pc, it looks like you did a great job with your updating; since your location and view are better than the others, that's going to weigh in a lot with the buyers.

Last but not least, will be re-carpeting the DR, stairs, and two bedrooms~IMO, I feel the MBR sink/vanity area should be tiled with the shower/WC area, but DD thinks I should just re-carpet. Thoughts on this please?

If I am reading this correctly, your husband wants to carpet the master bathroom? If so, talk him out of it. Carpet in a bathroom is a real turn off for many people and so probably a waste of your money.

PC from a realtor viewpoint, it sounds like you are doing all the right upgrades. Don't spend a fortune, just clean it up and neutralize. Carpet in the masterbathroom should be avoided, you are 100% right, go with tile. It will make it feel more clean and upgraded. Since your condo already has a better location and a better view, Im willing to bet thats what sells the place, not the upgrades you do. People can change everything on the inside they want, they can't change the other two items.

Wow, you sure did a lot of work!! Congratulations..

One thing to keep in mind........DH sold his house but he didn't have a lot of the upgrades etc. that the neighbor across the street did (new appliances, granite countertops, hardwood floors, etc.), but his asking price was much lower and he sold within 24 hours whereas neighbor's house is still languishing on the market (4 months). It seems that some buyers would like to do their own renovations and may not care so much that you have granite countertops, new tile, etc. Or better said, they won't value it monetarily like you do. Buyer's seem to look for the cheapest house in the best neighborhood they can afford. Something to keep in mind as well.

Don't overdue it.

Don't miss the spring market for the sake of a few upgrades.

That was my BIG BIG mistake. I did crown moulding, wood floors, new baths/kitchen but missed the fall market and sat with a beautiful house for 110 DOM.

The place I know the best Time/money went was making consistant floors throughout, painting throughout and nice maple bathroom cabinets.

I recently saw a home that had granite entry, ceramic kitchen (cracked everywhere), old carpet in dining and new carpet in living, hardwood in 2 bedrooms and linoleum in bath. Basement and bed three were a mix of laminate and cheap carpet. It was a beautiful house, new kitchen cupboards/appliances but the floors just ruined it for me as all I can think was how much it would be to rip it all out to make it consistent.

In our home there are two floor surfaces, wood/berber. Best money spent.

Patty, also remember its not always a matter of condition. Location Condition and most importantly PRICE are whats going to sell it.

If you are leaning toward laminate countertops, let me plug the one we chose: WilsonArt "green legacy." Very attractive, and we've gotten lots of compliments from family and friends (even one who is a real estate agent).

It's not a very strong "in your face" color, but not boring either.

Adding things like crown moulding and trim cost very little in the big picture. Sure if you don't need to do it, why bother but its one more thing to add to the list of features and will make the house appear more luxurious. Granite is not cheap but in the big picture... a house that is a good value will attract many buyers.

Thanks everyone with your swift replies!

Mitch, i'm thinking the same thing~view lots are very big in CA. Along with the amount of SQ FT compared to newer places, i'm hoping these two comps will give me a winnner.

LOL, xamsx and linda, it's my daughter who suggested re-carpeting what is the vanity area, and doing the tile in ONLY the shower/WC area. I completely agree about carpeting in the BA.

G'girl, I FEEL i've done a lot of work, too! LOL No upgrades are fairly common in CA, and sellers can still make out like a bandit if they bought at least 10 years ago~it's nine for me, so i'll still fare well.

Jeff, THAT'S my worst nightmare!! if I miss the season, it will be all over as far as me making a good profit. Do you think June is too late? I'm leaving to stay with DD/DH in Austin, and would like to get it listed before April 3, but there could be a time crunch.

Mary, is 'green legacy', the color or the new laminate that's out? I think it's called 'Dreamstar'??

Q'quercus, I thought about that to, but DD advised of not putting any more time OR money into this 'project' as it would not 'pay off' in the long run. In the market, crown molding would not give a higher appraisal, nor would new appliances. However, anything done in kitchens, bathrooms, and wood floors would be considered a major upgrade.

Anyone else have anything to add? I've got to bring this into fruition, and the sooner, the better! ;o)

patty_cakes

Thanks everyone with your swift replies!

Mitch, i'm thinking the same thing~view lots are very big in CA. Along with the amount of SQ FT compared to newer places, i'm hoping these two comps will give me a winnner.

