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I think a lot of this also comes down to the economics. I watch Property Brothers on HGTV and I always wonder how they manage to find house that are supposedly $100K or so under market value that they can renovate. I bought new construction because to live in any of the areas of Denver I wanted to live in, I would have been close to maxing out my budget with a fixer upper and then have no money left over to try to do renovations, and I was not personally willing to live with a 1970s kitchen and old fashioned wallpaper, etc. It's great when someone can afford to buy a house like that and still have money left for renovations, but it's just not always realistic in every market and certainly not in the more desirable areas of a very hot real estate market.
Reality check: How do most watch HGTV watch? On a "shiny" HD TV, that is probably setup in "demo mode" that over emphasizes bright colors. SO the "designers" on HGTV feed into the "eye candy" aspects. WHY? To keep eyes glued to the set and HELP ADVERTISERS!
Fact is, in real life, when you actually go to an open house or even look at online photos of homes the brighter places will ALSO stick out in the mind of shoppers. Sure, some shoppers are not taken in by eye candy, and prefer more appropriate palates that are less trendy, but enough shoppers do get sucked in that it is generally worth it to STAGE houses with some 'eye candy'.
NOW if you are not interested in selling your house (or buying the products advertised on HGTV...) there is no reason to feel that you must go heavy on the "eye candy". I tend to agree that living in a place that looks too much like a "Vegas Hotel" does become visually distracting. And the costs of "updating" your decor to match trends is potentially a GIANT waste of money...
In summary -- what "sells" may not really what is most "livable"!
I've owned for over 20 years. I'm well aware of budgeting and priorities. However, not doing basic upkeep like painting (fairly inexpensive), and cleaning toilets (I mean, come on) would definitely be a red flag to a buyer. I'm not saying a house should have the latest kitchen or bath
Well, I glossed over the clean toilet part of your post, and you glossed over the "latest kitchen or bath" part:
Quote:
Originally Posted by bande1102
If someone cannot take the time to clean a toilet or keep up with painting or doesn't have the money to renovate the kitchen or update flooring
The mechanics of my house are up to date. The kitchen and bath, however, are in an 80s time warp, but are in perfect working order. So anyone leaping to the conclusion that I don't maintain my home just by looking at the kitchen would be sorely mistaken.
Quote:
Originally Posted by emm74
I think a lot of this also comes down to the economics. I watch Property Brothers on HGTV and I always wonder how they manage to find house that are supposedly $100K or so under market value that they can renovate.
It's the magic of "reality" TV: nothing about it is real.
Well, I glossed over the clean toilet part of your post, and you glossed over the "latest kitchen or bath" part:
The mechanics of my house are up to date. The kitchen and bath, however, are in an 80s time warp, but are in perfect working order. So anyone leaping to the conclusion that I don't maintain my home just by looking at the kitchen would be sorely mistaken.
It's the magic of "reality" TV: nothing about it is real.
I completely agree that anybody prepping a home for listing NEEDS to focus on the "clean like it is surgery room" aspects of making sure buyers are not "skeeved out" by what appear to be egregious lack of housekeeping. That said, sometimes certain styles of tile, countertops, even cabinetry always look "grungy" even when professionally cleaned to hygienic standards. IF you are unfortunately unable to replace those things with something that looks more up-to-date I do strongly recommend at least an effort to get things "covered up" with one of the "paint manufacturer's kits" designed to give tile/ countertops/ cabinets a "new look".
The funny thing is that your statement about "magically finding places $100k under market" is IN FACT SERIOUSLY TIED to the previous situation. The majority of places that are shown on Property Brothers (and the other shows that similarly focus on renovating a home that is part of recent purchase...) suffer from bad cases of the "uglies" -- they reason that they can be scooped up at a low price is because the sellers have not done anything to update them. In some cases the hosts that are real estate agents will come right out and say that the place has been sitting on the market for a loooong time and they intend to factor that into the price they suggest to offer. Sure, there are some "hot neighborhoods" where sellers know that they don't need to do anything to find a buyer BUT EVEN THEN the buyers are going to need to have substantial liquid reserves to be able to afford a first class renovation. The older places in urban areas where outdated wiring or oddly modified structure needs to be rectified are NOT going to attract the "move in" buyer that could barely come up with a 5% downpayment...
In summary, while I have no doubt that HGTV does do quite a bit of editing to "pump up the drama" and probably has substantial production staff to do the legwork of finding both the "right kind" of buyers / home-owners, as well properties that make sense for the theme of the shows, I am also 100% sure that in any urban-ish (and many rural...) settings I could find houses that are good candidates for exactly the kind of overhaul they specialize in. Further, I have little doubt that if the "buyers" do have sufficient CASH and are willing to work with the "choices" that are made (driven largely by the behind-the-scenes deals with advertisers...) it is entirely possible to do the same kind of "transformation" with a well coordinated crew of experienced rehab/ remodelers...
I generally like neutral colors, partly because I just like them, partly because
it would appeal to more people in case I want to sell...I don't have a "statement"
wall, for "pops of color" I use colorful pillows, throws, wall art and other items.
I have never been a fan of bright colors, but I can like a bit of shiny, here and there. I have found myself craving a bit more boldness of color lately. I love deep aqua and deep purple, but not jewel colors, more drab, deep tones. I haven't used them yet, but I think I will use one of them in a bathroom soon.
Yup, we had one house all extreme pastels, followed by one with natural wood walls. This one is going the route you mention with drab deeper tones. Mostly in greens so far. It will end up soft greens, sandy neutrals (plus white) and soft mid-drab (if there is such a thing) blues. Rather beachy overall. Definite colors but not dark ones nor bright ones.
Well, I guess I'm a sucker for bright colors and shiny stuff since I ADORE any sort of jewel toned, blingy glass!
Last edited by KathrynAragon; 02-07-2020 at 07:16 AM..
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Depends how close people look...
