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Let me give you an example: I put my house on the market. Before I could replace the whole kitchen cabinets, a buyer came around, hands down gave me my price no haggle. I made mention that I already have a contractor to replace the worn out looking kitchen cabinets, in the spring. She said, "No need, I am ripping the kitchen out and extending it."
We were a week from the closing and her lender got locked up, so the sale didn't go through. THEY were buying the house for the LOCATION. My house is in excellent commuter location with every imaginable amenities around, from culture/theater to recreation, indoor or outdoor. Every mass transportation and highway known to man, right into the hub, NYC, yet still "countrified" enough for those wanting to get away from the cement jungle. Point being: don't go crazy with upgrades, some people are looking for other things about your house.
OP here. You guys have given me a lot to think about here. Thanks!
A prior poster asked if we were intentionally listing $150k over market--no. I just meant the median price for houses in our area is about $340 k but that is all comers. Our house is much larger than the median house plus has a variety of upgrades (like a pool). I'm actually planning to list it for about $10k less than what realtor is suggesting because I want the house SOLD in a timely fashion. I have young kids and the thought of being "showing ready" for the next two months gives me hives!
Another poster mentioned giving a credit for flooring. Apparently "carpet allowance" and things like that are no longer allowed (at least in our area, according to our realtor) because lenders wont allow. You can say you will replace carpet with buyer's choice up to $X but it has to be done (ie new carpet installed) before closing and if the buyer can't close you are then stuck with that particular buyer's choice. You are, however, allowed to offer to pay buyer's closing costs.
I did stop by a big box store and check out laminates and engineered hardwoods. I actually had a hard time telling the high end laminates from some of the engineered hardwood! I want to check out a local mom and pop flooring place, too, but they are only open when I'm at work so it may not happen.
The lumber liquidator debacle has me a bit worried. Laminate or engineered hardwood may become a strong negative for some people. I'm getting the picture that no matter what I do some buyers just won't like it.
As a prior poster pointed out people in CA really worry about potential toxins plus are eco-focused so now I'm looking at bamboo, too. That might be my "third way" but I need to go look harder at it this weekend. I really hope other vendors aren't tainted by the LL scandal. I just want to sell my house!
Finally, the other issue would be getting all the installation completed prior to our target of mid-April. The market here is pretty strong and apparently lots of other folks are doing work on houses they are buying/selling. I called the painting company the realtor recommended and they are booked though AUGUST. Meanwhile flooring installation guy is booked for next month but says he could get us in first week of April (kind of uncomfortably close to our planned list date). Yikes!
Your realtor is out of step with whats going on. Right now with the Lumber Liquidators Chinese laminate formaldehyde situation people want laminate ripped out! When buyers see any laminate it is going to be a be a big negative. You are much better off using real wood, or carpet.
I've seen a variation in theme on this one. Remember when drywall produced in China had all the toxins in them? FDA, where the heck did they go? I suppose I'm kidding when asking where they are.
You should be able to find a cheaper but decent laminate for a cheaper price and likely Made in America as the article suggests. There's some good info in it. Most products outgas. If you buy carpeting, it will outgas. If you buy new furniture, it will outgas. You're leaving the house. You'll figure it out .
The bad thing with laminate is that it's hard to clean and if you have a large spill or leak it can be easily ruined. No matter what you do someone is going to say they wanted the opposite to try to get a better price, so it's generally best to not spend too much on something that won't add much value to the home.
I have young kids and the thought of being "showing ready" for the next two months gives me hives!
It's easier than it looks. We have a routine. We keep the house clean anyhow with 2 kids and 2 dogs who come in at night, but it still gets dirty. So here's what we do every single day:
Morning: (Takes around 10 minutes aside from getting dressed)
1.) Wake up and immediately get dressed. Wipe down the bathroom countertop with the towel we used from our showers.
2.) Make up the bed.
3.) Wipe down the furniture quickly with a Swiffer duster.
