I suggest NOT going through the expense of new countertops for your kitchen for the purpose of selling. What if you pick a granite that a potential buyer hates and wants to replace anyway? If you're going to change anything, get that ceiling fan in the kitchen removed.

Declutter, clean, stage. That’s it.

I disagree with the previous poster. I think you’ll get your money back upgrading the laminate to granite. Especially if selling fast is important. Unless your house is a real dump (and it doesn’t look like it from the pictures) people want to live in it for awhile before making changes. I don’t think I would go with either of those those. Have you considered painting the cabinets as well? I would paint them a light cream, white or gray and get a quartz that looks like marble. Or not paint them and go with a granite that’s almost black.

Completely agree with the suggestions here. We've been through this more than once, and buyers are very likely to change your upgrades. As Sina said, it's just not worth it.

"We need to sell for top dollar and fast"

Putting in new counters will not ensure this. And as said above, there's a good chance you might lose money. The granite samples you show will clash with your backsplash. And also, what are you going to do with your overmount sink? Replace that too for an undermount? And then the faucet? And then the backsplash? See, this is all a slippery slope. I'd leave your counter as is, and price your home accordingly.

If you want to "sell fast", price it to sell fast. If you want to "sell for top dollar", it is unlikely you will sell fast. Unless (1) your home is located in a hot seller's market (then there surely is no reason to change the counters), and/or (2) your home is very much better than all the rest for sale in the area, "top dollar" is a dream. Homes sell for what the market will pay for it.

I wouldn't change the counter, but I would change the sink to stainless.

I think a new counter, sink and faucet is a great idea. Not too much money but a big impression.

Im not so into your two choices. I’d do something brighter, close to the color of the backsplash.

I'm in the majority here. The two granites under consideration will add zero value. Clean and stage.

It depends who you are trying to attract. You probably will not get your money back, but you may be able to sell faster than if you do not update.

Certainly, a number of people have money to buy and change things, but there are a lot of people, particularly at this time of the year, who want to buy and move before the next school year start, and for them, a ready to move place will be an advantage, or simply they do not want to have to do repairs/updating in their new house.

This said, your kitchen looks good as it is, so it may not be necessary to update, but if you do, I like the second one better.

You say you want to sell fast but don't say how long that is. Do you have 2 weeks or 6 months? If you change out the counters are you doing it yourself or hiring someone? If hiring someone can you get them and the product delivered in your time frame? What is your plan if the backsplash or cabinets are damaged during the change? That will be extra costs and time delay. It's easy to say just change the counter top but in reality there can be unexpected issues.

Hi Julie,

Great kitchen!

Personally?

I'd change out all the light bulbs for LED, replace/get rid of the dated ceiling fan & chandelier, declutter everything on the counters, add simple in cabinet lighting for the glass uppers, ditch the bakers rack or whatever that metal thing is, switch out backless stools so as not to impede the lovely viewline, and remove the dog bowl.

Can you post a pic with your back to the window looking in?

You have a lovely home, but agree with not over investing and pricing competitively.

I could not agree more with Janie Gibbs.

As always, great comments. This is my folks’ house and they are in their 80s. My mom has great taste and the house (ranch on a basement) is very nice with lots quality features like molding, hardwood floors, custom bookshelves in the library (but lots of people don’t even care about those anymore!), extra insulation, sprinkler system, etc. but the lot is small and it is a bit over-improved. We tried to sell FSBO last August (terrible timing) with no luck. They made choices (ex. vinyl flooring in the laundry room and master bathroom because it’s easier on your back than tile) for their own preference and not for resale so I’m concerned about its quality rating upon appraisal. The upgraded countertops were a bit of a signal that hey, this is a really nice house. Here’s a photo the other direction.

I think your granite choices suit the kitchen. But I still wouldn’t do it for the reasons others mentioned.

I would provide a credit to be used for new counters in lieu of replacing the counters.

As a buyer, I would prefer to pick my finishes so that would be a real incentive. I would actually prefer ugly formica so I wouldn't have to feel guilty about ripping it out.

Also, as others have posted, one doesn't just change the counter - one also changes the sink and faucet - usually the garbage disposal as well if one is changing the sink. And all of those costs add up.

And editing to add that your granite choices would be something that I would NOT choose at all and so would be purchasing DESPITE the ugly (to me) granite. When I moved into my first condo, it had harvest gold formica - not my taste but I was fine with replacing it because I didn't feel as though I had "paid" for it the way I assumed I was paying for granite I didn't like.

Change the lighting, get rid of that fan, declutter, update any other lighting, and hire a good agent to sell. I would rather redo the kitchen myself as a buyer than deal with a new countertops that I don't like. If anything you can offer a credit for countertops.

