If you're buying a new home

mysweetpeasWil&Wes wrote: what's the first thing/room you look at when you go to view it? And what's the one thing that makes the sell for you? I'm talking resales, not brand new homes. What can you NOT live with, meaning what isn't acceptable IYO?

DH and I are thinking of putting our house on the market by spring, that is if DH gets a job in CA by then. Our home was built in '01 and had some nice retouches when we moved in, which was in '04. But there is of course wear and tear from us. We have added new hardware, like updated light fixtures and all the doorknobs, painted the rooms. Plus landscaping. But the carpet is pretty bad. Clean, because we always remove our shoes, but just worn looking on the main floor. The tiled countertops are also chipping a bit in some areas, the grout is also chipped. But we of course don't want to put too much more money into it. The improvements we've done are already pricey.

So I just can't figure out where to focus and where to put our money. Should we leave the carpet? Or focus on the countertops? We don't want to lose money after we sell of course.

kit_kats_mom replied: I would just do what repairs you can in the kitchen for cheap (redo the grout, that doesn't cost much and looks easy when they do it on the home improvement shows LOL) and then get an estimate on carpets in your area installed. The second home we bought needed carpet and the owner could have put in renters grade carpet for cheap but he just gave us a 5000 carpet allowance off of the price and that's pretty close to what the new, mid range carpet came in at...and we were able to customize it to our furniture.

grandma replied: You probably don't have hardwood under the worn carpet right? If not, carpet can always be replaced by the buyers, as long as it's clean.
I would focus on the kitchen and bathrooms, those are places that buyers look at first.
Get rid of all the extra furniture, nic nacs, pictures, etc. Remember less is more.

amynicole21 replied: Kitchen and bathrooms sell the house. Don't put money into floors or fixtures unless those two things are in order. Landscaping is probably 3rd I think.

grandma replied: Oh, also window treatments can really age a house, go simple....

boyohboyohboy replied: we have been looking at houses and i always look at the kitchen and the bath..i just assumed that new owners most always replaced the carpet, due to pets and stains and what not...
the outside of the house does come into consideration if its not well kept up, i dont look at the inside..
of course air conditioners, and basement...but we have kids, so thats an important space to me.

Calimama replied: Personally, and this is just me. I look at the floors and the kitchen.

CantWait replied: For me, I would want the carpet replaced or hand laminate put in if hardwood is out of the question. It's cheap and you will get your money back when you sell the house.

Also the tile needs to be regrouted. Kitchens and bathrooms are huge, but floors for me are big also. Neutral colour on the walls.

grandma replied:
I don't know where you live, but in MI it's a buyers market and there are tons of foreclosures. So when DH and I look, no matter how nice a house is we keep on looking thinking we can find more house for less money.

My2Beauties replied: I know for me I look at kitchens and baths. We had to re-paint, paint isn't really a big deal, but it does help make the house look better, we had to "imagine" our house with new paint, the paint was God awful. I don't necessarily look at carpet because it can be replaced. I mainly look at the amenities of the kitchen/bathrooms, the sizes of them, the area, the space the house has, other things can be replaced and redone. If the carpet is horrible or floors are horrible, I'd low ball them and let them know that was why I was low balling them.

gr33n3y3z replied: redo the grout and work on areas where needed

momofone replied: I always like a nice scent like vanilla in homes
and I have seen people put out a bowl of fresh fruit like grapes or apples to add a nice touch.

luvmykids replied: Kitchen and baths are my first priority, I don't mind if other rooms need things done, but I want to be able to use and enjoy those rooms right off the bat without sinking money, kwim?

Next thing I notice is the carpet, and TBH it will probably come up one way or the other, if you don't replace it, they'll ask for an allowance for it in their offer, it's a fairly standard thing. Unless you're super critical and it looks better than you think

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied:
Monica, this could very well be true, that I'm being critical, because most of my friends say it looks brand new. But I guess it just seems worn out to me, especially the areas where it hits the laminate near the kitchen. Sorta frayed in those areas. I get it clean about every 6-8 months, but still. And Wil spilled a big blob of purple paint on it, which I had professionally cleaned, and it is still there.

I forgot to mention that we had a realtor come in about 6 months ago to tell us what needed to be changed and what he thought we could get for the house. But I wanted to see what your opinions were first. He actually told us to put money into landscaping because it's one thing most people don't want to have to do themselves (our yard was pretty bad, like seriously just one LARGE area of dead grass and rock and weeds...which now we have several large trees, shrubs, a playset, park bench and mulch). He said people also focus on bathrooms and master bedroom most, from his experience. Then kitchen. Square footage is of course important, but I'm talking cosmetic...Which I'm sorry I didn't specify originally. We do have a finished basement with a full bath and guest room, so that will help sell it. He agreed, that hardware wasn't that important (after we already did it), but that it will help us get our moneys worth. The dark bronze fixtures and knobs really updates the house.

Anyhow, majority of you said to focus on the countertops. When you mean re-grouting, do you mean using the exact same tile, but just re-doing the grout? Is that even possible. Because I think the tile would get destroyed during the process, right? Or all new tile and grout. Because if we're going to take it out completely, then I think I would rather just go for granite. Most new homes have granite, so we would be competing with that. And new homes are not that hard to get into as they used to be. Ugh, it's so hard to know what people will want and pay for!!

