If you were buying a house, how important would this be?

[SDSorority]

Hi everyone. We're selling our 4 br 2.5 ba home. We have a blacktop driveway that has rust staining and cracks (it looks aged), but structurally works with no dips, potholes, weeds coming up, or crumbling. My MIL suggested that we have it re-paved (with blacktop) so I had a company come out and do an estimate. They said that it'll need to be ripped out and re-done, at the cost of $2,500.

If you were buying a house that is in otherwise good condition, how important would it be to have a brand new driveway installed too? I'm not sure if we would get that money back on the sale of the house. To give you an idea, the driveway looks kind of like this condition without the potholes (not my picture, found from the internet):

 

[Kellydelly]

Why can't it just be patched and resealed? Have you been sealing it? If you do the resealing it will at least look "fresher."

 

[Shanna-like-Banana]

to me it depends on what type of setting the home is in.

Say the home is just like the one pictured, in a country setting with a long driveway way, I would say it's acceptable to leave it the way it is.

If it's in a subdivision and all the other houses around have nice and neat driveways, it would make the cracked one look like a mantience issue.

Is there any way a company can come out and do like a skim coat ? Just like when they re-do parking lots. They don't ripe anything out, they just put down a fresh coat .

A lot of it depends on how much you want to spend and will re-doing the driveway mean a successful sale of the home ?

The was I see it is you have 3 choices
A. Leave it like it is
B. Try and do the skim coat to spruce it up
C. Replace the entire thing

 

[Sheaboys]

Well considering our first house only had a dirt driveway, until we could afford to pave it (13yr later), and we just purchased a house that the bottom of the driveway is a giant mess, with crumbled blacktop, big huge dips, all chunked up, etc. Then NO, it would make no difference.

But the house was a steal!

Each buyer will see things differently. Don't do a thing. If you are getting feedback that the reason no one is putting in an offer is due to the driveway, then maybe do it. They could always ask for it to be done in the offer, or inspection requests, or a credit for it.

 

[peekinglemer]

I wouldn't bother redoing the whole driveway. I don't think you would get your money back on that at all.

If I was a buyer, as long as the driveway was functional and weed free I think I would be fine with it.

 

[1Mouse2RulethemAll]

Hi everyone. We're selling our 4 br 2.5 ba home. We have a blacktop driveway that has rust staining and cracks (it looks aged), but structurally works with no dips, potholes, weeds coming up, or crumbling. My MIL suggested that we have it re-paved (with blacktop) so I had a company come out and do an estimate. They said that it'll need to be ripped out and re-done, at the cost of $2,500.

If you were buying a house that is in otherwise good condition, how important would it be to have a brand new driveway installed too? I'm not sure if we would get that money back on the sale of the house. To give you an idea, the driveway looks kind of like this condition without the potholes (not my picture, found from the internet):

IMAGE#1

You could fill the cracks and seal it yourselves for a couple hundred. The home improvement places sell this gel that you smooth over your current stuff and makes it look nice.


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[kissy]

I agree with not doing anything. Try selling the way it is. If it ends up being a problem that buyers are mentioning them maybe think about offering an allowance. We have been for sale for 7 months now. Our roof is about 13 yrs old. We have put so much money into the house already so we're going to offer an allowance on a full price offer. (Our home is priced lower than almost every house in our neighborhood).

 

[Sadie22]

A friend has been trying to sell a property for a while. The first thing you see is a driveway like in that picture, poor condition and just as long and winding. Then from halfway up you see cheap discolored doors. The rest of the property is in great condition. No offers. Now it'a a stale listing. If no one makes an offer, you cannot negotiate an allowance. You get one chance to make a good first impression. At least recoat the driveway, if not redoing the driveway, or state in the listing that there will be a $2,500 allowance toward driveway redo.

 

[Marionnette]

Hi everyone. We're selling our 4 br 2.5 ba home. We have a blacktop driveway that has rust staining and cracks (it looks aged), but structurally works with no dips, potholes, weeds coming up, or crumbling. My MIL suggested that we have it re-paved (with blacktop) so I had a company come out and do an estimate. They said that it'll need to be ripped out and re-done, at the cost of $2,500.

