On 4/30/2014 10:10 AM, Helpful person wrote:

>>>
>> And half of them can't even boil water but MUST have a show kitchen.
>
> A granite counter is a wonderful work surface. It
> not only looks nice but also cleans up easily and is
> resilient. It's very practical.

Sure, but it is only part of the house package. They can always be added.

On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 17:37:59 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On 4/30/2014 12:21 AM, sf wrote:
> > On Tue, 29 Apr 2014 23:58:16 -0400, jmcquown >
> > wrote:
> >
> >> I'll never understand why fathers keep thinking of adult daughters as
> >> little girls.
> >
> > Your daughter is still your little girl, no matter how old she is! My
> > husband did that when our DD was house hunting too. IMO - it keeps
> > the old man busy. DD's act appreciative and then buy what they want.
> > Their money, their decision.
> >
> >
> My daughter has always done her own thing aside from buying her first
> car. I went with her for that. She was eady to sign, but we walked out
> when the salesman would not budfge. She was upset but I took her to
> another dealer and saved $600 in minutes. After that, she was a tough
> negotiator.
>
> She bought a couple of houses on her own too.

That's my DD too. Hubby walked her through buying her first car and
she's gotten great deals on them ever since. Home buying in our
market isn't easy. There's little room for negotiation when you're up
against all cash offers with no contingencies.


--

Good Food.
Good Friends.
Good Memories.

On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 17:41:14 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On 4/30/2014 10:10 AM, Helpful person wrote:
>
> >>>
> >> And half of them can't even boil water but MUST have a show kitchen.
> >
> > A granite counter is a wonderful work surface. It
> > not only looks nice but also cleans up easily and is
> > resilient. It's very practical.
>
> Sure, but it is only part of the house package. They can always be added.

True dat. As a buyer, I'd look for a house like Jill would be selling
because it would be well maintained, but badly in need of remodeling.
Since most buyers can't see past the wall/carpet color and houses are
a dime a dozen in her area, it means I could buy the house at low
market and remodel to suit myself.


--

Good Food.
Good Friends.
Good Memories.

On 4/30/2014 5:37 PM, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> On 4/30/2014 12:21 AM, sf wrote:
>> On Tue, 29 Apr 2014 23:58:16 -0400, jmcquown >
>> wrote:
>>
>>> I'll never understand why fathers keep thinking of adult daughters as
>>> little girls.
>>
>> Your daughter is still your little girl, no matter how old she is! My
>> husband did that when our DD was house hunting too. IMO - it keeps
>> the old man busy. DD's act appreciative and then buy what they want.
>> Their money, their decision.
>>
>>
> My daughter has always done her own thing aside from buying her first
> car. I went with her for that. She was eady to sign, but we walked out
> when the salesman would not budfge. She was upset but I took her to
> another dealer and saved $600 in minutes. After that, she was a tough
> negotiator.
>
> She bought a couple of houses on her own too.

My dad had to admit he made a mistake when it came to my buying my first
car. He thought he was doing me a favour when he went to the Toyota
dealer and offered them $9000 on a used Corolla. Little did he know I'd
already found the same car, brand new, for the same price he offered for
the used one. I'd already gone to the bank and was in the process of
securing the loan when he announced he'd found a car for me.

Had I asked for his advice yes, I'd have listened to him. He was a very
smart man. But in this instance he made an incorrect decision. He
should have talked with me first.

Jill

On 4/30/2014 7:35 PM, sf wrote:
> On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 17:41:14 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
>
>> On 4/30/2014 10:10 AM, Helpful person wrote:
>>
>>>>>
>>>> And half of them can't even boil water but MUST have a show kitchen.
>>>
>>> A granite counter is a wonderful work surface. It
>>> not only looks nice but also cleans up easily and is
>>> resilient. It's very practical.
>>
>> Sure, but it is only part of the house package. They can always be added.
>
> True dat. As a buyer, I'd look for a house like Jill would be selling
> because it would be well maintained, but badly in need of remodeling.
> Since most buyers can't see past the wall/carpet color and houses are
> a dime a dozen in her area, it means I could buy the house at low
> market and remodel to suit myself.
>
>
Exactly. Say I upgraded the counter tops and/or appliances. Chances
are it wouldn't be exactly what the potential buyer wanted. Seems like
I'd have thrown money away if they're just going to rip it out and start
over.

