Aesthetics vs Practicality in Selling a Home

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

I think it's partially dependent on how saturated the market is in your area. In Metro-Denver, things are finally starting to slow down but it has really been a seller's market for several years.

I would agree.

We've been in a seller's market here since officially 2015 though it was starting to switch from buyers to sellers in later 2014. A couple years ago news stories were talking a lot about how people were doing whatever they could to get home because there was such a short supply. I believe at one time or another it's been about 2 month's supply where a 6 month supply is considered middle ground. People were putting in offers sight unseen, waiving inspections and getting in bidding wars. It's still that way now to an extent with homes selling like hotcakes in certain areas and home pricing going way up.

Home buyer's don't get the luxury necessarily of being picky over a beige interior paint color when they really wanted grey. That said an actual renovation of parts of the home may still be enough to put off at least a segment of the buyers who either can wait it out for another home or adjust their looking area/type of home. Going into a kitchen that may not seem old but is from the 90s-early 2000s may be enough to offput buyers. That said even being too modern will do the same. I personally don't like sleek, modern, white white white. I prefer a bit more traditional with dark hard wood colors so even if I couldn't afford to be picky changing all that out in a house I was thinking of buying may be enough to say no to.

I will say the neighbor across the street their house was right for our market just had a harder time selling because 1) the time of year they put it on the market here 2) competing with all the new builds in our neighborhood 3) layout of a reverse 1 1/2. They had a more darker brown exterior color but once they repainted after a time on the market to a darker grey they got more interest and eventually sold. I would bet that the adjustment in exterior color helped. It's often an inside joke all the brown-colored houses that existed and still do in my County prior to grey being the more popular..it's often referred to as "Johnson County brown/beige, etc" because many of the homes were brown/beige with the same interior..basically considered blah and boring and not enough variance.

The work the OP did is important with respects to the selling price they may want to get but you will still find people who just want to move in and not have to think about a honey-do list before even moving in..sometimes people just get the feeling they'll never get those items on the honey-do list done and they've just feel like they have to deal with it rather than be really happy about their house from the get-go.

 

[tvguy]

I don't doubt there are cash buyers looking for a "gut job" cash price in your area of Cali. And it's great it worked out for you.

My post was more for folks in other states and cities of the US who need to get the best possible price for their property.

That is why I said consult a Realtor is an expert in your area. You don't want to spend money on the wrong things.

 

[easyas123]

I hate trendiness. For example, I actually love the color gray, but the overuse of it right now makes me want to avoid it for awhile. I also hate things that everyone loves today and they'll all hate 2 years from now...barn doors, anyone? (Ugh, we stayed at a hotel with a barn door style door on the actual bathroom--like where the toilet and shower/tub were located. What a disaster! And it was a new hotel. The lock was so difficult because the door moved around too much, there was no muffling of sound at all, and when you were in the bathroom it was like being in a public restroom stall with big gaps of light on both sides. My 8 year old was having a fit about it.)

Oh man - you are spot on! I cringe when I see those barn door things...they are EVERYWHERE.
We built our most recent house about 5-6 years ago. Prior to that we had torn down a old barn that was on the farm, and when my husband finished the basement we used one of the stall doors to cover some recessed shelving & storage for the TV stuff. Looked good and I liked reusing some of the barn wood a the time (he built a bar and some minor furniture out of some of the barn wood as well) but now it irks me every time I see it because what was interesting to us is now in every house remodel and Lowes/Home Depot display and in new construction.

 

[_19disnA]

^^ I agree. Home design people push what is trendy since it means more future business for them.......LOL. In 3-5 yrs, when everyone gets tired of the 'barn door' thing and think they look dated, they will ask the home design people to do a remodel. Trends come and go, so a bit of common sense goes a long way in picking features for your home.

 

[disykat]

It'll be interesting to see what happens when we put my parents house on the market. It was built in 1961. The bathrooms are pretty much original, the kitchen was redone in the early 90's. We plan on doing as little as possible, but it will be priced accordingly.

Our first home was purchased from children after their parents passed and when we met the seller's realtor she tried to tell us it was move in ready. LOL! It ended up being appraised for even less than our lowball offer they were so insulted by, so we got a good deal. Sadly, none of them could get past the sentiment and they got a rude awakening - it had been on the market for over a year! We updated ( with just paint, etc. no remodels) and sold in less than a week for asking price a few years later.

 

[okeydokey]

We recently sold our childhood home in the Boston suburbs. Sellers market for sure, with a few open houses then offers all within a week. Buyers were bidding over asking and our realtor encouraged us to paint the walls grey as it shows better in the online photos. We did no major renovation, but she was right, the pics looked great and we accepted an offer 15% over asking.

