If you were the homeowner and not the fabricator, what would YOU do? As the fabricator/fixer, what would like the homeowner to do?

I'd go for a large rectangle of black tile.

Eh, I'd do nothing. The tile insert would be more obtrusive to me than that ring pictured. My mom had a brown burn circle in her white Corian kitchen counter. Much more glaring than what's in the OP. Her house sold just fine.

I'd probably do nothing and keep a removable trivet on top of it, and cross the bridge of resale when that time comes.

In our neighbourhood the burn would have zero effect on sale or sale price. I would not want the black tile rectangle insert either. There are other things that I thought were horrid and after awhile I stopped noticing. I'd probably leave it as is and see if it disappears from my sight as well.

I'll put a $100.00 bounty, to go to their favorite charity, on every Realtor who agrees that they would take that listing without repair/replacement. Never gonna happen.

How that plays at resale depends entirely on the market. Where we used to live in the Bay Area, that wouldn't even slow down a million dollar sale.

As far as what I'd do personally? It would depend on my finances. I'd either live with it or replace all the tops. I don't like that pattern so I wouldn't throw any money at keeping it.

How'd they do that? Just a hot pan?

eam - that is a really pretty pic of a pretty plant in a simple pretty white pot :-)

That's a function of your real estate market then Joseph. And of what the price point of the house is, maybe.

There were two offers on the house I now own when it was accidentally put back on the market with a giant hole where one of the bathrooms used to be.

A burn on the counter would not deter a realtor from listing and it would not deter a lot of buyers either.

And depending upon the price point and the neighborhood a counter that color might be one of the first things to go anyway.

"How'd they do that? Just a hot pan?"

Yes. Estone is easily damaged by heat, but unlike solid surface, is not repairable in some cases.

Joe, can you explain what Estone is? Is it another name for quartz? I would be so mad at myself if I did this!

Also the location of the burn makes a difference. Next to the sink is often covered with stuff anyway. If it were front and center on a focal point island it might be different. My glass back splash was cracked at the time of sale --it was the second one that cracked in the same spot--and no one brought it up as a point because it was a natural counter top appliance location. It's still there too. The current owners, second after me, haven't replaced it.

I know I keep chiming in, but I am a curious about this from a real estate market standpoint.

Do you know how old this kitchen is? That's the other thing that would make a difference here. If this is a newer kitchen, maybe under seven years or so, it may be a bigger deal. If it were a new kitchen and that's what the buyer was expecting it would be a negotiation point.

If this were an older kitchen, 10 or 15 years old, I don't think the buyer would try using it as a negotiation point in my overall market and if they did the seller would probably tell them to bug off (except if it was maybe $1000 or two, which would be symbolic more than anything else, at the prices here).

Could it be made into a dish drainer thing (add runnels)? It looks like it's beside a sink.

I was kidding about the plant, but that would be a great spot for runnels.

Great minds think alike loon!

As a buyer, I'd look at that as a great excuse to replace a counter top that I don't care for.

Since it's so close to the sink, I would put one of those microfiber dish drying mats over it or a colorful hand towel and try to forget my mistake. It's a sellers market where I live and the burn mark probably wouldn't deter the right buyer. I just had quartz installed and the idea that this could happen is unnerving.

"Joe, can you explain what Estone is? Is it another name for quartz?"

Shame on me for not being more clear. Estone is short for "engineered stone" such as Cambria, Zodiaq, Hanstone, Silestone, etc. Not to be confused with quartzite which is a natural stone and still not heat proof.

"Could it be made into a dish drainer thing (add runnels)? It looks like it's beside a sink."

Thanks for another great idea that I should have listed. I could replace the stainless steel sink with one that has a built-in drainboard. It would look like it was always planned that way. If those sinks are $1,500.00, it's going to be another $1,500.00 for labor, so the burn is still at 3K, but now they have a fabulous sink. And a permanent place to set hot pots.

"Do you know how old this kitchen is?"

Not exactly, but I'd guess no more than a decade or so. It's a fairly modern condo development.

So many of my repairs are at the insistence of Realtors. They want to make the house as easy to sell as possible and remove as many things from the home inspectors list as they can. Why give your adversaries ammunition to fire at you? It doesn't make any sense.

Some cases are a little more clear cut than others. Here's a no-brainer:

This crack repair in solid surface along with a large top refinish and re-caulk job cost the homeowners $500.00. The house is for sale and will sell faster and for more money with this repair value.

Quite interesting. If I had the money to repair this, I'd probably have redone the counters a while back.
Or cover it up with a drainage sink, the "permanent place to set hot pots" lol.
Failing that, a pot plant Quite interesting. If I had the money to repair this, I'd probably have redone the counters a while back.
Or cover it up with a sink with drainage section, the "permanent place to set hot pots" lol.

I'd just set a lot more hot pots down since I don't like the color anyway. After my grandkids got through with all Koolaid and my husband with the knives and superglue, it probably wouldn't matter.

Consumers need to see the damage that can be caused by a single incidence of failure to follow the manufacturer's care and use instructions. Granite owners, you are not exempt, just more unlikely to experience this as easily.

I concur with those who say it depends on the market. In my neck of the woods, North Shore-Nassau County on Long Island, that kitchen's going to be ripped out and replaced, as a matter of course. Same for any bathrooms. In fact, the entire house is likely to be renovated.

That blemished countertop won't matter, one whit.

In my real estate market that wouldn't deter anyone and you wouldn't have to list the condo/ house at a discount either.

What would I do? Smack whoever did it and live with it.

SF Peninsula here- that countertop is irrelevant any way you slice it. Either the buyers have the money to rip anything that is not the latest and greatest out, or the buyers are stretched too thin from the mortgage and are grateful they found a house they sorta could afford and cannot quibble about counters. Those are our two worlds.

Where I live that wouldn't make a iota of difference in the sales price, especially because it is kitchen and people tend to plan renovations to it when buying, even if not immediately.

And that is not a safety or code issue.

If I was considering buying a house like this, I wouldn't care. When we bought our house 2 years ago it pained me to rip the brand new carpet the previous HO had installed for sale. I had it done 1 week after signing because I wanted hardwood.

Joe, is it possible to router out an integral drainboard without changing the sink? The presence of horizontal lines or runnels would visually disrupt the round burn. It might be far less noticeable - and possibly less expensive?

I'm not a fabricator so I don't know for sure if Runnels could be done on site. But OMG, the dust that would create! It would be insane!

Everything in my world in measured by the cost-effective metric. Could you cut runnels in? Probably, if it had been done in a shop. On site? Unlikely.