Jill

On 4/30/2014 12:30 PM, jmcquown wrote:

> My house has a fireplace. A gas fireplace which, according to my mother
> (rest her soul) has never been used. Who needs a fireplace in southern
> South Carolina? Or Texas? It's one of those "features" people look for
> but most likely will never use.
>

Some things are not intended to be practical. Cool night, bottle of
wine, slinky outfit. . . double dose of Viagra

On 4/30/2014 7:26 PM, sf wrote:

> That's my DD too. Hubby walked her through buying her first car and
> she's gotten great deals on them ever since. Home buying in our
> market isn't easy. There's little room for negotiation when you're up
> against all cash offers with no contingencies.
>
>

I've watched a couple of episodes of Million Dollar Listing NY. Amazing
how people offer things like $12,000,000 all cash.

On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 22:42:09 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On 4/30/2014 7:26 PM, sf wrote:
>
> > That's my DD too. Hubby walked her through buying her first car and
> > she's gotten great deals on them ever since. Home buying in our
> > market isn't easy. There's little room for negotiation when you're up
> > against all cash offers with no contingencies.
> >
> >
>
> I've watched a couple of episodes of Million Dollar Listing NY. Amazing
> how people offer things like $12,000,000 all cash.

Fact of life: When people have money, they have buckets of it.


--

Good Food.
Good Friends.
Good Memories.

On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 20:00:22 -0400, jmcquown >
wrote:

> On 4/30/2014 7:35 PM, sf wrote:
> > On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 17:41:14 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
> >
> >> On 4/30/2014 10:10 AM, Helpful person wrote:
> >>
> >>>>>
> >>>> And half of them can't even boil water but MUST have a show kitchen.
> >>>
> >>> A granite counter is a wonderful work surface. It
> >>> not only looks nice but also cleans up easily and is
> >>> resilient. It's very practical.
> >>
> >> Sure, but it is only part of the house package. They can always be added.
> >
> > True dat. As a buyer, I'd look for a house like Jill would be selling
> > because it would be well maintained, but badly in need of remodeling.
> > Since most buyers can't see past the wall/carpet color and houses are
> > a dime a dozen in her area, it means I could buy the house at low
> > market and remodel to suit myself.
> >
> >
> Exactly. Say I upgraded the counter tops and/or appliances. Chances
> are it wouldn't be exactly what the potential buyer wanted. Seems like
> I'd have thrown money away if they're just going to rip it out and start
> over.
>
It's not wasted money if someone buy's your house instead of your
neighbor's! You want the money you spend on your house to net to a
minimum of twice what you spent. If you're thinking about selling and
an upgrade can't do that, don't do it. Additionally - if an upgrade
makes the difference between selling your house or continuing to
languish on the market, then your money was well spent.



--

Good Food.
Good Friends.
Good Memories.

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 4/30/2014 7:35 PM, sf wrote:
>> On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 17:41:14 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
>>
>>> On 4/30/2014 10:10 AM, Helpful person wrote:
>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>> And half of them can't even boil water but MUST have a show kitchen.
>>>>
>>>> A granite counter is a wonderful work surface. It
>>>> not only looks nice but also cleans up easily and is
>>>> resilient. It's very practical.
>>>
>>> Sure, but it is only part of the house package. They can always be
>>> added.
>>
>> True dat. As a buyer, I'd look for a house like Jill would be selling
>> because it would be well maintained, but badly in need of remodeling.
>> Since most buyers can't see past the wall/carpet color and houses are
>> a dime a dozen in her area, it means I could buy the house at low
>> market and remodel to suit myself.
>>
>>
> Exactly. Say I upgraded the counter tops and/or appliances. Chances are
> it wouldn't be exactly what the potential buyer wanted. Seems like I'd
> have thrown money away if they're just going to rip it out and start over.