 

[VandVsmama]

Buying & selling a house definitely can vary tremendously from one area to another. I know someone who recently bought a home in the SF Bay Area and at least in the area that person was buying in, the seller's asking price was the MINIMUM price that the seller would accept. AND your offer had to have no contingencies, had to have a closing period of the seller's choosing, etc., etc. Homes with major foundation problems sold tens of thousands of dollars, sometimes even $100,000 more, over the asking price.

In our area here in AZ, by comparison, there's a much larger inventory available. The asking price is NOT the minimum price that the seller will accept. Contingencies aren't ideal, but they are ok. Buyers won't even consider your house if the interior looks shabby, run down, has a weird interior paint job, has a pool or yard that looks run down, etc.

 

[NotUrsula]

I hope that "barn door" hardware never goes away; being able to hang a door that way is a lifesaver in certain structural situations. It wouldn't break my heart if the "barn" part of the look went away, though.

 

[Christine]

I hope that "barn door" hardware never goes away; being able to hang a door that way is a lifesaver in certain structural situations. It wouldn't break my heart if the "barn" part of the look went away, though.

I had all these "doors" going from my bedroom into the master bath and then, within the bath, a door to the toilet room and a door into the walk in closet. The double doors, though, between the bedroom and bath were clunky and in the way. We removed them and installed contemporary sliding double doors but they are hung like barn doors but are very sleek. It has made SUCH a difference. I would have preferred to get pocket doors but that would have been some major construction.

 

[Disney Doll]

If your house has really odd colors then I’d probably repaint. Paint is relatively cheap and a do it yourself item. A fresh coat of paint really brightens things up.

 

[nkereina]

I don't know if people are specifically looking for white/grey/beige paint colors so much as they are looking for neutral/tolerable colors that either go with their décor, or that they can live with until they are ready to paint. If people see paint colors and other aesthetics they don't care for and don't jive with their style, they just see a lot of work that will need to be done upfront. I know a lot of busy families who wouldn't really have time for that, even if they didn't mind the work. And moving can be expensive, so they may not have the disposable income for that either.

My parents sold their home that was in need of a kitchen update. They were willing to take the loss on the house rather than put money and hassle into renovating the kitchen. They did end up getting all the walls painted (a light grey) and it did freshen up the house and take some of the focus off the kitchen. Presumably, the buyer only saw the kitchen as something to remodel in the near future, rather than kitchen + paint, which makes for a larger undertaking.

IMO, whether you should paint just depends on your colors. If they are something loud or bold, that turns people off and screams "work" to cover up. If they are dark neutrals, I might let that go without painting. If the walls are nicked up, perhaps a fresh paint will just make it look better. Another option is to see what the realtor says. Don't suggest or offer up painting, and see if they bring it up to you.

 

[tvguy]

I don't know if people are specifically looking for white/grey/beige paint colors so much as they are looking for neutral/tolerable colors that either go with their décor, or that they can live with until they are ready to paint. If people see paint colors and other aesthetics they don't care for and don't jive with their style, they just see a lot of work that will need to be done upfront. I know a lot of busy families who wouldn't really have time for that, even if they didn't mind the work. And moving can be expensive, so they may not have the disposable income for that either.

My parents sold their home that was in need of a kitchen update. They were willing to take the loss on the house rather than put money and hassle into renovating the kitchen. They did end up getting all the walls painted (a light grey) and it did freshen up the house and take some of the focus off the kitchen. Presumably, the buyer only saw the kitchen as something to remodel in the near future, rather than kitchen + paint, which makes for a larger undertaking.

IMO, whether you should paint just depends on your colors. If they are something loud or bold, that turns people off and screams "work" to cover up. If they are dark neutrals, I might let that go without painting. If the walls are nicked up, perhaps a fresh paint will just make it look better. Another option is to see what the realtor says. Don't suggest or offer up painting, and see if they bring it up to you.

I guess it depends where you live. My daughter looked at 3 identical floor plan houses on the same street. 2 had dated paint, appliances and landscaping. The third her realtor found minutes after it listed had new granite counters, stainless steel appliances, paint, carpet, and landscaping and they were including a 1 year old huge side by side refrigerator. That is the one she bought. The other two sold within a few days, but for $10,000 less. The realtor said the improvements in the one my daughter bought clearly cost more than $10,000, so the seller lost money on those improvements. But it is a red hot sellers market here, and these were entry level homes ($250,000) which is an even hotter market.

