Are there things you would never to do your home in the name of resale? I say decorate and enjoy the home you're in.
But never do these three things.
As you can imagine, after years of writing, I've received my fair share of home decor and renovation comments and questions.
One of the most frequent inquiries I receive is from people who want to know if there's anything I wouldn't do to my house, because of resale.
And my answer is always, always a very definitive no.
There is nothing I wouldn't do to my home in the name of resale.
And if you look at my home, you can see that it's true.
I don't follow trends.
I never play it safe with my decor choices.
I love decorating with red and I unless I'm forced to do otherwise, I choose form over function.
Every single time.
I think I've literally broken just about every {supposed} decorating rule out there.
And I get called on it all the time.
Comments like...
- You know it's very important to keep resale in mind when renovating and decorating.
- I can't believe you painted that whole wall red! Big mistake. That will turn a lot of people off.
- You don't have stainless steel appliances in your kitchen?? Everyone wants stainless today. Plus, you chose laminate countertops over granite or marble or solid surface? Why would you do that? That will cost you in the long run.
- You painted a small bathroom, with no windows a very dark color? That will not stage well.
- You put in a pool? Are you crazy? No one wants a pool anymore, it's so much work.
- You converted your fireplace to gas? People like wood.
Oh boy.
First of all, moving isn't really in the plan.
Second, and infinitely more important, if I listened to all those voices, I would be living without color, with appliances I hate, a fireplace I could not turn on and off at the flick of switch.
And instead of floating around on my giant sunflower, with my family, in ninety degree heat, I would be sweating my tail off on my patio.
Um, no thank you.
The bottom line is, I live here. Now.
I don't care about what will show well, stage well or sell well.
When the time comes, I'll do what is necessary to right the ship.
And by that, I mean dust and vacuum. That's all.
Yes, I know that today's buyers want move in ready homes. I get it.
It's a far cry from my own real estate shopping days when vision was a necessity and location was everything.
Most buyers don't want to renovate or even repaint anymore.
And frankly, sadly, in my opinion, some real estate shoppers can't even see past the current owner's decor.
I get it. Homes are big money.
Perhaps I should be more mindful of protecting my investment when the urge to cover my family room in flowers and bold green checks strikes.
But I can't live my life like that, in anticipation of what some fictitious buyer may or may not find appealing at some undetermined point in the future.
So I do as I please.
It's my home and I don't care if I'm going to live here for two years or twenty two.
I want to be comfortable and enjoy the view.
And, so far, I have.
Surrounded by a lot of loud colors in small rooms and a very wet backyard.
I know better, I've eaten crow too many times over the years.
And when I really think about it, turns out, there are actually three things I would never, ever do to my home in the name of resale.
Who knew?
And one of them does indeed involve paint. Can you believe it?
Paint - the most innocuous renovation tool and the easiest thing to change.
It made the never list.
3 Things To Avoid In The Name Of Resale
This weekend, while I was staring at my stained and beaten up bedroom wood floor, annoyed by its awful state, I started brainstorming ways to mask the damage.
Without the whole dusty sanding and smelly varnishing nightmare.
It's not easy to renovate when you have allergies.
We never tackled that floor when we moved in, because I needed a sanctuary while living through the rest of the renovation with toddlers.
Plus none of the other floors needed sanding, so we passed.
I'm not a perfectionist and while others may have thought the floor's condition was something they couldn't live with, I've mostly ignored the messy spots.
Well, for whatever reason this weekend, those awful spots became glaringly clear to me and I actually considered painting the floor for a split second before I thought...ah, that's it!
That is the one thing I would never do to a house.
1. Paint A Wood Floor
Now, don't get me wrong, I love the look.
ADORE it to be honest, but most don't, and while for the new owners sanding and staining are going to be necessary anyway, the paint will get in between boards and be very difficult to remove.
The damage from stripping and sanding to fully remove several layers of paint may be so extensive, it could necessitate the entire floor being replaced and to me, that crosses the line.
We're not talking about a few gallons of paint and primer to cover a red wall or swapping out bisque appliances for stainless.
Remedying this would be a huge job. So nope. I pass.
I would never paint an interior wood floor.
(Oops...like I said, never say never...we painted a wood floor! But I had a good reason...I promise! I still caution against this one unless your only other option is to remove the floor...which was our situation. You can read about the whole tale if you like.)
Plus wood floors are a huge asset, to both buyers and the bank.
And you don't mess with the bank.
This thinking led me to contemplate my other "nevers" and I came up with only two more.
They may seem like common sense, but I've seen both of these done many times over, in my own neighborhood, on home shows and websites and I think they're always a huge mistake.