I know a few people who have installed a new kitchen in order to sell their
house and the buyers did that. What a waste of money!

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On 4/30/2014 12:30 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>
>> My house has a fireplace. A gas fireplace which, according to my mother
>> (rest her soul) has never been used. Who needs a fireplace in southern
>> South Carolina? Or Texas? It's one of those "features" people look for
>> but most likely will never use.
>>
>
> Some things are not intended to be practical. Cool night, bottle of wine,
> slinky outfit. . . double dose of Viagra

lol I wonder what your wife would say <g>

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 5/1/2014 7:38 AM, Ophelia wrote:
>
>
> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 4/30/2014 7:35 PM, sf wrote:
>>> On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 17:41:14 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Sure, but it is only part of the house package. They can always be
>>>> added.
>>>
>>> True dat. As a buyer, I'd look for a house like Jill would be selling
>>> because it would be well maintained, but badly in need of remodeling.
>>> Since most buyers can't see past the wall/carpet color and houses are
>>> a dime a dozen in her area, it means I could buy the house at low
>>> market and remodel to suit myself.
>>>
>>>
>> Exactly. Say I upgraded the counter tops and/or appliances. Chances
>> are it wouldn't be exactly what the potential buyer wanted. Seems
>> like I'd have thrown money away if they're just going to rip it out
>> and start over.
>
> I know a few people who have installed a new kitchen in order to sell
> their house and the buyers did that. What a waste of money!
>
I hear about it all the time. There are lots of houses for sale around
here. If I could afford to do a kitchen remodel I'd do it for *myself*.
I wouldn't do it for some unknown potential buyer who is likely to
change everything anyway.

I do hope Janet enjoys her new fridge.

Jill

On 2014-05-01 9:35 AM, jmcquown wrote:

> I hear about it all the time. There are lots of houses for sale around
> here. If I could afford to do a kitchen remodel I'd do it for *myself*.
> I wouldn't do it for some unknown potential buyer who is likely to
> change everything anyway.
>
> I do hope Janet enjoys her new fridge.
>


Someone suggested here some time ago that updating a kitchen may help to
sell a house faster, but won't increase the price, so chances are that
you are not going to get your money back. Others have told me that
houses have kitchens and bathrooms, so renovating those rooms is not
likely to increase the value of the house. As you pointed out, buyers
may have their one tastes and may change everything themselves.

I guess the moral of the story is that if you have a nice kitchen it
should help you to sell, but don't pump a lot of money into an old
kitchen expect to get the money back.

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 5/1/2014 7:38 AM, Ophelia wrote:
>>
>>
>> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 4/30/2014 7:35 PM, sf wrote:
>>>> On Wed, 30 Apr 2014 17:41:14 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Sure, but it is only part of the house package. They can always be
>>>>> added.
>>>>
>>>> True dat. As a buyer, I'd look for a house like Jill would be selling
>>>> because it would be well maintained, but badly in need of remodeling.
>>>> Since most buyers can't see past the wall/carpet color and houses are
>>>> a dime a dozen in her area, it means I could buy the house at low
>>>> market and remodel to suit myself.
>>>>
>>>>
>>> Exactly. Say I upgraded the counter tops and/or appliances. Chances
>>> are it wouldn't be exactly what the potential buyer wanted. Seems
>>> like I'd have thrown money away if they're just going to rip it out
>>> and start over.
>>
>> I know a few people who have installed a new kitchen in order to sell
>> their house and the buyers did that. What a waste of money!
>>
> I hear about it all the time. There are lots of houses for sale around
> here. If I could afford to do a kitchen remodel I'd do it for *myself*. I
> wouldn't do it for some unknown potential buyer who is likely to change
> everything anyway.

