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Okay, I just got back from visiting Charleston. I was there for a week but only had a day and a half to look at homes (the rest of the time was spent interviewing schools).
I was looking at homes in the low to mid 300's price range and they were disappointing. Yes, many of them were on large lots and square footage over 2200 BUT the quality was very poor, IMO - formica countertops, cheap oak cabinetry, popcorn ceilings, dated fixtures, etc. I've always heard that homes there are so reasonable (??).
At what price range do I need to be at in order to get QUALITY - granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, solid maple or similar cabinets, updated lighting and fixtures, etc.?
OR do I need to be looking in brand new developments vs. re-sells?
HELP! I know there has to be Southern women there that want nice kitchens to cook in (and where are the GAS ranges?).
These are our precise thoughts. So, we decided when we get to that point...we are going to by a resell that has a great floorplan and size and gut the tacky and cheap style. I just can't stand it, and it's in 99% of the homes I have seen.
If you are looking for a home in the Mt. Pleasant area that may have a gas stove, granite or solid surface counters, stainless appliances and more of a custom feel from what you apparently saw while visiting Charleston, you will probably be in the low to mid $400,000's and you probably want to stay with new or newer construction. There is little natural gas in the Charleston area compared to all electric homes. Often times a home owner will cook with propane. I am sorry that you were disappointed with the homes that you saw in the low to mid 300,000's.You did not mention in which part of the Charleston area you were looking. I would recommend to anyone visiting the area to look at potential communities in which to live, that they communicate to their Realtor the features in a home that they have to have, those they prefer and the price range in which they would like or have to stay. In this way your Realtor will not be showing you homes in which you will be disappointed and surprised that that they do not have the features that you want. If you are considering the Mt. Pleasant area and the low to mid $400,000 range is within your comfort level, I would consider Hamlin Plantation, where at any given time you may be able to find a home that would meet your requirements. There are also some other newer neighborhoods you might want to consider.
It sometimes can be less expensive to update a home yourself - granite counters approx $3,500 - cabinets that you can customize to yourself approx $6,000, popcorn ceiling removal you MUST do but it is very messy - do it before you rip out the carpet and just roll up the carpet with the residue in it, a decent contractor can do it fairly inexpensively, and appliances for high end Bosch and GE Profile (for example) budget around $4,000 (DW, Refrig, Stove). If it is important to have gas, you can speak with the gas company and they can either tap into an existing line or drag one in, you may find that most do propane tanks. In this case, you would be purchasing a home in need of renovations, but what you put in you will more than likely recoup at resale plus have the tax deducation for home improvements.
Rest assured, I DID make my requests known to my realtor. Additionally, I looked in several areas - high to low. But my guess is that my realtor didn't understand exactly what I meant when I requested "high quality" until we were in the middle of our search. At that point I think he realized (or I realized it for myself anyway) that I needed to be in an upper bracket to get what I was looking for.
I hope I did not offend - Charleston is a beautiful city and lived up to it's reputation in every positive way. I was just hoping to get more for my money when it came to finding a home - hence, the "champagne taste on a beer budget" title.
obviously $3,500 is an "approx" - that is what I paid for a kitchen with a bar counter top, drop in sink, backsplash - I got Uba Tuba, but of course it depends on what kind you choose and how large a space, but no way $20,000! So for the sake of argument, a 3500 sq ft home, say $6,000 for granite counters...even with that, if you spend $350,000 on a house, put in $20,000 in total upgrades, it will be far more re-saleable closer to the houses in the $400,000's that you would originally would have had to spend to get what you want. whew. I hope that makes sense! I'm tired! thanks.
The problem with the updates on homes older than 1990, that I have seen, are the floor plans themselves. I find that most buyers that are looking for granite & stainless are also 'open floorspace' people. Nothing wrong with that, it just takes some doing. In defense of your Realtor, it can also be a bit difficult to find that exact home. It depends upon how the listing agent described the home.
So that presents a problem. There are trade-offs for both scenarios (new vs re-do), but you should be able to find something that can be 'massaged' into what you are ultimately looking for. Especially in the low 300's.
Try again with your Realtor. It is apparent that he wasn't picking up what you were putting down...
jim
Also now that you and your Realtor are on the same page, ask them to preview the properties for you and make sure the things you have to have are there.
If I have a serious buyer I will do this for them..It's old school but.... hey whatever I can do to make my buyers happy!
We have found the same thing -- the decor is dated in most of the houses. The other thing, my husband says very few of the homes are staged. I don't mean professionally staged. He says it is obvious that the homeowners have done nothing to prepare for the sale.
That's okay -- we will adjust our initial expectation and plan on finding a home that may need a bit of our personal touch. All that matters is some time -- any day now -- maybe in a year or two -- our house here in Atlanta area will sell and we will be able to make an offer on a house.
At any given time we have a short list of three or four houses. Six months of waiting...and I fear it may be six months more. Things have gone from bad to worse. UGH.....
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