2. Never Remove A Bathroom
Yup, people do it all the time.
They take two small back to back baths and combine them into one large master bath or a larger Jack and Jill style for the kids.
Once you remove a bathroom you automatically lower the value of the house and that's not something I'm willing to gamble with.
3. Never Remove A Bedroom
Again, I've also seen this one happen over and over.
People turn those bedrooms into dining rooms or dens, combine two bedrooms to make a large master suite or a walk in closet.
And I understand, you want to live in the house and enjoy it so it makes the most sense to you and obviously, I say, go for it.
But not this way.
Decorate the spaces as such, remove the doors, temporarily at least, but leave the walls, the windows and the chance to put it all back together when moving day comes along.
When we were ready to sell our first home, we had it appraised.
The number was too low for us to move, so we decided to renovate and make room for baby. We added a very small addition to the front of the house, turning the old galley kitchen, which had a teeny walk in pantry, into a third bedroom with a closet.
Our small investment changed our home from a two bedroom to a three and literally doubled the appraisal price of our home the day the construction was complete.
A $20k addition increased the price of our home by almost $200,000. And we got our full asking price.
It wasn't an appreciation over time and the few square feet we added didn't make the house much larger, it was simply the addition of the third bedroom.
The comps on a three bedroom were just higher.
This principle obviously works in reverse.
What a buyer chooses to pay or make an offer on based on decor and amenity details is totally different than what a bank decides your home is worth.
That's my real never line in the sand.
Although keep in mind my never say never rule.
It also works in reverse.
I mean, remember my painted wood floors?
Yeah.
But we still have all our bedroom and bathrooms intact.
😉
For now.
What's on your never, ever list?
Happy Decorating!
Well, when I sold my home some years ago - the real estate agent said oh you must re-paint and get rid of all this COLOR! Home sold immediately, they even paid MORE because the woman had to have my house! Paint was the deciding factor and it was colorful. Now I know that was a few years ago, but if it is decorated with style, color will not cause you to lose a sale. In fact, we needed a new roof and I refused. As I said, the woman had to have MY house, so she paid for a new roof! I still use color though maybe not as dramatically. Won't change to sell either.
ReplyDeleteI think that's wonderful, Linda. I guess the idea that people want a move in ready home actually goes both ways. There are people that want a white, bright clean slate, but there are also people who want a move in ready home with personality and color. It stands to reason. So your home was her perfect fit...Thanks so much for sharing your story with us. I always love the input! :)
DeleteWe had a house in Arizona with an expansive wall. We painted it red and did not change the paint color when we placed the house on the market to sell it. The first couple that came to see it came back to view a second time and bought our house with the big red wall. Paint is just paint and most people who have purchased a home or two in their life know that and look past the paint colors to the actual layout of the house. Now, wallpaper is another story. I won't wallpaper my house nor will I ever buy a house that has wallpaper. It's a pain in the patoot to change it.
ReplyDeleteUgh..wallpaper is a definite pain in the patoot, Pepper, I agree!! I have done my share of steaming and scraping and it's not something I ever want to do again. I imagine that the previous owners of my home felt the same way, as they painted over it! I am sure it was that super old fashioned paper wallpaper that basically became part of the wall. No thank you!! :)
DeleteYes, feel the same way. We also don't think about cost of doing a project in terms of recouping our investment. In our mind, our home is for us to enjoy while we are living here, not worrying about when the time comes to sell it. Enjoyed your post!
ReplyDeleteI agree with that too, Sarah! I am generally quite frugal when it comes to renovation, but I never worry about recouping the cost of the say, the pool, because we live here and we enjoy it. Thanks for stopping by! :)
DeleteI don't know about what I'd NEVER do. I've done some pretty abnormal things to homes in the past and never had a problem selling them. Of course, until this home I've always purchased fixer-uppers, so anything I did was a big improvement. If I had an old farmhouse or cottage with wood floors that were really beat up and it would take a lot of money to restore them, I'd paint them. I have a friend who back in the 80's when cute country was all the rage decorated her California two-story newer home to the max with country decor, down to every switchplate in the house. They didn't change one thing when they listed the home. It took a few months, but one day a couple walked into their home and the wife flipped out over how perfect the house was. She loved it all and they made an offer right there on the spot and ended up purchasing my friend's home. Against everyone's advice my friend left everything just as it was, didn't spend a dime on making it "sell ready" and the house sold. Not saying this always happens, but it did that time. xo
ReplyDeleteI love stories like this, Nancy, because it proves my point that there truly is a buyer for every home. I remember when we were looking for this one, I did not want to find a house with oak cabinets and stainless appliances, because I loved the white painted look and my husband said, do not find a house with a perfectly nice kitchen and think we’re going to rip it out to redecorate. We just didn’t have the funds for that. So I actually passed on a few homes, because of their “must have” amenities. Lucky me…I found one with barely a kitchen at all, completely un-renovated since 1929, well, except for the lovely shiny formica countertop. ;) It was the quickest sale in the history of real estate!