 

[Christine]

I guess it depends where you live. My daughter looked at 3 identical floor plan houses on the same street. 2 had dated paint, appliances and landscaping. The third her realtor found minutes after it listed had new granite counters, stainless steel appliances, paint, carpet, and landscaping and they were including a 1 year old huge side by side refrigerator. That is the one she bought. The other two sold within a few days, but for $10,000 less. The realtor said the improvements in the one my daughter bought clearly cost more than $10,000, so the seller lost money on those improvements. But it is a red hot sellers market here, and these were entry level homes ($250,000) which is an even hotter market.

No one should go into those type of improvements expecting to recoup the funds. The best you'll get is a small percentage of what you put in and probably a faster sale.

I don't plan on moving for awhile (but I want to) and it's time for all my bathrooms to be redone. They are a mess. I'm about to spend $48,000 to totally revamp 4 bathrooms. It sickens me and I know if I turned around an sold the house in April, after they were done, I *might* get an extra $10K out of the sale.

 

[nkereina]

I guess it depends where you live. My daughter looked at 3 identical floor plan houses on the same street. 2 had dated paint, appliances and landscaping. The third her realtor found minutes after it listed had new granite counters, stainless steel appliances, paint, carpet, and landscaping and they were including a 1 year old huge side by side refrigerator. That is the one she bought. The other two sold within a few days, but for $10,000 less. The realtor said the improvements in the one my daughter bought clearly cost more than $10,000, so the seller lost money on those improvements. But it is a red hot sellers market here, and these were entry level homes ($250,000) which is an even hotter market.

Right, I don't disagree. But painting cost is minimal and may help OP sell faster or closer to their asking price. If someone looks at two houses - OPs and one with an identical floor plan, but OPs has the fresh paint, most people would lean towards that one. Its a better visual and its one less thing they have to do when they move in. I think paint is worth the effort if it warrants it, but I wouldn't do more than that at this point.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

I hope that "barn door" hardware never goes away; being able to hang a door that way is a lifesaver in certain structural situations. It wouldn't break my heart if the "barn" part of the look went away, though.

That aint a door. That's a wooden curtain!!!!

 

[tcufrog]

am i the only person who does not like the white cabinets? i get that they make a kitchen look larger but they always makes me think of cheap fiberboard bookcases. back in '99 when we bought our former home they were starting to get popular but were the cheapest people could put into new construction b/c they weren't made of solid wood. has that changed? are the ones people put in now solid wood that has been painted white?

Before we bought our current home I had decided that I didn't want white cabinets. I was tired of seeing them, especially with subway tile. To my surprise, I ended up buying a home with white cabinets. I like them though because they are a traditional style instead of trendy and there's a tumbled travertine backsplash instead of subway tile. It also helps that they tie in with the white built-in bookshelves and fireplace mantle in the adjoining living room. I absolutely hate the ugly granite countertops but I can't justify ripping them out when they are perfectly functional.

 

[Ginamarie]

We sold our house over the summer. We actually tried selling it previously but hadn't had any luck. The change we made was investing in a new Trex deck to replace the old one that was falling apart and new Anderson doors. We installed everything on our own to save money, but still spent about $5,000. The house sold to the first person who came to the first open house.
The prior year, I heard complaints about the deck and questions about the neighborhood, layout, school district, etc., but not paint color. I know the people who bought it were painting and changing out some of the carpet. I think the investments you made were sound and I would NOT start spending money on paint and decor. In fact, we rented a storage unit and got as much "stuff" as we could out of the house before we started showing it. I think that was worth the money too.

 

[longboard55]

I will also add those Home remodel shows pricing are way off. Lets see. new kitchen, new flooring, new bath, re roof, move walls, new windows new landscape for $60,000. More like $200,000

 

[Searc]

I will also add those Home remodel shows pricing are way off. Lets see. new kitchen, new flooring, new bath, re roof, move walls, new windows new landscape for $60,000. More like $200,000

We've updated our home within the last 6 years and with the exception of moving walls, did everything else and I just added it all up. It was under $40,000 all in. What saved us a TON of money was not replacing the 100% useable and still in great shape kitchen cabinets. Replacing those alone probably would have been $20,000 if we would have priced it out.

 

[NotUrsula]

I will also add those Home remodel shows pricing are way off. Lets see. new kitchen, new flooring, new bath, re roof, move walls, new windows new landscape for $60,000. More like $200,000

The prices they are getting almost surely reflect labor that has been discounted in return for free publicity on the show. It's always the cost of labor that really runs up the price of any project.