LOL, xamsx and linda, it's my daughter who suggested re-carpeting what is the vanity area, and doing the tile in ONLY the shower/WC area. I completely agree about carpeting in the BA.

G'girl, I FEEL i've done a lot of work, too! LOL No upgrades are fairly common in CA, and sellers can still make out like a bandit if they bought at least 10 years ago~it's nine for me, so i'll still fare well.

Jeff, THAT'S my worst nightmare!! if I miss the season, it will be all over as far as me making a good profit. Do you think June is too late? I'm leaving to stay with DD/DH in Austin, and would like to get it listed before April 3, but there could be a time crunch.

Mary, is 'green legacy', the color or the new laminate that's out? I think it's called 'Dreamstar'??

Q'quercus, I thought about that to, but DD advised of not putting any more time OR money into this 'project' as it would not 'pay off' in the long run. In the market, crown molding would not give a higher appraisal, nor would new appliances. However, anything done in kitchens, bathrooms, and wood floors would be considered a major upgrade.

Anyone else have anything to add? I've got to bring this into fruition, and the sooner, the better! ;o)

patty_cakes

I would just say be careful what you are spending, as you more than likely will not get back 100% of what you spent. I think there are several studies out on ROI for new baths, kitchens, etc. What helps and what doesn't. I'm sure you could find it with a good Google search.

Here is a link that might be useful: What to fix or not. an article

G'girl, thanks for the site~it all really makes sense! I have a pretty good head on my shoulders and know that if *I* were the one looking to buy, a granite counter might impress me, but would not be my logic for buying. It was the SQ FT that sold me in the first place as well as the layout. NOTHING had been upgraded, just new paint. I installed inexpensive carpeting before moving in, and with so much wear and tear, installed the wood only four years later.

I want my home to show well~clean, and taken care of because I have loved living here. I'm sort of sentimental and want someone to love and enjoy it as much as I have.

I sit up on a hill and get the evening sunset, and there's always a nice breeze coming up from the canyon. In 1984 it was designed with an Italian village in mind. Red tile roofs, tan stucco, and big windows, give it a pleasant look from the outside. I can only hope that a future buyer sees what I see, and falls in love. ;o)

patty_cakes

patty - it sounds like you have done similar renos to what we have done. We haven't listed our house yet, but will be soon due to a job transfer.

We live in AZ, so needs are different here. Where I come from, carpet is very common in the FR/LR/DR and bedrooms. But in AZ, tile is the way to go, so we tiled our entire house, but carpeted the bedrooms.

We had the entire inside painted, including the ceilings. Walls Dunn Edwards Inside Passage, Ceilings Swiss coffee. New custom window coverings and just had new light fixtures and faucets installed.

I got the light fixtures on clearance at a tent sale for a big light store here. Beautiful, for not much money. They were normally $250, I got them for $30. THe difference is amazing.

So in all, we changed the flooring, painted the walls, ceiling and kitchen cupboards, new window coverings, light fixtures (for very cheap, but they are far from cheap looking) and plumbing fixtures.

We've had compliments galore on the transformation and our realtor expects us to not necessarily get all our money back, but because of the neutral colours and the freshness of the home, coupled with up to date features like light fixtures, our home will most likely sell faster at a better price. It's move in ready and that's what you want.
We didn't want to over-renovate for our area either and we're finished. We're not doing anything else.

Instead of replacing all the appliances, offer a home warranty which will give buyer's peace of mind if an appliance konks out. Don't go to the expense of appliances. And don't do granite counters either if your area and price range does not support it. I wanted to do countertops and our realtor said it would be a waste of money for our area.

One other thing is to make sure the little things are taken care of. Once you reach a higher level of renovations, all the small things become way more noticable. Example, looked at a home that was perfect except for a bit of a bad paint line from ceiling to wall. No big deal but it was SO SO noticable because everything else was perfect.

Patty, June 30 is typically the busiest closing day of the year and in our area 60 day closing is typical. Math says you have to sell by April 30...give a month on market to be safe. I am actually seeing Feb was a very HOT month (end at least). I would not wait much past end of this month.

You probably don't need to do it there then.

Here in GA just about every new const has crown moulding and at least some wood floors I wouldn't even consider a house that didn't have those basic ammenities but california is a much different place.