DeleteAMEN! home is for living.
ReplyDeletethis is a wonderful post!
i have grown so weary of hearing people say about perfectly good kitchens...
"i just must have granite counter tops. we'll have to re~do the entire kitchen."
so silly. trends in kitchens are just like clothing fashions.
they're to make you feel that what you have is inferior. for only one reason. money.
so that you will BUY and that you will never feel content with what you have.
it's sad to me to forever be panting after the latest trend.
give me individuality and character instead. now there's a great trend! LOL! xo
I laughed while reading your comment! "... forever panting after the latest trend...." That perfectly describes a large segment of our society. And it's not just kitchen and clothing trends. It's everything, from cars to phones, video and audio equipment to houseplants, paint colors to furniture, restaurants to vacation spots to gyms and even the beverages we drink and the food we eat! It would be comical were it not so sad. Reminds me of the teenage angst years when you hear the rebel cry of "I gotta be me! I gotta be DIFFERENT!". And you pass by any school and see hundreds of teenagers wearing the same clothes and shoes, sporting the same hairstyles and carrying the same booksacks. Lol!
DeleteI think a home should reflect the personalities and tastes of the people who live there. Their interests, hobbies and passions should be front and center and not hidden away in a closet somewhere because they're not trendy. A home is meant to be lived in, loved, enjoyed and filled with the people and things that delight you. Not permanently staged for trend chaser Joe Average's benefit.
Tammy, you know that I always love it when you weigh in. Could it be that you always agree with me? Hmmm. I'm just kidding, agree with me or not, you always add so much common sense to the discussions. I also enjoyed Kim's reply to you, and her comparison of homebuyers to teenagers. So, so true. Know yourself, what you love, what feeds your soul and fill your home with that...not the latest trends and fashions that will be outdated before you even finish the redecorating.
DeleteThanks ladies, awesome discussion!!
I fully agree with you that your house can be made ready for selling when you are ready to sell. But until that time it should reflect your needs and tastes. I actually did do something that a lot of people have on their never do list and that is that my house no longer has a bathtub. When we renovated our very tiny only bathroom in the house we took out the tub and now have only a shower. Haven't missed it a bit but any potential buyers down the road might consider it a deal breaker.
ReplyDeleteThat's one I hear a lot lately, Lorri. I think tubs are out of vogue. We have a tub and no one ever uses it. It's hard to clean, on my hands and knees and the kids trip getting in and out of it. They would be happy with a shower and prefer to use my bathroom when it's free. If you have little kids, I think it's probably something people look for, but if your buyers are older, I can see it being a selling point, too...
DeleteMy father-in-law did away with a 3rd bedroom to make a staircase to his basement. Bad idea!
ReplyDeleteYou had me chuckling on all the advice from folks about what you shouldn't have done with your house, & how if you had listened to them, you would be living in a house you hate. Amen girl! I remember when we were house-hunting, we couldn't find the one level with upstairs garage we wanted. Now they're all over the place, but not 20 years ago. And our builder was like, I can find you a house with lower garage and the floor plan you like. No thank you. I could buy a million of those other houses, but they wouldn't be what I wanted.
And I am guessing that if you found the one you wanted and it was decorated in a fashion that was unappealing to you, you would've bought it anyway...and made it your own. :)
DeleteThat was an interesting question. I really had to stop and think about it. What I came up with is about what you came up with. I'd never paint a wood floor or stencil one. I'd never remove a full bathroom and go from two to one. I'd never take out my laundry room to turn it into something else and put the washer/dryer in a closet. I wouldn't permanently remove one bedroom from a three bedroom house.
ReplyDeleteI'll have to think on it a little longer and see if there are some other "would nots" that haven't crossed my mind yet!
There are some interesting comments here today, Kim. I love when people ask me questions, because it starts my own wheels turning. Your laundry room thoughts are spot on. I know a lot of people who are moving the units into closets, but then I hear talk from the younger moms that they want TWO laundry rooms. One upstairs and one down. Can you imagine? So I would venture to guess that a home without ONE would be less desirable. I think back to my grandmother's stories (she was born in 1898) and soaking and beating clothes in a tub down some rickety stairs to a dirt basement. I wonder what she would think about two laundry rooms! ;)
DeleteI love the look of freshly painted wood floors, but they don't stay perfect and like you I love my old wood floors.
