Where to Draw the Line in Spending $ on House Before you Put it on the Market

[Fern]

I hope/plan to put my home on the market in another year or two.

I've made a lot of improvements to the house in the 10 years i've lived here:
* new furnace
* new roof
* new hot water heater
* replaced main supporting beam in basement
* $12K on 2 curtain drains around foundation and back yard
* all new Whirlpool kitchen appliances, plus washer/dryer
* new interior french doors
* blown in wall insulation (not sure it's done much)
* exterior chimney rebuilt
* now on town sewer and water supply, and my private well still provides (free) water for garden/outdoor use
* new barn style garage door, side garage door and fireproof garage/basement door
* new laundry sink in basement
* new shower/bath with all ceramic tiling, all new Kohler/Moen bath fixtures
* 2 new ceiling fans

Granted, some of these are no longer "new" since i did some when i first moved here. But the house is older, built in 1930, and there always seems to be more to be done. There are various cosmetic imperfections, things aren't "square," the floor in living room is not quite level. I'm reluctant to throw much more $$ into it, i'm single and have limited home improvement abilities and time, and even paying someone else to do this stuff costs so much.

The main things now that i feel aren't up to snuff are:
*driveway in not in too good shape but would cost at least $5-6K to repave
* cosmetically, interior walls aren't in great shape; in addition to some needing painting, walls were done by an amateur at some time before i bought it, and you can see lots of uneveness around where the wndows are, which replaced older (larger) windows.
* exterior siding is asbesthos, tho in good shape
* wallpaper in both bathrooms beginning to curl at edges
* a few exterior light switches not working
* interior chimney (in attic) needs some repair/replacement of old crumbling bricks
* The closets are pretty crummy looking, ideally, cedar paneling would be best, or at least painting/spackling to improve appearance

Besides the upgrades, the major selling points of the house are:
* it's a smaller house located in very attractive, upscale, desirable town with more and more big homes and withinin walking distance of historic town center
* A 2nd living room (family room) really adds space to an otherwise small (1,600 sf) house.
* beautiful reddish/brown wood floors with nice patina throughout house
(nice circular flow and floor plan, no 'dead-ends')
* spacious bathroom upstairs, 2 nice (smaller) walk in closets
* very private land

The main disadvantages:
* all 3 bedrooms are very small by today's standards (12 x 12)
* the exterior stairs to front door are rather steep and probably not attractive to a family with children who could get hurt if they trip

Any suggestoins for what'd you do as far as further home improvements with the idea of an easy sell ahead?

[sweeps]

It's a tough call. But I would do the interior painting for sure. That's a relatively small task that makes a big difference in buyer's minds. Do it at least a few months before selling time so the odor is gone.

[Ima saver]

I would not spend much, you can't get your money out of it. It is better to accept a smaller offer and let them fix up the house the way they want it. It is a 75 year old house, it is not new. Paint and wallpaper are cheap and help a lot.

[PrincessPerky]

Those exterior electric things, if you know any electricians they might be able to do it cheaper than paid, if not don't mention them when selling.

On the driveway, if it is paved , get all the weeds out of the cracks, makes it look less 'old' if it is gravel, well same thing but it might be worth 5k less on selling price not to do it!

BTW, ditto on the paint/wallpaper

[34saving]

Do the paint/wallpaper. Fix the exterior light switches (should be cheap). Make the driveway look maintained (weeds, seal if needed) but you'll probably not get the money out of replacing it. Don't even think about touching the siding. Put some clothes or closet organizers in the closets (I sounds like it's the interiors that look crummy? Few people care about that.) Put some cheap tab curtains around the windows if painting doesn't help the window eveness issue. You might have the fix the chimney on inspection, but I don't think I'd do it beforehand.

[contrary1]

I'd get a market analysis done by a realtor. Free here in our area. This comes with a list of what they think would be important prior to listing. Also lots of info on real estate sites about what buyers are looking at.
You do have a couple things that would need to be fixed anyway, in order to get the inspections to pass, electrical not working and I believe the brickwork on the chimney.
The rest is cosmetic.
You can always list with a note about giving a credit for repairs, etc. This works for buyers that want to do things to make it theirs. If you're looking to just wow those that walk through..........the cosmetic stuff is a must.

The biggest thing to getting something ready to sell, in my opinion, is getting rid of most of your personal stuff in the house & around the outside. People want to be able to picture their things in the house......not see your lifes' details.

[flash]

Originally Posted by Fern

* all new Whirlpool kitchen appliances, plus washer/dryer
* new interior french doors
* blown in wall insulation (not sure it's done much)
* exterior chimney rebuilt
* new barn style garage door, side garage door and fireproof garage/basement door
* new laundry sink in basement
* new shower/bath with all ceramic tiling, all new Kohler/Moen bath fixtures

The main things now that i feel aren't up to snuff are:
*driveway in not in too good shape but would cost at least $5-6K to repave
* cosmetically, interior walls aren't in great shape; in addition to some needing painting, walls were done by an amateur at some time before i bought it, and you can see lots of uneveness around where the wndows are, which replaced older (larger) windows.
* exterior siding is asbesthos, tho in good shape
* wallpaper in both bathrooms beginning to curl at edges
* a few exterior light switches not working
* interior chimney (in attic) needs some repair/replacement of old crumbling bricks
* The closets are pretty crummy looking, ideally, cedar paneling would be best, or at least painting/spackling to improve appearance

The main disadvantages:
* all 3 bedrooms are very small by today's standards (12 x 12)
* the exterior stairs to front door are rather steep and probably not attractive to a family with children who could get hurt if they trip

Any suggestoins for what'd you do as far as further home improvements with the idea of an easy sell ahead?