Calimama replied: You can re-grout WITHOUT redoing the tile. It's actually not as complicated as you might think. http://www.ehow.com/how_2050194_regrout-bathroom-tile.html There you go.

I would do granite personally. It depends on what price range you're trying to sell, but you'll usually get what you pay for that.. back. If you have a granite store you can ask to see if they have any discounted in the back. They may have some extra from a job, or wrong cuts, etc that may work perfectly for your kitchen.

I can't spell today.

jem0622 replied: i look at the kitchen and then the bedrooms

ETA: Pay a home inspector to come in and tell you what you must fix to pass inspection. Save yourself the frustration/embarassment.

You don't have to paint or recarpet, but consider offering an allowance to the buyer for carpet if it needs replacing.

MoonMama replied:
Same here. Good luck selling Rae.


DH and I are actually looking at buying a new house in the next year or so. I have been making a list (so its funny that you asked this) of things I really want in a house as this will be where we stay for many many years.

luvbug00 replied: Kitchens. if the kitchesn stinks then i move on very fast.

Cece00 replied: Around here...

landscaping is important...its the first thing ppl see, if the outside is ugly, they are sometimes like 'ehhh' about the house in general...if you've done some & the front is really well done, then you are good to go.

next kitchens....i'd probably do granite.

if you have any rooms that are oddly colored, i'd do them in neutrals....i cant tell you how many houses I go into & see people have painted their rooms these godawful colors that most ppl will not like...if you want to sell, take care of this...

bathrooms and master bedroom next

i wouldnt worry about the carpet...if its in good condition, i'd get it cleaned really well again, and let the buyers worry about that....when we moved into our home we put in new carpet before we even moved...i'm picking about my flooring...you might pay a lot for new carpets just to have someone rip them all up & put down the flooring THEY like when they buy. personally i dont even like carpeting, i only put it in my 3 bedrooms & we'll replace when the kids get older with wood (we have wood & stained concrete & mexican tile & some other tile in the rest of the house) and carpet is kind of going the way of the dinosaur, at least in this area.

MoonMama replied:
I agree very important!

My3LilMonkeys replied: For me....#1 is outside appearance. If I don't like the look of it driving by or in photos, I don't even bother going to look at the inside.

#2 is the overall layout (which you obviously can't control) - does it work for what we want/need

#3 is the kitchen/bathroom - are they clean, pretty, functional

Honestly, for me personally, carpets are probably the least of my worries. They're easily cleaned or replaced.

luvmykids replied:
In that case, I would bet it won't be an issue. Do you have those little plates that cover the line between the carpet and linoleum? If so, you could probably buy one in a slightly larger size to cover the fray. I bet the fact that you know about all the spills, etc makes it seem much worse to you than it actually is.

Besides, if it does become a problem, I think personally I'd rather give them an allowance in the sale than replace it now and have to worry about keeping it so clean in the mean time

You can regrout without tearing out the old tile....or old grout for that matter. I'm getting ready to regrout my tile in the living room, it wasn't sealed correctly and now there is NO getting it clean It's not a lot of fun but definitely on the easier side for a DIY project.

MommyToAshley replied: I look at things differently now that I have been a homeowner, than when I was a first time buyer. I NOW look for the things that can't be changed... the floor plan mainly. Obviously, you can't change your floor plan, but there are things that you can do to make your home look more open and spacious. Remove extra clutter, furniture, make sure your storage areas aren't over-full. Rent temporary storage if you needed.

Then, I agree the kitchen would be my first area of concern. I'd try to update the kitchen. I have never regrouted anything, but it sounds like it is easier than it looks. It's not too expensive, and will make a big difference.

Curb appeal is also important. I think I'd listen to your realtor and put some money into the outside of the home. Just be careful and watch your budget, you don't want to put more money into your house than what you would get out of it. Keep in mind what houses are selling for in your area.

Good luck, I hope it sells quickly for you!

lisar replied: The kitchen is the most important to me. I am a kitchen person. And then the bathrooms cause if the bathrooms arent clean in a house then I marked it off the list. It wasnt even an option.

Boo&BugsMom replied: We regrouted the grout in our bathroom. All you have to do is dig the old stuff out and put new stuff in. You don't touch the tiles. If you know what kind was used, you can also just touch it up where it is cracked/chipped.

Personally, I look at the floors first. I really don't care if it is old, as long as it's in good shape...no stains, etc. Our carpeting is pretty old, but it's pretty clean. It's matted, but it's not gross looking.

I don't care about paint color, as most people will want to paint things their own way anyways. We painted every room in our house before we moved in. I tend to lean towards things that are neutral in color....floors, countertops, etc. When we moved I didn't want to have to buy all new decor, that get s pricey, so I wanted things neutral in color so I could use the things I already had. So...mauve carpeting would have been out!

The main thing I keep in mind is if I can see potential in a home. In our house I saw very little we had to do, but the things we did have to update took more time than money and it was more or less small cosmetic things...light fixtures, faucets, regrouting tile, the kitchen floor (we tiled it outselves), painting... It was still in perfect living condition and move-in ready, and it was clean. I saw what our home 'could' be, not just what we saw. Even though their furniture made the living room look teeny tiny, I knew I could move our things in and make it seem larger, which I did.

Keep in mind, everyone's tastes are also different. Some people are more picky about paint, which I don't know why because once people take their stuff down they'd have to repaint anyways!