ReplyDeleteRemoving a bathroom would be a major problem since we only have one!
I hear you, Carol! We had one bathroom in our first home. Cozy...and necessary!! ;)
DeleteI totally agree with you Kim. Our houses are an investment but they are also our homes that we should enjoy and be personal to us.
ReplyDeleteYes, JoAnne! How boring life would be if we all lived in ready to sell homes!! :)
DeleteGreat post Kim . . .
ReplyDeleteOne "never" I have had has to do with the landscape, outdoor part of a home.
Newly constructed homes . . . , NEVER remove all the trees to set your
brand new home into the property.
Take a good look, design with some trees included . . .
Those trees take years upon years to mature.
The downside to trees, wooded properties. . . trimming is a must.
Tree trimming is costly . . . the beauty is rewarding . . .
(One more never . . . think twice before building in an oak forest!)
I totally agree, Lynne...totally!! What an excellent point you make. They just cleared a field in my area for new houses. Of course, they took down all the trees. I just never understand it. I am sure they will add some back, but not as glorious as the veritable forest they removed. So sad.
DeleteLove your screened in porch!
ReplyDeleteThank you, "Andy"...we love that space, too! Meet me for iced tea?
DeleteI think one thing I would not do is glue stuff on a wall. It's worse than wallpaper to remove! If I absolutely HAD to have a bunch of glass bubbles glued to my wall I'd do it on plywood and attach that to the wall. Come time to sell, I'd leave it there, but make it known that it would be easy to remove. The other things you suggested are spot on.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh, Nancy!! That is number four!! Growing up we had a wall of mirrors. It was really cool and so much fun to dance in front of and lip sync, but I cannot imagine what happened when the new owners tried to remove them. That would be like removing paint from a wood floor...new sheetrock anyone?? Been there with wallpaper...scraping and steaming. I shudder...that would be a close number five! ;) Thanks for always making me think!
DeleteI would count it as a bonus to find a kitchen with bisque appliances, not stainless! I suppose if someone was planning on selling within a a couple of years, it would be smart to consider resale value but this is your HOME and your canvas to create one uniquely you. Obviously many many of us adore it, and you!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dewena! You are too sweet and I am with you...I would love bisque appliances (obviously) and if I do, there must be others out there, too. You know, my sister spent a lot of money doing what the realtor said, in order to sell her lovely home. Well it sold and the new buyers literally knocked it to the ground and built on the property. So much for staging...they would've purchased it for the same price with the old decor and she could've saved herself a ton of money and time.
DeleteI don't according to trends either...I decor to please me.. Right now I've tossed painted our upstairs floor since our remodel went bad and I don't know when I would have the money to do them...a few years ago we were thinking about moving to KY and several realtors came in and started telling me what to "change" even to remove my front garden...
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't change a thing, Cathy. Your home is decorated so beautifully and your garden is lovely. I can't imagine that it wouldn't sell in a jiffy. I know that your renovation experience was not pleasant. I do hope that some day you get that painted floor if that is what you desire. They are super pretty...
DeleteHi Kim, Great post!! I've moved so many times and had very quick sales with my home just as we lived in it. In fact folks wanted all the decor too. haha. I agree on the never dos. Bathrooms, bedrooms and kitchens sell houses!!
ReplyDeleteHave a great rest of the week!
Good for you, Celestina Marie, that's real life and I love to hear that your houses sold with your own decor. It's gorgeous and I can't imagine that it wouldn't! Hope your week is amazing! :)
DeleteI am with you regarding the wood floors. Our entire house is all OLD wood floors. Scratched and filled with memories of the people who lived here before us and some new from our 16 years of living here.
ReplyDeleteI have no plan to sand them, I love the character. That is me.
I love the character, too, Carla. My kitchen table matches some the of floor carvings! ;) Apparently there was some sort of spill in a corner of my bedroom and has caused a little damage…stains. Honestly, it doesn’t bother me. After all, the house is almost 100 years old. I think that’s par for the course! :)
DeleteGreat tips Kim and informative guidelines for all of us. I am with you in your choice of never-do's.
ReplyDeleteHouses are for many people the largest investment of their lives. Best to protect that investment with savvy thinking.
Jemma
Savvy thinking...great way to put it, Jemma!!