First, make sure it's up to code before you try to sell. Electrical problems, etc., if they don't pass inspection, can create a whole new negotiation problem, because they leave the buyer uneasy, and one of you will have to pay to have it fixed.

Asbestos, do not touch this until required. In many/most places, you are okay on asbestos if you don't disturb it. Touch it in any way, and you have a huge abatement issue that will be costsly.

After any "legal" issues like that...

Cosmetic changes are cheapest and give the best return. Strip wallpaper (if the buyer doesn't like it, it WILL be a negotiating point because it's work to get it off). Respakle around the windows and sand it out to be even, fix any holes, paint.

The new appliances are a selling point, make sure that it is known you are including them.

Kitchens and bathrooms are the biggest draw or distractions. The new faucets, tile in baths etc., sound great. Look objectively to see if new countertops, flooring, or even hardware like handles and door knobs, would give an even better first impression. A great kitchen will distract from many other problems!

Closet organizers are a great idea. Also, when you are ready to sell, put in a day bed or other SMALL furniture that makes the room look big and inviting. SPACE can be an illusion. Keep colors light and open. Another way to trick the eye is to paint one wall a different but complimentary color. It's actually common to paint closet doors and trim white to visually open the room up.

Is the driveway cement or blacktop? Landscaping around the front steps can make them appear less steep.

You didn't say what water costs, in some areas the well would be very appealing. In other areas, no one is going to want to deal with an abandoned septic system and contaminated wells.

[Fern]

Originally Posted by flash

Closet organizers are a great idea. Also, when you are ready to sell, put in a day bed or other SMALL furniture that makes the room look big and inviting. SPACE can be an illusion. Keep colors light and open. Another way to trick the eye is to paint one wall a different but complimentary color. It's actually common to paint closet doors and trim white to visually open the room up.

Is the driveway cement or blacktop? Landscaping around the front steps can make them appear less steep.

You didn't say what water costs, in some areas the well would be very appealing. In other areas, no one is going to want to deal with an abandoned septic system and contaminated wells.

As for the closets, i have been thinking i want to just pack up a lot of clutter/stuff i don't use reguarly in advance to make things look more inviting. (Planning a big tag sale in the spring.) Problem is, i don't have a place off site where i could store extra stuff i plan to keep, and it doesn't make sense to pay for a storage place. I may just stack boxes in basement.

I've actually read that if you have small rooms, it's better to use LARGE furnishign in it rather than small, which can make it look busy. I'm going to 'stage' my house and edit out all the littel stuff that just distracts from the overall picture.

The driveway is blacktop, and I can't really landscape by the stairs cus on both sides of the stairs is a stone retaining wall.

The original septic tank has been filled in (it was legally required) and water usage runs me about $30 a month. Most homes in this town and surrounding areas are served by wells, and i've been told being on public water and sewer is a big plus cus it's big bucks if a well or sewer goes bad, as you pointed out.

Good advice, all of it...thanks! I sure don't want to repave that driveway. There's not much in the way of weeds growing in it, and no potholes, but some pretty wide cracks and what they call alligatoring cracking.

[cercis]

I'd be careful on the "large" furnishings. We looked at houses that had the hugest, most overwhelming furniture and just turned around and left. It felt like the furniture was looming over us.

If you watch tv and look at the way they stage the rooms, they choose furniture which is in scale. A couple of really nice pieces, but no more. For bedrooms, if you don't use the room, put in a twin or a full (a queen is only about 9" wider than a full and isn't obvious at a glance that it isn't a queen, so a full size bed that has an "adult" look will make the smaller room feel larger because it will be mistaken for a queen).

For the retaining wall, can you get trailing pants to put in pots lining the top? That might soften the look and distract from the steepness. Plus, it should add curb appeal.

[Optsol]

Couldn't agree more with Flash about the electrical stuff and other problems that a home inspector may raise.

As everyone else has mentioned, any cosmetic project is always worth it.

Anything over $500 falls under the introspection test. Look at each item and objectively ask.... would I buy the house if I saw this, or is it a show stopper? If the answer is yes I would still buy the house -- then don't fix it.

[Ima saver]

I would give a credit for new carpet if it was my house. I have all white carpet and i know if the furniture was moved, it would be much whiter underneath.

[ISAYHI]

Here's a forum that usually has a lot of good insights into buying & selling.

http://ths.gardenweb.com/forums/realestate/

I glanced at the first page, & it didn't seem to have a whole lot that speaks to your question, but I'm sure if you page back, you'll find lots of conversation on this theme.