Modern vs Mid Century Modern in selling a house (fireplaces, ceiling, kitchens)

[glamatomic]

I keep trying to tell my mother than MCM is so 'in' here in the U.S. (I've lived here going on 8 years) and Australia will eventually catch up...

So far though my insistence that she'll just be wasting money in ripping out the kitchens and bathrooms and replacing them for new, just to sell it... seems to be falling on deaf ears

[beachmouse]

In the most recent Inside Out magazine (Australian design) to make it over here, they're showing homes with a good amount of MCM furniture. So I think that style is on the way over there in home architecture as well.

[TheWayISeeThings]

Does she have time to stage it, take really good pictures and list it for 3 months and see what sort of attention it gets? If there is no interest, then perhaps her realtor can make some suggestions. When making updates for the purpose of selling I was ALWAYS consult a Realtor before making changes.

[beachmouse]

I bet if she staged it and put sown some Danish modern chairs in the lounge area, maybe a faux Noguchi coffee table, and a nice 50s teak sideboard, it would snapped up right quick for someone looking for that kind of retro look.

[Ceece]

I wouldn't touch anything that wasn't worn or chipped or broken. I made the mistake of updating a mid-century bathroom years ago that had yellow and blue tile. Funky but the quality and workmanship was top notch and there was not a chip ro or crack anywhere. I made it modern and neutral and white and even with a licenced contractor the workmanship left something to be desired. Even the tiles looked less hefty compared to the old ones.

[Avalon08]

I bought a 1960 rancher (U.S.) two years ago that had a pink bathroom. I did think it was kind of charming and might have kept parts of it, but the tile started leaking behind the shower wall. The kitchen hadn't been updated since the 70's, but that was OK, because I preferred to do my own style of renovations, not someone else's "budget" reno's just to get the house to sell. When I did renovate, I tried to keep everything in the style of the original house. Oh, I also kept the original brown panelled walls in the basement, and have no intention of changing them. As far as your question on what people would expect in a house of that price, it depends on where you live and whether that price puts the house in the luxury market. For $500K where I live, people would expect updated kitchen and baths, but high-quality updates that blend in with the architecture of the home.

[BigDGeek]

Don't touch the MCM aspects, just leave it alone. Replace things that are worn out/broken but keep to the original style of the house as best you can. As others have stated, MCM is quite a selling point for a lot of people and many are willing to pay a premium for original features/fittings. Just leave it be.

The market will tell you if you need to make any changes.

[8635angelvalley]

Leave it alone.

[NM posts]

Definitely leave it alone. Us MCM lovers are more likely to buy an untouched time capsule house than a house with a renovation that may not match the design...I would, anyway. I'd much rather work with the original design and update accordingly.

[Larry Siegel]

MCM is experiencing a revival but still sells at a big discount relative to new high-quality construction. So if you love MCM, you should buy it…treat it well, a 60 year old house is nearing its originally intended useful life.