DeleteKim, this kind of post always gets my dander up! I simply cannot understand how anyone could see a house and not be able to see how they would like it. Why should it matter what colors are used or if too much furniture, or a picture needs to be taken down, is involved? If a person doesn't know themselves that well, maybe they should just stay where they are! My really pet peeve is when I see on TV the ones that say, "Oh, it looks like my Grandmother's house"! I have sold 4 homes in the past and never changed a thing and "surprise" they sold anyway..I guess I'm too old for this stuff or think my stuff looks too good!!..Happy Wednesday..Judy
ReplyDeleteI’m with you, Judy. If you can imagine how a lamp on the shelf at Target will look in your home or how a dress will look on your body from a catalog, surely you can envision a room with different furniture and paint. I was always taught that location was everything, since it’s the one thing that truly decides a home’s value and the one thing you most certainly cannot change. Everything else is fluff!
DeleteSorry to get your dander up! ;)
Oh man! Now I can't paint my front hallway floor! I watch those HGTV shows and realize how none of those people on there would live a day in my house with it's inefficient space, drafty rooms and old everything. I kinda like it that way. If we ever sell I will worry about it then.
ReplyDeleteI stopped watching those shows for that reason, AnnMarie. None of those people would choose my house either. It's also old and drafty...doesn't have stainless steel or granite. ;) And I say if you want to paint that floor, go for it!!
DeleteHmmm.... when I moved into my house, my mother told me that she would gut the kitchen and tear down the wall where the den is to open it up. I looked at her like she was drunk. Not only would my house lose a bedroom, because that's what the den is really supposed to be, but it would have taken all the character away from my kitchen. and my breakfast nook would be gone... the horror! Luckily, I'm not my nutty mother lol My house may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it suits me and the reason I bought it was it was exactly what I was looking for... original. Hard to find these days. There's a buyer for every house. People just have to have vision. Sadly most don't, so there should be vision classes ;)
ReplyDeleteMy three things are the same as yours.
By the way, those paper flowers you made are darling :)
love to you,
rue
Vision clases! I love it! Your home is super charming and has all those old features that make me swoon. The lady that sold us our current home loved its old charm and didn't want to see it renovated in a way that would wipe all of that away. She chose us, because we didn't want to rip and tear or go up or too far out. I love the quirks and charm of this house, respect its history, but like you said, I'm not sure everyone else would.
DeleteAnd thanks...I love those silly paper flowers, too!
I've been making paper flowers too..... I'm sure whoever buys my cabin will do there own thing.....maybe even tear it down....so I just enjoy it and live in it......and maybe one day I will finish it off......and if I don't it's already been an amazing 17 or so years in this space and I'm grateful for that.
ReplyDeleteSeventeen years? Wow, that’s a long time in any home. I am a firm believer in the idea that you live there now, so you should make it a place you love. It sounds like you have done that.
DeleteI agree with everything you said. I've never lived in or decorated any of my homes and worried about resale. I will say though that we did consider it once when we did a kitchen reno. The hubs wanted to do concrete countertops and I knew that it would be risky if we needed to sell. Good thing he listened to me because we had to sell...just as the kitchen reno was finishing up.
ReplyDeleteAnd what a beautiful kitchen it was…
DeleteI'm with you, Kim. I would never get stainless steel appliances or granite counter tops again. Live and learn.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I would pretty much do anything I wanted in my house. I think that no matter where you live or how long you
plan to live there, you've got to make it yours.
I have heard that from so many stainless owners, Susan. They say the fingerprints are terrible...and with lots of messy kids around here, I think it would drive me crazy! ;)
DeleteI agree we can't live with the idea of resale unless we are living in a house we plan to flip!
ReplyDeleteThe one thing I would never do in my house is wallpaper, even though it is coming back in style! Good thing I'm not a trend follower!
Deanna, you are not alone. Several people have made the same comment. I love the look of wallpaper, but I would never want to remove it ever again. That was not a fun job! ;)
DeleteOh Kim, I agree with you SO much on this! We have no plans to move, and I've never really put too much thought into "what buyers would want." What's funny is that I have friends who bought a house with pink counter tops and older appliances. Then when they went to sell that house a few years later, they redid the whole kitchen and replaced the pink counters and updated the appliances because "no one would buy it like that." I just said "Well, you did." Lol! Now, if you KNOW you're moving soon, that's a different story. I guess then I'd be a little more mindful of my choices. But for now at least, we're staying put. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a ridiculous story, Lisa! See, now I just don't get it, they bought and lived with pink for all those years, but then paid to replace it to sell it?? I get it, you try to get the most money for the house, make it salable, but how much money do you really recoup for that renovation....and my sister did that, and the people that bought her house knocked it down to the ground and built a brand new house on the land. So go figure...
DeleteI'm with you on painting the walls whatever color fits my fancy. Its too easy to change up when needed so we picked colors and designs we like for NOW. And I think your list of "nevers" makes sense. It isn't something I'd ever thought about until reading this post but its true, those three things are huge investments with a big impact. On a side note, we didn't go with stainless steel appliances either, too pesky to keep clean. I need something else to maintain like I need another hole in my head. Practical over pretty is my go-to when push comes to shove.
