A (maybe) odd question of what to update/fic in house before placing it on the market

[slyfox2]

Depends on the market where you are. If property is selling like hotcakes, like in a place like Ann Arbor, MI, then you won't need to do much.

If its not a sellers market, then you will need to do a lot.

I lived in the second and tried to sell in the middle of the housing recession. I had to update the entire house which was 25 years old. We put in new floors everywhere, an additional bathroom, a laundry room, a downstairs living room, a new 10 x 40 foot deck, a new bedroom and remodeled the entire basement. We replaced the well pump, and put on a new roof, put in new sliding glass doors, drywall in the whole garage, new everything except the toilet in the upstairs bath. etc. The only thing we did not do was put in AIR. If we'd have had to pay someone, the remodeling would have cost about 40K+. We did it ourselves for about 15K, over about 18 mo before we sold. And even then we needed to offer a full year's house warranty for up to $1500 in additional things that might need to be fixed. They replaced the only rug that we did not because it was only 2 years old.

It all depends on what you are competing with, and what kind of market you are selling into.

[biscuitmom]

We just sold our north TX house, built in 1984. Carpeted and ceramic tile floors, formica kitchen countertop, cultured marble countertop in one bathroom, laminate in the other. Our agent told us to de-clutter and clean only, not to attempt any updates.

House was listed on a Friday, we accepted an offer on Sunday that was 7% above our asking price.

To be fair, we had that location-location-location thing going, and we had meticulously maintained the house during the 24 years we lived in it. Everything was in tip-top condition and no repairs were needed.

[Avalon08]

I agree that it depends on your competition. If they're all updated, then you need to price accordingly if you're not updated. However, I can't see spending a lot of money on updates, unless as someone else mentioned, you have a mauve counter (or whatever) that would be a clear turnoff. You DEFINITELY need to replace the cracked bathroom counter though. Just replace with a comparable material.

I live in an 80's condo where the original cabinets are almond with oak trim. Totally dated. You cannot believe how many people just stick granite on top of them. I don't even know why they bother...except that I guess some people are still totally mesmerized by granite.

[Pyewackette]

Replacing kitchen cabinets is stupidly expensive and you are 100% GUARANTEED not to get more than about 50% of the cost back upon sale.

Replacing the broken bathroom sink top might be worthwhile, but I would just clean the house from top to bottom - especially the kitchen. Because you would not believe where grease builds up that you don't normally look. Pull the stove out and clean back there and get those 10 years of crumbs and crud that have collected down the sides where you can't normally get in and clean.

Your cabinets are certain to look much better after a thorough cleaning. This is not to say you haven't been cleaning for the past 10 years. It's about going the extra mile to go for the sparkle and shine that has been dulled by 10 years of normal-use.