Julie -- I've been down that path several times. I suggest you find an experienced realtor to work with and ask his/her opinion. Real estate markets vary wildly from place to place -- good advice in one market is often bad advice in another. Regardless what you decide to do, price the house as the realtor advises. Overpriced houses sit on the market for a long time -- I know this from personal experience. Good luck with the sale.

Julie, markets can, of course, vary but it looks like a really nice kitchen. If I loved a house, something like countertops would not deter me from buying. Our current home was FULL of pretty strange wallpaper when it went on the market. Even the sellers' realtor chuckled about it being everywhere. We loved the house and had the wallpaper removed as soon as we moved in. We've sold several properties, and there's something to be said when it comes to just cleaning and decluttering. Neither of those appear to be a problem with your parents' home.

If the home is already "over-improved" for the market definitely do NOT invest any more money in it. A home's value will always have a cap on it based on what the buyers in the market are willing to pay. It sounds like your parents may have invested beyond that, but not necessarily in the right places to attract buyers. Tossing in more money isn't going to fix it.

No to new counters. (but declutter what is there) Only the table and chairs in dining room. Lose the toaster oven. Every room probably needs a small or large clearout. But most importantly, price to sell. And hit the market with an inspection in hand. That will both clue you in to any potential issues (deal with all of them before listing) and signal to buyers that this is a very well-maintained home.

Changing to that dated granite won't give you any more money than the laminate you have. As others have said, clean, declutter and make it look spotless and nice. It's a beautiful kitchen as is and is quite livable so that anyone who wants to make changes in the future can.

Janie Gibbs advice is spot on.

Also if you want to sell quickly you need to price it correctly. Your house is only worth what similar homes in your neighborhood are worth. New counters will not help you sell it for more. That's an HGTV lie.

I think it's a nice space & wouldn't bother with big changes. Just a good clean, de-clutter, read a few articles for staging & let the chips fall where they may. Our neighbors did 2 major projects before selling: a new kitchen & re-landscaped backyard/new patio. Within 2 months the new buys ripped out the kitchen AND the patio to re-do according to their own taste. Any project you do could potentially be a total waste of $$. Not sure where you live / what the market is like, but I think most homes will sell if its priced right. Good luck to your folks!

Have you looked at prefab granite? The layout is well suited for it and probably save a bundle. They usually have absolute black. Might has well throw in an undermount sink at the same time.

Hi Julie,

Agree, your mom has wonderful taste.

In regard to the small lot...perhaps play up the "low maintenance and low cost" aspect in your listing and highlight nearby schools, parks, access to freeways, etc.

Is there a nice flow going from indoors to outdoors? Patio, sliders, french doors, something like that?

If I knew I was purchasing a home from 80+yr old senior citizens, I honestly wouldn't have a beef with vinyl flooring in some rooms, in fact, would prefer it in the laundry room.

Question: Can the library be presented as an additional bedroom?

I have similar cabinets and recently refreshed with new counters, apron front sink and backsplash. I am very happy with my refresh - but we also had our home appraised as part of a home equity loan. The small changes to the kitchen did not increase the value of our home.

The two granite you have pictured are not particularly popular - they are the low cost granites people put in when selling a home:)

Home improvement shows often lead one to believe that they can greatly increase the value of the home with a few cosmetic changes. This is not true. You still have the same square footage in the same neighborhood with a certain number of bedrooms and bathrooms. The age of the roof and AC may be of more importance then the counters.

You cannot really sell for "top dollar" - you can only sell for what you can get somebody to pay for it - and buyers are comparing your home to others on the market. A difference of countertops will not make or break the sale. You may want to look at other homes for sale in your area on a real estate site such a Zillow to see what homes are selling for, how long they have been on the market, and how they compare to your parents.

If I bought your parent's home, I would make the same changes I made in my kitchen - I would not like those granite choice. I like my own choices - and they would be different from someone else's choices.

A couple things to consider if you decide to remove and replace the counter top. If you are keeping your tile back splash there is a good possibility that there could be damage to it when taking out the laminate. No matter how careful the install crew is this does happen. Another area to consider is if you do not add a granite back splash it will be a challenge to match the new counter top height to the old laminate height. This could very well create gaps between your existing back splash and the new counter top. So what you hope would be an easy upgrade has the potential to be a more involved process.

Thanks all for your very helpful comments!

I like the existing Formica better than either of the granite choices.

The only thing that I would do is remove the baker's rack and the knick knacks on the counter. I would leave the ceiling fan in place. I like having a fan in the kitchen. The new owners can easily remove it if they don't want one.