ReplyDeleteAudra, I have heard so many complaints about the fingerprints…or worse, doggy nose prints!! I could not deal with that either. I do like the pretty, but nothing is pretty with dirty hand marks all over it! ;)
DeleteGreat post that really got me to thinking. I agree with you wholeheartedly. I would not paint floors, nor wallpaper anything, and certainly not take away bedrooms or bathrooms. I agree with you, while you live in the home, make it yours, but the changes you mentioned are pretty drastic and hard to undo. I think your home is darling and I love your taste and style :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Marilyn! Yes, drastic changes are not my cup of tea…I’m the easy and cheap girl. ;) Those kinds of upgrades can be undone in a jiffy! Hope you’re having a great week!
DeleteKim, I couldn't agree with you more. A person's home is their sanctuary. It's filled with everything that brings THEM happiness, relief from the pressures of the outside world, safety, security and pleasure. Your red wall, dramatic bathroom, private pool and warm, wood floors, to name a few, speak to YOU in all your hues and views, not to 'fictitious' buyers, who aren't present to hear it!
ReplyDeleteHappy weekend,
xo
Poppy
Sanctuary indeed, what a great word, Poppy! And I can’t imagine decorating it for anyone else…thanks!! :) Thanks for the visit.
DeleteI so agree with your nevers, and I see customers doing/contemplating some of these some of the time. As I flooring person, I practically gasped when you mentioned painting the floors...because I know what it does. I even had a customer use a gray paint on the floors (trying to stain them gray) and his ex contractor ruined the floors. After 3 sandings, they realized they needed to rip out and replace those floors (and it was new construction). We also see it with some old pine floors on 3rd floor of homes. On some of these, we can sometimes mask most of it with a dark stain. (oh, and the best is when homes in the 50s and 60s have asbestos tile on top of hardwood. What were they thinking?
ReplyDeleteDebbie, thank you for your input. My floor "never" really does border on personal taste, but like I said, the amount of damage incurred to undo could be so extensive, that I included it. Sounds like you have run into that exact problem many, many times in your profession. Thanks so much for weighing in with your expert opinion! :) I really appreciate the visit!
DeleteOne thing for sure I would never do....turn a garage into a room! That use to happen a lot more in the 60's, 70's & 80's, but I have seen it on newer but less expensive houses. It just never looks like anything except a garage turned into a room. Another thing I would probably never do is hire a "Stager." When we sold our last house, I had several bloggers in that business who were quick to give me advice about removing all personal things...pictures and the like. I chose not to take that advice and the woman who bought our house said she loved seeing the home filled with love....things that made it a family home.
ReplyDeleteAt our age, we are more cautious about doing certain things, as we realize we will need to downsize in a few years....not anytime soon, I hope!
Warm hugs!
Carol
Hi Carol! Great point!! I see that happen here, too and we have terrible winters. An attached garage is a real plus. We do not have one as our home was build in the 1920's, but if I did, it would stay a garage for sure!!
DeleteI totally agree with you on everything you said! I have no idea if we'll stay here "forever" or if we'll move someday. We've already lived here 27 years. I decorate my house according to what WE like, not what a "someday prospective buyer" would like. We have two tiny bathrooms - and yes, they are back-to-back. One is in the hallway and the other is in the master bedroom. While I would love to have the wall ripped out and have the bathroom made into one large one - with a jetted tub - there is no way we're going to do that as it would be the only bathroom in the house! We have a basement with a family room, but there's no bathroom down there.
ReplyDeleteWe also have the tiniest master and a very small closet, as well. I have often dreamt about turning the small bedroom next to our room into a walk in closet/ sitting room with french doors that would lead out to the patio. Then I would combine the closet and bathroom to make a larger (still tiny) master bath with a steam shower and double vanity. Of course, then my daughter would have nowhere to sleep and the value of my home would drop dramatically...you know, details! ;)
DeleteKim, I successfully sold real estate for nearly seven years. While every single person and sale is individual, I would say your three "NEVERS" are 99.99% CORRECT. People search listings for the 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, and often don't even bother to look at the measurements of those rooms, until they get out to the home. Which means total numbers wins over room size on the listing, to get them out to the property. And if they want 3 bedrooms, they rarely pull up anything less. Those two extra rooms GET BUYERS OUT FOR A LOOK - no matter what the size - so are crucial on the listing and to the appraisal value. Both should be considered very important factors. Buyers always want as much (or more) as they can get, and if the listing says 2 bedrooms, even if those are huge, that property won't be on their look list. Regarding painting wood floors; my judgement was/is always NO. UNLESS the floor cannot be saved and is in poor condition (damage other than just stained or normal wear), that wood floor is an added value for the listing and appraisal amount. The buyer can always paint if THEY want to. However, if it's already painted, stripping it down to the wood before the buyer can re-stain back to the original, is NOT something most people want to do, and is more expensive to pay for, if hiring someone else. RE: Color vs. white, the "all white" issue has proven to be a negative, for more than a decade. While people don't like bright or deep colors, seeing all bland white walls is a turn-off to many buyers (1st timers especially). Or it means they'll probably want/have to paint rather quickly, after they move in. Using the 3 C plan, Clean,(un)Cluttered, and Comfortable, most any house will feel like a home to visitors AND buyers :D Can you tell I loved my job? Still do but no selling now, just staging. And ALWAYS enjoy your posts, Kim.
