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Incidentally, what does a fixer upper have to do with tiles you don't like.
I mentioned that I am trying to avoid buying a fixer upper, however, when buying a house where everything is already new and finished, you get stuck with the builder's taste in finishes. The point is that it is a shame that brand new finishes in a new home would need to be tossed out and replaced, and I was wondering in the OP if there were options like reselling the old granite, etc. In a fixer upper you can pick all of your own finishes that need updating, but then you have a huge work load in the updating, because most homes that need new kitchens and baths, need a ton more updating to the entire property.
I think people are being pretty loose with the OPs money and taste...
Granite is an easy change and everyone seems so focused on it.
Its everything else that isn't easy. Its the tile in the kitchen, and 3 other bathrooms that line both the floor and walls, along with the vanity tops. Nevermind if the kitchen or bathrooms cabinets are a style that the OP doesn't find appealing.
my point is, you're out of the 4-10K range and into the 100K range when you're doing wholesale remodels.
I'd say keep looking. Either find something that meets what you're looking for basically, or find something that needs renovation where you can make the changes you want and still be in budget.
Just closed on a house that the seller did a partial remodel on about 2 years ago - the kitchen layout, cabinets, granite, flooring are not to my taste, I think they were going for "inoffensive" and just ended up at blah. Did it stop me from offering? No. Will I tear it all out some day? Maybe, but not right now when it is completely functional.
I even looked at a couple of houses with white kitchens, which I do not like AT ALL, but, had I liked the rest of the package, would have offered on anyway. Yes, I do a lot of cooking and I would prefer to love my kitchen space, but a house (just like a husband) is an entire package and a flaw or two is to be expected (come on, that was tongue-in-cheek!).
As far as bathroom renos - I will do the bathrooms in this house over again, probably n the next 1-2 years, after I've lived with the layouts for a bit. We can do all the work ourselves and I actually LIKE the reno work and tiling.
I'm on the opposite end here. I have a very nice house that will not sell because it does not have granite countertops in the kitchen. Anyone who purchases in this neighborhood must have granite. I am thinking of ripping out my countertops and installing granite. If I did it I would have to also replace the kitchen cabinets so we are talking some major work and money. The sad part is that the house was built new from the ground up seven years ago, and my kitchen was hardly ever used. My microwave was used once, and the dishwasher was never used, never even turned on. An agent did send an e-mail with an offer of over $150,000 less than asking price because the house needs to be "upgraded". I don't think my agent and I will even bother to respond.
Why would you HAVE to replace the cabinets just to install granite countertops? That really doesn't make sense to me at all. What did you install when you built the place?
Just out of curiosity - did you actually live in this house? I can't imagine only using the microwave once and never the dishwasher. . . If that's true about the dishwasher, I'd test it before the buyer's inspector gets there. The seals may have disintegrated over the last seven years.
There are easy fixes for cabinets; check your local paint store.
Everyone always thinks it's going to cost a fortune to replace countertops and cabinets. It doesn't have to if you don't start pounding away with a sledge hammer. Head over to your local stone shop, ask around for inexpensive pieces that will fit your taste...or go to the concrete people and ask them to pour you some counters, or the glass people to form some for you. Neither is particularly pricey if you don't get crazy.
And you can always install tile...though most people hate grout.
the problem with only redoing part of a kitchen--like taking out granite countertops to replace with granite you like or another product is that normally that means the backsplash has to be replaced...and the cabinets often don't look good with different type of granite or other material...
it is basically a trickle-down effect...once you make one change that change makes other aspects look dated or odd...
we redid our kitchen in house we had moved out of and were intending to sell in 09 because the market was so slow we just didn't think that lowering the price alone would be enough to entice a buyer
most realtors told us that people didn't have the time or money to put into redoing a dated house---
they wanted it already done...
so we did a lot of work--it had needed it for a few years but we were torn between moving to newer house with floor plan we really wanted or making changes where we were...
finally pulled trigger and bought another house because we could not change floor plan of house we had ...
then our son went through divorce and moved into house after it was remodeled and lived there several years...
when we did put it on the market last october we had it sold and closed by Thanksgiving...
didn't make much profit after remodeling really but at least we broke even AND sold quickly...
I completely agree with the original post. Granite is a trend, nothing more. It's in every new suburban condo in every city. Boring. I bought my 1970's mod house in December and virtually begged the seller not to put in over 25 feet of granite but he did anyway since we hadn't finalized the deal. I can't wait to tear it all out and put in concrete but I can live with it for a year or so. He also wanted to paint all of the massive amounts of woodwork until my agent told him I would back out of the deal if he did.
The problem is all of these fix and flippers and "builders" (not real architects) whose only frame of reference is HGTV. I had the same issue when I bought condo pre-construction. There were about 4 color choices, all beige. I spent a week before I even moved in re-painting the entire place white. I say you should wait until you find a place without all of that granite and mosaic tile. That's way too much work.
My parents first installed granite in one of their kitchens in 1987 (plus or minus a year, my memory might be a bit hazy), so I think it's safe to say it's no longer a trend. Sure, certain colors/'patterns' might be trendy, but if it's been around this long, I think it's here to stay.
That said, OP, buying real estate is all about compromises, unless you have an unlimited budget. Most of us don't, sadly. I'd go for the house with the yard, and plan to hopefully redo the granite/tile at a later date.
I'm actually a huge granite fan, but not a fan of the particular slab in my kitchen. Just not at a point where I can justify the expense of a purely cosmetic remodel - maybe in a few years!
You can install wooden countertops.
They are still up in the market. Or the best option is that you can buy a prefab/RTM home.
So no need of the granite or any natural stones.
Btw these natural stones looks so great. Nowadays there are huge number of varieties in granite tiles and slabs that any person will like when seeing it.
The home buying experience differs for everyone but I don't get, and never will get, spending money to rip out perfectly useful things. We bought a place in the location we wanted and I lived with a peach bathroom for 17 years and had large, 1970's orange floral wallpaper in my kitchen for nearly 7 years. The carpet was light grey, and I hate grey carpet, but it was newish and clean and we lived with it until it wasn't. Over the years I made things different and probably made material choices that other people will hate because I'm not that interested in trendy design stuff and usually just go with various shades of beige and white for anything that can't be changed out or painted. OP doesn't seem to like beige or neutral colors so I'm wonder what colors they would choose. I totally get the cheap granite look, I've never liked it but wouldn't rip it out of a remodel or new build either.
I know HGTV is accused of causing these unnatural trends but I think the bigger problem is that it's made people believe that you have to tear down and redo everything inside if it isn't perfectly on trend or to your taste. Have you seen the places people live without complaint? I also agree with the poster who said that once you live in a place it's just THERE and not something you think about. Kind of like that hole that was in my entryway wall for several years, and that cream color paint sample I put up behind my bedroom door a couple years ago....LOL!
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