Same here! I am lucky that DH is remodelling mine We just needed someone
to come and set up the new hob (the law here that a specialised gas fitter
is required) and he is doing the rest himself


>
> I do hope Janet enjoys her new fridge.

Yes

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On Thu, 1 May 2014 12:38:46 +0100, "Ophelia"
> wrote:

> I know a few people who have installed a new kitchen in order to sell their
> house and the buyers did that. What a waste of money!

Remodeling the kitchen got the house sold and if they made back what
they spent, it wasn't wasted money. When they lived in it, their
house was their home - but it became a commodity when they sold and
you do whatever it takes to get top dollar. When you sell a car, do
you show it to buyers covered with dirt, dents and dings or do you
clean it up first? Why? To get as much money for it as you can.
Same idea with houses in a buyers market, only most people don't seem
to understand that concept.


--

Good Food.
Good Friends.
Good Memories.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 1 May 2014 12:38:46 +0100, "Ophelia"
> > wrote:
>
>> I know a few people who have installed a new kitchen in order to sell
>> their
>> house and the buyers did that. What a waste of money!
>
> Remodeling the kitchen got the house sold and if they made back what
> they spent, it wasn't wasted money. When they lived in it, their
> house was their home - but it became a commodity when they sold and
> you do whatever it takes to get top dollar. When you sell a car, do
> you show it to buyers covered with dirt, dents and dings or do you
> clean it up first? Why? To get as much money for it as you can.
> Same idea with houses in a buyers market, only most people don't seem
> to understand that concept.

I can't see myself buying a house on the strength of a nice kitchen. Many
things would take precedence; things if would not be possible to change.


--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On Thu, 1 May 2014 14:43:10 +0100, "Ophelia"
> wrote:

> Same here! I am lucky that DH is remodelling mine We just needed someone
> to come and set up the new hob (the law here that a specialised gas fitter
> is required) and he is doing the rest himself

DD just had her kitchen remodeled and she acted as her own contractor.
Her 48 inch stove was delivered to the sidewalk in front of the house,
not inside. It had to go up two stairs, over the porch, over the
threshold and through the house. According to the man who was in
charge, 4 men couldn't budge it (I suspect there were fewer, but 4 was
the story) so she found someone who specializes in moving big stoves.
They had a dolly that actually "walks" up stairs! You could have
knocked me over with a feather when I heard about that gadget. Every
problem has a solution - all it takes is money.


--

Good Food.
Good Friends.
Good Memories.

Dave Smith wrote:
>
>Someone suggested here some time ago that updating a kitchen may help to
>sell a house faster, but won't increase the price, so chances are that
>you are not going to get your money back. Others have told me that
>houses have kitchens and bathrooms, so renovating those rooms is not
>likely to increase the value of the house. As you pointed out, buyers
>may have their one tastes and may change everything themselves.
>
>I guess the moral of the story is that if you have a nice kitchen it
>should help you to sell, but don't pump a lot of money into an old
>kitchen expect to get the money back.

It's all relative... mostly depends on the existing kitchen's
condition... it's true one won't recoup much of the cost of a 20K
upgrade but updating doesn't automatically mean a total rehab to a
designer kitchen. Often under a grand invested in a new composite
countertop, a new sink, new roll flooring, and perhaps a new/brighter
lighting fixture is all it will take to sell what won't sell at all
otherwise. When a house sells sooner rather than many months later
the savings can be significent just in carrying costs... and a house
in better condition than its competition will indeed bring a higher
selling price. There are many inexpensive improvements one can make
to help sell a house... could be as small an upgrade as a new front
door mat, and a few flats of petunias at the entrance... some houses
have been known to sell simply due to investing $20 in a new toilet
seat. No one will buy a house that when they lift the seat they
notice it's worn and the bowl is unkempt. One thing I always do when
viewing a house is to crumple some TP and check out how each toilet
flushes... if the TP doesn't go down smartly I leave.