ReplyDeleteCheryl, how nice to have a real estate, staging professional weigh in. The thoughts behind my never list are strictly based on my own, very limited, real estate experiences. It’s great to hear from someone who does this for a living that I am on the mark. I agree wholeheartedly with the “getting buyers out for a look” point. If you can’t get them to even peek at your home, it doesn’t matter what color your walls are! It sounds like you have a common sense approach to staging, too. I love your 3 C plan. It is very obvious that not only do you love your job, but that you are very good at it. Thanks for the informative comment! I am sure a lot of people will find it helpful. And, of course, I always enjoy hearing that I’m right! ;) Haha!
DeleteI thoroughly enjoyed reading this. I guess my only never would be to cover up or remove my hardwood floors. I can say with certainty I will never have another house with hardwoods in the kitchen! Talk about high maintenance. Good grief.😫
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa. I'm glad you enjoyed the post! And yes, if you're a perfectionist, hardwoods in the kitchen are to good idea. I look at each dent and mark as a nice patina or I'd make myself crazy... ;)
DeleteKim, I absolutely agree and I never say never ;) After years of living in rentals where my decorating was restricted because it wasn't mine, the "rules" went right out the window when I was blessed with my own home. I chose stained concrete flooring before most people had heard of it and when it went against resale advice. While it might not be for everyone, 18 years later, I still love it. Thank God I didn't choose the berber carpet everyone was raving about then. No offense to carpet lovers, but it's not for me. I left a short book on your FB comments too ;)
ReplyDeleteIf you still love something 18 years later, you know it was the right choice and can you imagine if you'd passed because of the resale thing. Wow, think about all the you would've been deprived of...such a simple pleasure. And thank you for the FB novel! I love interaction and it's way better than the crickets I normally hear over there! ;)
DeleteWhen I saw your pin.... I had a sneaking suspicion that your post was going to be about color (or the lack thereof). And I was right! ;) I know you love your color and red. I agree... we absolutely must live life for ourselves. What's the point of living on an imaginary person's terms? Live big and bold, Kim!!
ReplyDeleteHaha! I guess I am pretty consistent with my message, huh, Diane? ;) I do agree with you though, we should decorate (and in an even broader sense, live) for ourselves! Thanks so much for the visit. Always a pleasure to see you in the comments, my friend. :)
DeleteI think you should decorate the house to make you happy. Whoever buys the house will repaint, put down new flooring and tear out a wall.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely correct, Debra! So I say enjoy it as you like while it's yours! :)
DeleteLoud and boisterous applause!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much!! (She says with a curtsey and bow! 😉)
DeleteI agree Kim, home is to live in and the space should make you happy when you are in it. I follow some trends and others, not so much. Stainless appliances are not for me, tried them at one time and now I have all white and they just suit me better. My kitchen is old but it feels like my happy place and it will hopefully be that for someone else when we get ready to sell someday :)
ReplyDeleteIf it makes you happy, that's all that matter, Karen! I agree, you can worry about selling when it's time, until then, just enjoy it! :)
DeleteI love stainless steel. It doesn’t matter if the house I buy has a bunch of colors because no matter what the colors need to be changed.
ReplyDeleteI agree, 100% Kristina, everyone has different taste. The house is merely a palette to express yourself, so I say enjoy what you love now and let the next owner "paint" their dream. Thanks for the visit and for weighing in. :)
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ReplyDeleteI have been an appraiser for over 25 years plus my husband and I have renovated 6 homes big time in the many years we have been married. I don't have too many never-evers. It depends on what you are starting with and where. I agree to an extent about doing things for yourself. In most of the country, an inground pool will not return what it cost to put in when you sell. So you have to ask yourself how long you will be there or more importantly "if I spend $30,000 to put this pool in and I sell in 5 years and don't get my money back how big a deal is it to me? Will I be glad I had the 5 years with the pool or will I be upset or in a financial bind?