4.) Get kids up and dressed.
5.) Make up their beds and pick up the one or two toys that one of them left out.
6.) Take the dogs outside to their kennel.
7.) Pick up anything left over from the night before (We try to keep it picked up as we go).
Evening: (Takes around 20 minutes. 30 if we mop the wet areas instead of use the Bona)
1.) Run over all the floors with our solid surface vacuum (well worth the money!)
2.) Run back over the floors with a Bona cleaner.
3.) Wipe down the countertops and kitchen table.
4.) Swap out the dishwasher.
5.) Start a load of laundry. We don't let it build up in the hampers.
So it takes about 20-30 minutes per day to keep the house spotless. We constantly remind the kids that as soon as they are done playing, their things must be put back neatly where they got them. Clothes go in the hampers.
Once you have the routine down, it runs very smoothly. On Saturday mornings we do a good once over and scrub anything that needs to be scrubbed. We wipe down the stainless appliances with WD-40 and finish any remaining loads of clothes. All in all, it takes about 30 minutes on Saturday morning to make sure everything is ready for a showing.
A word of caution.... I don't care what anyone tells you about laminate. Animal claws WILL scratch the surface. Our laminate is dark to match the hardwood in the dining room and it shows scratches very heavily. Cleaning laminate is easy with the Bona but that's the only upside. Bona makes a laminate and tile polish that goes down with the same applicator. Once a month I run over the floors with the polish and it hides the scratches. But they ARE still there, and if the polish wears off, they're very noticeable. And never mop the floor with a wet mop. It will bubble the edges of the laminate. Knowing what I know now, I'd never put laminate down again in my house if I planned on living in it.
"You don't want anything cheap but don't want to spend the money" can't have it both ways. Unless the rugs are worn to the point where they will not clean, don't replace them. I'd stay away from laminate, unless it's higher end, even then, it may be a turn off for many buyers. If you must, spend the money on decent neutral carpeting.
Ok, let me say this again - while there are vocal people who don't care for laminate, it is not such a huge turn off that it should influence flooring decisions. At all. Maybe in a home that's $600k and up, but definitely not in homes that are less than that. I'd really like to see actual data that shows that laminate is a "huge turn off". It is a popular alternative to wood flooring and has been for decades. If it is such a huge turnoff, then why are builders in the mid-price price point covering their model home floors with laminate (which is considered an "upgrade")? It is far more of a turnoff to have endless carpetted rooms in a model home. Carpet in an entryway is an absolute no-no for me.
Any flooring upgrade adds value to the home, including laminate. It will never be as popular as wood, but who cares? not everyone has gazillions of dollars to spend on wood but they appreciate the aesthetic of wood. A good quality laminate can mimic wood at less cost, and what is wrong with that? Unless your home is very small, putting anything on your floor is going to cost you thousands upon thousands of dollars, which not all homeowners have. Cleaning laminate is as simple as using BONA solution, a microfiber mop and a vacuum. It's not impervious since it is actually made of wood products (not plastic. the only plastic component is the wear layer) so it will get damaged if you leave liquid on it for too long. Just like a wood floor. Solution? Wipe up all spills immediately. I've had different types of floors over the years, including laminate and wood (my soon-to-be new home has wood, but that wasn't my choice) and I like them both for different reasons.
Just had our carpet replaced over the weekend, for the upstairs and staircase. The downstairs has wood laminate. our carpet was so epic-bad, I was ashamed to show it or take photos of it. Original carpet from when home was built in 1998!! Pad too!
Anyway, made the upgrade and hope that this is to the liking of potential buyers!
I say laminate. I sold my townhouse last November in a TOUGH neighborhood to sell in. I had laminate, most of the others had carpet. I also had it decorated and painted in a modern, bright, airy, free manner; other units looked dark and had few updates. Most of the other units are still on the market.
It doesn't matter. Most likely the new buyers will rip up whatever you put down.
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