If you were buying a house that is in otherwise good condition, how important would it be to have a brand new driveway installed too? I'm not sure if we would get that money back on the sale of the house. To give you an idea, the driveway looks kind of like this condition without the potholes (not my picture, found from the internet):

It's a competitive market for sellers right now. If I were a buyer, I would see a neglected driveway and I would wonder what else has been neglected about the property. Even though there may not be anything wrong with the house itself, the lack of curb appeal plants a seed in the buyer's mind.

It's possible that your driveway only needs to be spruced up and not re-done. But if there are cracks in the asphalt, then it probably needs more than just sealing.

 

[kathie859]

It's a competitive market for sellers right now. If I were a buyer, I would see a neglected driveway and I would wonder what else has been neglected about the property. Even though there may not be anything wrong with the house itself, the lack of curb appeal plants a seed in the buyer's mind.

It's possible that your driveway only needs to be spruced up and not re-done. But if there are cracks in the asphalt, then it probably needs more than just sealing.

ITA First impressions are everything and if the comps that you are using to value your home have nicer driveways, EVEN if your home is nicer, you may not get a buyer even schedule an appointment.

 

[SDSorority]

When I get home tonight I'll take a picture and post it- maybe it looks worse than I think it does....

 

[sksjasams]

I would try to get some other estimates...maybe specifically for a repair job.

I would defnitely try to get it fixed. As PP said, first impressions are important. An old driveway that needs work will start potential buyers out on the wrong foot and they will look through your whole house with a much more critcal eye....keeping a dollar tally of all the work that needs to be done, or things they'd want to change.

I also agree with PP that it raises the question in the buyer's mind of what else might not have been taken care of or maintained...

Good luck with your decision and house sale!

 

[LJSquishy]

If it looks like that photo without the potholes, it is fine. People can't expect to have a brand new driveway in a house that is not brand new. I would not repair it.

 

[JessB320]

If you have the time allowance I would leave it how it is for now. If you get little response in the way of offers, or negative feedback from potential buyers about it, then I would spend the money to have it redone.

 

[StephMK]

I would get another quote and ask for resealing. We had ours resealed & I think it was around $100 five years ago for a 1 car driveway. Our house was 30 yrs old and I know there were cracks that were not an issue when they resealed.

 

[kirstenb1]

You could fill the cracks and seal it yourselves for a couple hundred. The home improvement places sell this gel that you smooth over your current stuff and makes it look nice.


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Exactly! To me this is in the same category as freshening up your interior paint, tidying up landscaping, etc. Not very expensive, but makes a big difference in the appearance, and shows you take pride and care of your property.

 

[clintswifeymomof4]

Don't get it fixed... They will ask for a seller concession *if* the home inspection (which they should ask for and pay for themselves) reveals it is a problem that should be addressed (and not just for cosmetic issues). Until then- don't worry about it!!!

 

[POOHDRMR]

I just sold my house and had the great fun of buying a new one.I worried about all the little things before we were going to sell(fixing any little thing,touching up paint and decluttering everything)We had the realtor come in even before we were all done with what I thought I needed to do to see if it was even going to be worth it for us to sell because our area had gone down in value.He came in and gave us his estimate which was better than we thought he would say.I asked what else he thought we should do and he said nothing it looked great.We were going to think about it for a week and 2 days later he called us and said he had someone he told about the house and they were interested in it.They came in and bought it.Resealing the driveway was one thing on the list that didn't get done-I don't think they even looked at it.The inside of my house has been completly redone in the 10 years I have lived here-new kitchen,finished the basement added a bath,resided,new windows,hot water heater and roof.All that was what got there attention.We never got around to the driveway.I think if the inside of your house shows well they will remember that and not the driveway.The houses I looked at had not even been cleaned let alone freshened up and I am buying a complete fixer upper for double what I sold mine all redone for but it is in a great area and school district.I think if you price it right and the inside shows well you will be good!

 

[Mommee]

it's like $150 around here to have a company fix the cracks and sealcoat. I can't imagine needing to redo the entire thing unless there were serious flaws.

 

[ceecee]

Curb appeal is a lot in selling a house. Post a photo and maybe that would help. I am not a fan of blacktop and in our neighborhood, if has to be concrete. A lot depends on where your house is and the others around it.
We have a Vocational school that does concrete drives. My mom had them do her rental (fairly long drive) and she had to pay materials ($700) and buy them lunch which was 13 pizzas!