I just painted wood floors that were not worth restoring and I will probably leave them this way for a year or two and maybe add new hardwood eventually but they were crummy engineered hardwood worn through to the sublayer in several spots. Ditto with extra bedrooms. I would not turn a three bedroom home into a two but I did once buy an big old house with 5 bedrooms and one bath and turned the bedroom next to the master into a onsuite bath.
I love hearing from the pros. I agree with you, especially about the pool. I knew I wanted one and it was a lifestyle choice, not a resale one. I would love to see your painted floors. I absolutely adore the look...Thanks so much for weighing in!
DeleteI don't have many nevers, but I hadn't thought about it either :-) The only real never from these I've seen is eliminating rooms and wallpaper (I've had my fill of removing it, ugh). The last time we sold a house was 2007-2008 (right as the market was crashing). My realtor had us visit most of the homes for sale in our area so I could see the 'competition'. I made sure our house looked better by comparison - decluttered and kept as clean as possible. I did have a couple of large walls painted a bold terra cotta color (this was in Arizona). I did paint over one of them, but left the other. The bedrooms had a pretty yellow color (same color I used in my new house - I really love that color, lol) - they also stayed. We didn't try to do anything else - we told the realtor that we were willing to negotiate items that were potential deal breakers. We had 21 year old carpet that really needed replacing, so we thought to offer a flooring allowance. I did get it professionally shampooed and kept our dirty shoes off of it while the house was for sale - the only thing the buyers wanted replaced was the vinyl tile in the tiny kitchen. In the end, our house sold for a better price than many in the neighborhood, and sooner. I think the biggest difference was keeping it looking clean and tidy, I could not believe the condition of some of the other houses for sale. So I agree - make the house what you want and worry about the resale later. Buyers can always negotiate somewhat if they want new countertops, flooring, etc - that way the seller doesn't have to predict what some unknown buyer wants. Interesting food for thought today!
ReplyDeleteI love your story! Thank you so much for sharing it with us. I think that over the years, I have heard more tales like yours than the other way around, so I don’t know why this idea of decorating for resale ever caught on. You never know what people are going to fall in love with or hate, it’s impossible to guess what the person who buys your house is going to want, so you have to decorate for you. You were super smart about your sale and it worked. That is awesome. And I like yellow, too. That’s the color in my living room and it’s my favorite room in the house! 😊
DeleteOh rats!! And I was thinking about painting a hardwood floor... lol! I haveat least one that has been covered with thise nasty sticky tiles, and it's not pretty. I wonder what I'd find if I took the tile off?? If the wood wasn't rotten, painting wouldn't be amy worse than the tile!
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you on "live in it whild it's yours." I want to make tin awni g valances for the wi dows in my public rooms, but someone suggezted that would be too difficult to replace. Hey, it's mg house, and I know exactly how to hang and remove them.
But that wall of wood scraps? Glue it to luaun first, then incorporate the attachment hardware into the design so it's easily removed if the buyer doesm't like it (or I get tired of it!)
I love the idea of tin awning valances, Nancy! That is super creative. I also love the idea of your scrap wood wall. And you seem to move often and if you haven't had difficulty selling so far, I'd say you're good!!
DeleteThe only thing on my never ever list is...............moving!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm old, and my next boxed up move will be me......to the cemetery!!!
My house is my sanctuary. Whatever I dream up to do to it will be there for the next owners, and I won't care what they do :^)
Hugs to you,
J
I’m with you, J!!! The idea of moving makes my skin crawl. I adore my home, it’s my sanctuary as well. I’ve watched my sisters and friends move many times and it’s just not for me. Glad to hear I’m not alone! Enjoy the weekend in your lovely abode!
DeleteI too am with you Jaybird! We were 5 years ago ready to buy our retirement home until my daughter and 2 grands moved back in with us so we bought another large house. Economically it is very good and it’s big with plenty of room for all. I want to upgrade several things but when my husband got cancer my dreams were gone. He is much better and cured now and we are slowly moving forward. I really want a larger dining area but to get that I have to eliminate a bedroom. I have a huge unfinished attic that will be great for 2 more bedrooms, which is the plan. By the time we get all this done the kids will be going off to college so we might just wait but when we do convert that bedroom we will add at least 1 upstairs to compensate for resale.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for weighing in. I am so happy to hear that your husband is well. It must have be wonderful to have your grandkids growing up in the house with you, but yup they all grow so fast, don't they? I think once you own a home, the work and renovations are never done.
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