look very shotty and seem cheaply made. There is an island in the kitchen that is brand new. It's very nice.
My husband and I went to Home Depot and they have this thing where you can get all new cabinets installed for $5000 and pay it off over time. Sometimes they have 0% financing. We just have to wait until they have a good deal.
When we were buying this home, our realtor said, "Don't do too much work on the house because it's your first and I'm sure you'll be moving in 5 to 10 years. There is no need to put so much money into your first home."
My husband and I really like this house and the neighborhood. We don't plan on moving any time soon. Why shouldn't we fix things up? We want the house to be nice while we're here and hope that our upgrades could raise the price of this house when we do go to sell it. IF we do.
In my opinion, pay cash. Do not finance. Your current cabinets work just fine even though the paint is chipping. If you really want new cabinets, save up the money and pay cash.
Also, keep in mind that the cabinets that Home Depot will sell you for 5,000 will likely be of cheaper quality than the cabinets you currently have.
In my opinion, pay cash. Do not finance. Your current cabinets work just fine even though the paint is chipping. If you really want new cabinets, save up the money and pay cash.
Also, keep in mind that the cabinets that Home Depot will sell you for 5,000 will likely be of cheaper quality than the cabinets you currently have.
I've posted a photo of my kitchen... Can you tell me what it would cost to have nice cabinets?
Why not finance it? What are your reasons for telling me to pay cash?
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
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Quite frankly, I like your kitchen. I think it looks really cute.
To answer your question, No, I would not take out a loan so early in home ownership. I would shore up my savings for unexpected expenses, which will surely happen. $5,000 is a lot of money to put into a home that you have little equity in, particularly if you plan to sell in a few years anyway.
Last edited by bande1102; 06-29-2015 at 12:31 PM..
I agree with the others about not financing this early on. I also agree with you that it is silly not to fix up your house! Maybe the agent meant be careful not go overboard so as to price yourself out of the neighborhood? That is definitely not a mistake you want to make on your first home, if you plan on selling 5-10 yrs from now.
I think your kitchen is adorable! It sounds like the issues are paint-related. All new cabinets are a very expensive way to fix a crummy paint job. Price out the cost of hiring a professional to properly sand and spray on new paint. We had an estimate for $1200 a few yrs ago on a kitchen similar to yours. You could also look into new cabinet doors, and drawers, if the actual cabinet structure seems to be sound.
My advice: look at the big picture. If you're planning on being here a while, there is no rush. Make wise and deliberate decisions. Good luck, and congratulations!!
ETA: personally, my unofficial rule-of-thumb: no large unnecessary purchases for the first year. We always want to do the fun stuff, but we need to get to know our house to make sure we're making the right choice. Admittedly, we are more risk-averse than many, but here's an example: one house we bought (needed some minor cosmetic stuff, had lots of "potential") FLOODED--big time!--the weekend after we moved in. Massive tree roots in the pipes, just ever so slightly onto our property...our focus ended up being on less-glamorous plumbing issues that first year
Hard to tell if your counters are black granite but either way, they are a solid surface. The chances of removing the counters without damage is going to be slim. So factor in new counters into the mix as well. The flooring won't line up most likely so then you are looking at new flooring too. It will snowball in no time. The reason your realtor gave you that advise is that she knows the market and any additional upgrades means you wouldn't get the money back. I have painted cabinets and depending on the paint used, chips will happen. I used oil based paint and my teenage son bangs plates into them all the time. They don't chip. Might want to consider repainting them. I agree the quality of cabinets you will get for 5k will be poor. You will get chips as well as the finish on them will be poor.
I agree with the no debt at this time. Also with waiting a bit.
And I too like your kitchen. If the cabinets are solid, just painted too often, take the doors off, strip off the paint and see what's there. If it's nice wood, stain and replace. If not just paint again.
It won't be an easy or fast job but it'll be well worth the (lack of) expense.
You all make good points. I guess it doesn't bother me as much as it did when we first moved in. The only thing I notice is when I pull out a drawer and it wobbles out of the slot. I can wait until we've saved more money. Admittedly, I am a spender.
I'd wait. Odds are you'll find something else that needs more urgent attention than unattractive cabinets.
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