Very nice home that should be sellable as is with some decluttering I imagine. (I have no objections to its current appearance.) Great idea to remove the ceiling fan in the kitchen and change lighting. The current counters look good.

Leave changes for the next owner. For all you know, they want a white modern farm house and will paint the cabinets and change to black counters.

You will have no trouble selling this home without any changes to the kitchen. And my guess is that the rest of the house is in pretty good condition too.

If anything, throw in a countertop 'allowance', clean and declutter. We bought our first house with this and immediately put in some lovely laminate that suited our tastes, lol. you never know what other people want! Also- don't forget professional quality photos in the listing. Worth every penny you will pay for them.

Declutter and clean, clean, clean, and price the house right. It will most likely NOT bring what you parents think it is worth. When we treasure our homes, it is all too easy to think it will mean that much to others, but it rarely does. I'm 75 and selling will be in my future and I'm being very realistic about what I will get for this house.

The Return on Investment for virtually all renovations is negative. You spend more than you get back. You lose money.

I'm guessing that is not your goal.

Price your home right and you will sell fast. Over price the home and it sits on the market and gets stale, you lower the price a few times and it eventually sells, but usually for less than it would have sold if you priced it right to begin with.

Realtors would prefer if you updated the granite countertop. It will make the house easier to sell and will increase the sales price and in turn, their commission. It will also cost you more than the increase in sale price.

How to price your home right - get a comparative market analysis from your realtor or through the internet. How much have homes in the neighborhood sold for in the past 6 months. Are they similar in size and scope (square footage/number of bedrooms and bathrooms). Are they in excellent, good, fair or poor condition? Find the three that are most similar to your parents home. Adjust the price for square footage differences. You are now in the right ballpark. This will be the value that a seller's agent will tell their sellers to offer and the price that an appraiser will look at to determine the value of your house.

Next, go see the homes that are currently on the market in this price range in the same school district and similar neighborhood. Your potential buyer is going to pick the nicest house they can get within their budget.

Price your home so that it is the nicest home in that price range.

If every other home in your area has granite countertops and your home does not have granite you need to price the home lower to attract a buyer that can't quite afford the neghborhood or add granite, knowing that you will spend more to make it comparable to the other homes, but can still only ask the price that makes your home the nicest one in the price range.

When you settle in on a price you now have to make sure your home is marketed appropriately.

You need good pictures, a great description and it must be listed on the MLS, zillow, ,realtor.com, trulia.com and redfin. Highlight all of the homes best features. Do not lie when you describe the property - if you say it is a 3 bedroom home and it really is a 2 bedroom with an office buyers will perceive you as being dishonest and will look for other descrepancies.

Open houses are generally held so that the realtor can get a list of potential buyers - not necessarily for your home, but people they can sell a home, any home. Brokers open houses are held to market your house to the realtors in the area. Realtors generally come to the houses that offer the best incentive - good food, lottery tickets or a drawing for a great gift basket.

This used to be very important, but now most people are looking for the house of their dreams on one of the real estate web sites. They rely less on realtors to find the perfect house. If a realtor wants to keep your house off the MLS and web sites for a few days it is because they want to double their commission (Buyer and seller representative) and they have a better chance if the other realtors can't see your house.

If a realtor says they can get a higher price than what you have researched and found to be a fair market price, be concerned. They will try to entice you to list with them based on empty promisses. The listing is a great way to get people to call. Most people don't end up buying the house, they buy something else that your realtor shows them.

If you hire a realtor ask for a list of their last 25 listings. How many are still on the market, how many expired without selling, how many sold. Did they sell at or close to list price? How many days did they sit on the market. What is the average days on market for houses in your area. Validate the information on the current listings by looking on the internet. You can google their office and it will show you all the listings. You can always look up the details on another site if they realtors office does not offer information on how long listings have sat on the market or how many price cuts there have been.

Good luck!

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Its a nice kitchen. The counters you have already look better than any of those you posted. I would leave the counters. I would however, change out ceiling fan, and most definitely put in a stainless steel sink. I dislike stainless myself, but, in your case, the white just doesnt look right with the rest of the kitchen.

I'm with most everyone else on this. I'd leave the counters and take out the ceiling fan and bakers rack. I think it's a lovely space overall!

Beautiful home. We helped my in-laws stage their home for sale. From that experience, I think your time, effort and money would be well spent on cleaning, decluttering and staging. Leave the counters, if it becomes an issue, see if the buyer will accept money back at closing toward new countertops. But that house will show well, and you may find you won't even need to address what you feel might be a problem with the kitchen. That home looks well loved and cared for, best of luck!