On Thu, 1 May 2014 15:01:57 +0100, "Ophelia"
> wrote:

> I can't see myself buying a house on the strength of a nice kitchen. Many
> things would take precedence; things if would not be possible to change.
>
I would - so I could say, "I can live with this while I do that".
Other people (most) want a move in ready house with no work to be done
in the short term. Read my car analogy.


--

Good Food.
Good Friends.
Good Memories.

"Ophelia" wrote:
>
>I can't see myself buying a house on the strength of a nice kitchen.

A well functioning kitchen is a good benchmark indicative that the
rest of the house is in similar condition... the kitchen is one of the
first areas prospective buyers inspect, if I see a nasty kitchen I
don't look further.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Thu, 1 May 2014 14:43:10 +0100, "Ophelia"
> > wrote:
>
>> Same here! I am lucky that DH is remodelling mine We just needed
>> someone
>> to come and set up the new hob (the law here that a specialised gas
>> fitter
>> is required) and he is doing the rest himself
>
> DD just had her kitchen remodeled and she acted as her own contractor.
> Her 48 inch stove was delivered to the sidewalk in front of the house,
> not inside. It had to go up two stairs, over the porch, over the
> threshold and through the house. According to the man who was in
> charge, 4 men couldn't budge it (I suspect there were fewer, but 4 was
> the story) so she found someone who specializes in moving big stoves.
> They had a dolly that actually "walks" up stairs! You could have
> knocked me over with a feather when I heard about that gadget. Every
> problem has a solution - all it takes is money.

Always)))
--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 5/1/2014 9:34 AM, Brooklyn1 wrote:
> "Ophelia" wrote:
>>
>> I can't see myself buying a house on the strength of a nice kitchen.
>
> A well functioning kitchen is a good benchmark indicative that the
> rest of the house is in similar condition... the kitchen is one of the
> first areas prospective buyers inspect, if I see a nasty kitchen I
> don't look further.
>

True. I looked at a house and opened the microwave. It was filthy
inside with burnt on guck. Turned me right off. If the kitchen isn't
clean, the rest of the house would be worse.

--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

---
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On 4/30/2014 11:21 PM, sf wrote:

>>
> It's not wasted money if someone buy's your house instead of your
> neighbor's! You want the money you spend on your house to net to a
> minimum of twice what you spent. If you're thinking about selling and
> an upgrade can't do that, don't do it. Additionally - if an upgrade
> makes the difference between selling your house or continuing to
> languish on the market, then your money was well spent.
>

We just finished one bathroom and the other is underway now. They were
fully functional, but they were also 36 years old.
I don't know if I'd get double my money back, bu t I do know that the
older styles fixtures would have kept the value down.

In our case, we have no intention of selling, but want the improvements
for our own use enjoyment. Once we are gone, I won't care, but
meantime, I love the new shower and my wife likes the ease of getting in
and out unlike stepping over the tub that is now gone.

On 5/1/2014 7:41 AM, Ophelia wrote:
>
>
> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 4/30/2014 12:30 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>>
>>> My house has a fireplace. A gas fireplace which, according to my mother
>>> (rest her soul) has never been used. Who needs a fireplace in southern
>>> South Carolina? Or Texas? It's one of those "features" people look for
>>> but most likely will never use.
>>>
>>
>> Some things are not intended to be practical. Cool night, bottle of
>> wine, slinky outfit. . . double dose of Viagra
>
> lol I wonder what your wife would say <g>
>

Probably not the same thing she would have said 20 years ago.

