Renovate to sell?

[hellokitty]

Thanks for the feedback. Yes, this is not retro 50's-60's pink, this is 80's pink, which I don't understand, b/c the house was built in 1991!!! Anyway, we got an estimate from a contractor today (and another contractor will probably give us an estimate later on this wk). He agrees that the pink tub should probably be replaced, it sucks, since our hallway is a shape that will make it very difficult to get it through the doorway (they will have to saw the old one in half to get it out). He said that we could glaze it, BUT b/c the color is so dark, he admits that he doesn't know how durable it would be to scratches (this is the bathroom the kids use). The wallpaper, toilet, sink/counter and vinyl floor shouldn't be a problem. We asked him if vinyl flooring is out of style. I know ppl love tile, but I personally HATE tile, I hate grout. He said that actually it's 50/50, he says half of his clients get vinyl flooring (which I think is much easier to clean and we got it installed in our mudroom and downstairs bathroom and like the way it looks), half get tile, but he said vinyl is a lot cheaper, which is an added plus and it can just go over our current vinyl flooring. We do have a bit of tile, just in our foyer, but I chose to leave it there, since we live in an area with wet and wintery weather and I remember being so annoyed when the movers at our last house got road salt all over the HW floors and left pitting.

Anyway, I think we will end up doing the bathrooms for sure. If DH doesn't get the job he's applying for, it's ok, b/c I would like to enjoy the renovations, but he'll probably apply for other jobs in the next few yrs (as they come up), so eventually selling the house will be an issue anyway.

[hillview]

We had 80s pink in our bathroom and kitchen when we purchased it. I think I'd leave it but check with a realtor. Renos are $$ and differ by taste.

[hellokitty]

Originally Posted by hillview

We had 80s pink in our bathroom and kitchen when we purchased it. I think I'd leave it but check with a realtor. Renos are $$ and differ by taste.

Did you just decorate around it or did you get replace it? I just don't see this ugly tone of pink ever coming back into style. I can only imagine old ladies liking it.

[arivecchi]

Having just bought a house last week, I would recommend you do the renos. Like you said, it's a buyer's market, so the less work your house entails, the quicker it will move. Otherwise, be ready for it to sit a while. Before you do the work, you might want to pull comps and see pictures of some of the houses listed for sale (you can find this information online), so that you get a feel for the price you will get. You cannot really tack on the price of a reno to the listing price in this market though. A buyer will not really care about that at all, but they will be more likely to make an offer for it. Good luck!

[icunurse]

I would probably break down and do the renovations. We just updated a bunch of stuff (bathroom flooring, vanities, faucets) to get our home more marketable. We didn't spend a lot and figure that if the house doesn't sell, at least we will like it better. We have received several complients about it, so we're hoping it will help us sell faster and get a little better price.

I have to say, though, that if I saw your bathroom, I would mentally be figuring in the cost of updating as well as the inconvenience to me. And that would be figured into my offer. I have seen several homes with lots of upgrades and then the bathrooms are the lands that time forgot and I think about how I will need to get new cabinets, vanities, paint, etc. and while *I* don't mind that bit of work, a lot of people do.

[hillview]

Originally Posted by hellokitty

Did you just decorate around it or did you get replace it? I just don't see this ugly tone of pink ever coming back into style. I can only imagine old ladies liking it.

Well for 4 years we decorated around it and recently but the bullet and are mid reno. It is fugly!!

[mom3boys]

What you do may depend on the timing. Our only full bath is in dire need of a renovation, however I suppose the one positive (compared to yours?) is that it is neutral, everything's white. Like you, it is one of the few things we haven't renovated.

We are preparing to list our home and our realtor recommended against a full scale renovation which would have been a gut job. The reason she didn't want to do full reno was timing, as she wants us to get our house on the market now rather than later in the summer (and it will save us money not to do the reno, obviously). Instead we are fixing the obvious problems--retiling part of the floor (there are cracked tiles), regrouting around the tub, replacing the medicine cabinet, which has rust on it, and probably reglazing the tub. And painting.

As a potential buyer the bathroom you describe would not deter me from buying the house. I am ok with renovating in a house as long as what exists currently is functional (i.e., I would not buy house with a kitchen with virtually no counter/cabinet space, or non-working appliances, but I would buy a house with an ugly kitchen that has what I need for a kitchen to function). For good or bad though, I would probably hope that cosmetic issues like this would deter other buyers, so that I could get a better deal! So that may sway your decision as a seller.

[Simon]

Our relator suggested we not undertake any major work. She said either someone is going to love the retro look or else they are going to want to do it their way.

We are replacing the flooring in one room but not refinishing hardwoods, not redoing kitchen cabinets/counters, and a few other things.

[Globetrotter]

What about putting in the listing that the seller will provide the buyer with $x towards the cost of remodeling the bathrooms

Our seller gave us $ to replace the flooring, so we got to choose it. A bathroom renovation is a headache so may be off-putting to some potential buyers, but I think this is a valid option.

[mackmama]

Originally Posted by crl

My guess is that you probably won't get your money back, but you might sell faster. But that's just a guess. I'd talk to a couple of realtors.

Catherine

I'd ask a good realtor in your area for their opinion. I'd think it'd sell faster if your whole house was updated. Then again, we will be looking to buy and were just thinking it'd be nice if there were 1-2 small projects to reno rather than a completely 'done' home. Our reasons, however, were so we could get the house for cheaper and so it would then have a higher resale down the road. So I echo what some PP said that you'd probably sell faster and perhaps for more $$ having done the reno. Not sure if the headache of reno would be worth it for you though.