Thoughts on non-upgraded home?

[EasilyAmused]

Laminate floors are an upgrade? oh hell no. First I would pass on the house. If I had to buy it, I would pull those suckers out so fast for real hardwoods.

[Michelle Morris]

My buyers are all looking for homes that they won't have to work on. All buyers see is the hassle.

[trekbiker]

Ok, here's my (a new homeowner) point of view.

I was in the option period for a house that needed quite a few upgrades. We loved the "skeleton" of the house, but the kitchen needed a major upgrade, and the bathroom was way dated and needed to be overhauled. We saw A LOT of money going into the house after we bought it, and we hadn't even gotten an inspection.

Then came the inspection. It turned out that the roof was at the end of its lifetime and had to be replaced in order for the house to be insured (and the loan to be approved). That broke the camel's back, and we bailed on the house... not without some drama with the seller and his agent, but that's another story.

We found another house that was only 9 years old, and it already had a granite counter top. The inspection report says we only needed to replace the water heater... and everything else was solid. We did have the living room and den carpet replaced with wood floors (engineered hardwood) before we moved in. But that was pretty much it for the house.

That allowed us to have enough money to budget for new furniture, a pool build, new ceiling fans, a few appliances, and garage/lawn supplies. This would have not been possible with the other house, where we would have sunk so much money in the upgrades and not have anything left for furniture and new appliances or even any upcoming repair/maintenance jobs that inevitably crop up down the road.