On Thu, 01 May 2014 13:23:09 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On 5/1/2014 7:41 AM, Ophelia wrote:
> >
> >
> > "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> On 4/30/2014 12:30 PM, jmcquown wrote:
> >>
> >>> My house has a fireplace. A gas fireplace which, according to my mother
> >>> (rest her soul) has never been used. Who needs a fireplace in southern
> >>> South Carolina? Or Texas? It's one of those "features" people look for
> >>> but most likely will never use.
> >>>
> >>
> >> Some things are not intended to be practical. Cool night, bottle of
> >> wine, slinky outfit. . . double dose of Viagra
> >
> > lol I wonder what your wife would say <g>
> >
>
> Probably not the same thing she would have said 20 years ago.

Anyone who needs viagra just to get the job done shouldn't complain.


--

Good Food.
Good Friends.
Good Memories.

On Thu, 01 May 2014 13:16:47 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:

> On 4/30/2014 11:21 PM, sf wrote:
>
> >>
> > It's not wasted money if someone buy's your house instead of your
> > neighbor's! You want the money you spend on your house to net to a
> > minimum of twice what you spent. If you're thinking about selling and
> > an upgrade can't do that, don't do it. Additionally - if an upgrade
> > makes the difference between selling your house or continuing to
> > languish on the market, then your money was well spent.
> >
>
> We just finished one bathroom and the other is underway now. They were
> fully functional, but they were also 36 years old.
> I don't know if I'd get double my money back, bu t I do know that the
> older styles fixtures would have kept the value down.
>
> In our case, we have no intention of selling, but want the improvements
> for our own use enjoyment. Once we are gone, I won't care, but
> meantime, I love the new shower and my wife likes the ease of getting in
> and out unlike stepping over the tub that is now gone.

Sane people remodel to suit themselves and don't do it at the last
minute for resale purposes only. I can't imagine spending any amount
of money on my house that I can't enjoy first.



--

Good Food.
Good Friends.
Good Memories.

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On 4/30/2014 11:21 PM, sf wrote:
>
>>>
>> It's not wasted money if someone buy's your house instead of your
>> neighbor's! You want the money you spend on your house to net to a
>> minimum of twice what you spent. If you're thinking about selling and
>> an upgrade can't do that, don't do it. Additionally - if an upgrade
>> makes the difference between selling your house or continuing to
>> languish on the market, then your money was well spent.
>>
>
> We just finished one bathroom and the other is underway now. They were
> fully functional, but they were also 36 years old.
> I don't know if I'd get double my money back, bu t I do know that the
> older styles fixtures would have kept the value down.
>
> In our case, we have no intention of selling, but want the improvements
> for our own use enjoyment. Once we are gone, I won't care, but meantime,
> I love the new shower and my wife likes the ease of getting in and out
> unlike stepping over the tub that is now gone.

We are doing stuff in our house to enjoy and it is all worth it

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On 5/1/2014 7:41 AM, Ophelia wrote:
>>
>>
>> "Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 4/30/2014 12:30 PM, jmcquown wrote:
>>>
>>>> My house has a fireplace. A gas fireplace which, according to my
>>>> mother
>>>> (rest her soul) has never been used. Who needs a fireplace in southern
>>>> South Carolina? Or Texas? It's one of those "features" people look
>>>> for
>>>> but most likely will never use.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Some things are not intended to be practical. Cool night, bottle of
>>> wine, slinky outfit. . . double dose of Viagra
>>
>> lol I wonder what your wife would say <g>
>>
>
> Probably not the same thing she would have said 20 years ago.

She might surprise you

--
http://www.helpforheroes.org.uk/shop/

On 5/1/2014 1:44 PM, sf wrote:
> On Thu, 01 May 2014 13:16:47 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
>
>> On 4/30/2014 11:21 PM, sf wrote:
>>
>>>>
>>> It's not wasted money if someone buy's your house instead of your
>>> neighbor's! You want the money you spend on your house to net to a
>>> minimum of twice what you spent. If you're thinking about selling and
>>> an upgrade can't do that, don't do it. Additionally - if an upgrade
>>> makes the difference between selling your house or continuing to
>>> languish on the market, then your money was well spent.
>>>
>>
>> We just finished one bathroom and the other is underway now. They were
>> fully functional, but they were also 36 years old.
>> I don't know if I'd get double my money back, bu t I do know that the
>> older styles fixtures would have kept the value down.
>>
>> In our case, we have no intention of selling, but want the improvements
>> for our own use enjoyment. Once we are gone, I won't care, but
>> meantime, I love the new shower and my wife likes the ease of getting in
>> and out unlike stepping over the tub that is now gone.
>
> Sane people remodel to suit themselves and don't do it at the last
> minute for resale purposes only. I can't imagine spending any amount
> of money on my house that I can't enjoy first.


Up to date kitchens and bathrooms will get you a better price from a
buyer, but other remodeling won't necessarily do so. It's also
important to not remodel your house so much that the value of the
property is much higher than the neighborhood.

When DH and I remodeled our NJ house, we understood that the kitchen and
bathrooms would make our house more sellable in the future, but the
other things we did, like woodwork, vinyl siding, new windows, some
walls, a fireplace, etc. would be for our enjoyment and were not an
"investment"


--
Janet Wilder
Way-the-heck-south Texas
Spelling doesn't count. Cooking does.

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On 2014-05-01 3:32 PM, Janet Wilder wrote:
> On 5/1/2014 1:44 PM, sf wrote:
>> On Thu, 01 May 2014 13:16:47 -0400, Ed Pawlowski > wrote:
>>
>>> On 4/30/2014 11:21 PM, sf wrote:
>>>
>>>>>
>>>> It's not wasted money if someone buy's your house instead of your
>>>> neighbor's! You want the money you spend on your house to net to a
>>>> minimum of twice what you spent. If you're thinking about selling and
>>>> an upgrade can't do that, don't do it. Additionally - if an upgrade
>>>> makes the difference between selling your house or continuing to
>>>> languish on the market, then your money was well spent.
>>>>
>>>
>>> We just finished one bathroom and the other is underway now. They were
>>> fully functional, but they were also 36 years old.
>>> I don't know if I'd get double my money back, bu t I do know that the
>>> older styles fixtures would have kept the value down.
>>>
>>> In our case, we have no intention of selling, but want the improvements
>>> for our own use enjoyment. Once we are gone, I won't care, but
>>> meantime, I love the new shower and my wife likes the ease of getting in
>>> and out unlike stepping over the tub that is now gone.
>>
>> Sane people remodel to suit themselves and don't do it at the last
>> minute for resale purposes only. I can't imagine spending any amount
>> of money on my house that I can't enjoy first.
>
>
> Up to date kitchens and bathrooms will get you a better price from a
> buyer, but other remodeling won't necessarily do so. It's also
> important to not remodel your house so much that the value of the
> property is much higher than the neighborhood.


OTOH, that could be the start of gentrification of an old neighbourhood.
You could buy a place in a less savory neighbourhood, spent a lot of
money to upgrade it inside and out. Some other people might come along
and see what you have been done and be inspired to so something similar.
Pretty soon the skids have moved out and the yuppies have moved in and
your house is now in a more expensive neighbourhood. I have seen it
happen in a number of places.

For instance, the Yorkville neighbourhood in Toronto was pretty run down
in the in the 50s. In became a hangout for the folk ground, then became
a hippie bastion in the 60s. By the 70s it was a becoming a hot retail
area and it is now one of the more expensive areas to locate. My son
was living in a neighbourhood in Montreal that was a little sketchy, but
it in the time that he lived there it was becoming yuppified. People
were buying those old houses, gutting them and doing incredible renovations.

>
> When DH and I remodeled our NJ house, we understood that the kitchen and
> bathrooms would make our house more sellable in the future, but the
> other things we did, like woodwork, vinyl siding, new windows, some
> walls, a fireplace, etc. would be for our enjoyment and were not an
> "investment"
>
>