I would leave it as is and let the buyers make the decisions. My friend just bought a house with an awful but very large kitchen. The backsplash was mirrors! He removed them, but up stick on tiles until he remodels.

White Birch.

Do nothing! Chances are that whatever you put in won’t necessarily be what the buyer would want, speaking from experience. We purchased our house 4+ years ago, while it was being prepped for selling the owner installed new floors throughout, flooring that we would NEVER select. The house had so many other pluses ( location primarily , beach & harbor ), we bought it anyway.

Realtors love a quick sale.

I’d do absolutely nothing! New buyers will likely want to choose the flooring and would want to replace the carpet in any event.

If carpet is everywhere else just least leave the kitchen floors as they are since most people will want to change the carpet let them decide the floor

Hi Patricia - a few years you commented on a flooring issue I had at a different house and you were spot on with your advice! On this house - this house is in a retirement community and it is like pulling teeth to find anyone to do anything - not like being in a metropolitan area - which is why the realtor suggested that we do the work. Especially since there is another house just like it a few blocks away that needs the same work and the sellers didn't do it. I am willing to spend the $ for the flooring - but I am stumped.

Looks like you have already emptied the house (good for you, that's a lot of work) and are ready to make changes for selling.

Four questions:

1- What do the nearby houses that sold recently (the comps your agent will have shown you) have for carpet, flooring, and countertops?

2- Are there any new houses, condos or townhouses that are selling quickly to your target market that you could look at, either online or in real life?

3- Are you in a fashion-forward metropolitan area or a more laid back area that isn't as quick to respond to new trends?

4- How old are the white appliances?

normally i would say leave it but with other units sitting there, I’d be more tempted to do the work

One approach is to find the best floor pros in the area and talk with them about wood laminate or LVP (luxury vinyl planks) floors - they can be very cost effective and will be seen as a big upgrade from all the carpet

pros often have a favorite product they like to work with (Cortec, mohawk revwood etc) - once you determine that you could likely find a color within that brand that works with the maple cabs

also this facebook group has tons of info and reccos on different brands etc

https://www.facebook.com/share/g/17wyEE9iud/

I like la_la Gril's idea to talk to local floor pros. Flooring preferences are regional. In my area, LVP is seen as a downgrade because most houses have solid hardwood in living areas and porcelain tile in kitchens and bathrooms. In an area just a few miles away, LVP is seen as a trendy budget-friendly choice to replace old sheet vinyl and vinyl tile throughout the house. Know your market.

I like the current flooring, it appears to match well. Only thing I would change are the counters. Vinyl flooring and white appliances are easy care, ideal for retirees imo.

" There are two other houses just like this one that need updates, and they have been sitting on the market for awhile. "

Nothing pricing the property better will not cure. I would not change the flooring. Take the $ you were going to spend on the flooring off the prcing as a concesion. Price it to sell.

^ agree, not worth it to just change the kitchen

I will say new flooring can make a huge change and doesnt have to be super $$$

I agree with Chrispa’s advice to do all one flooring on main floor or don’t do anything. Carpeting in main areas of home dates the home. Many people are put off if the house is too dated, as they don’t want the hassle to update. So if you have money to put into it, redo it well and you’d have better luck enticing a buyer.

I agree with Chispa as well. All or nothing. You could offer a flooring allowance in the listing to make it more attractive to potential buyers. Whole house flooring is taste specific and it's better to let the buyers make the decision as to what they want.

Oh my - just analyzed the other units on the market and the solds. The other 25 year old house just as dated as mine has a list price of 539,000, which is $50,000 less than a brand new house, same size and general area. It has been sitting for 68 days. A similar house that is 4 years old is listed at 569,000. The other house that is 20 something years old is not exactly the same model, but listed at $549,000. This is a remote area in the Pacific Northwest - 30 minutes from big box stores, so not city or fashion forward. Houses in this price range seem to have vinyl.

Make it appealing for buyers, and show them the possibilities.

I agree with other posters - don't make any changes as the new buyer may have something completely different in mind. Houses don't seem to be selling at the same quick pace as they did just a couple of years ago. It may take a bit longer for yours to sell. So, will suggest patience.

Waht did you hope to get for this house ? That decides how much you spend to get it , keeping in mind now what ever you spend comes off the profit. To my eye the whole kitchen is dated so leave it , clean it and price accordingly . 68 days is not long and if you price right you might sell faster.

Most realtors are using AI generated staging. Let the realtor do their thing price to sell with a $$ flooring allowance.

Patricia Colwell -price is the question. I don't want it to become some flipper's project if the changes are so easy. Can't sell it for the brand new $589,000 price, and a similar house to mine sold for $509,000 eight months ago, but it had new quartz, stainless appliances, updated carpet and vinyl....But in 2023 and 2024 two houses with no updates sold for $499,000...

On line photos are not always true, but the house looks good to me. I have bought a lot of homes over the years, honestly, it is the property, the layout of the house that sells one to me. As long as it is clean, with no odors, that is what I want. I'll do the floors, the rugs, everything the way I want it. LVP, new or not, would come up. Price it to sell. Start at least 10% lower than the other two unsold houses.

As a seller, I already have in my mind the price I want to get. Knowing what you know about the other two homes, realistically, do you have a number in your mind?

What is important is to get an offer. That gets the ball rolling. Then you and prospective buyer can rally back and forth.

Are these your photos for us, or are they listing photos? If for listing, do over the first one...lighting distorts the wall color.

I'm in the don't do anything camp. Price it accordingly, and it will sell.

Do you know WHY the units are just sitting there? May or may not have anything to do with the floor/house not being fixed up. Even if it is, it's nothing price won't fix.

You will not get near enough more money to warrant your efforts let alone costs!!! Price the home accordingly knowing it needs a few things and allow your buyers to choose what they will live with!! The age of the home comes with expectations of needing a few things freshened up. Realtors go insane with these updates and frankly after helping three offspring purchase homes the disappointment of 'new' junk they hate is much greater than any disinterest in fixing it up themselves!! They don't want to trash brand new flooring or counters but they HATE what was chosen. DON'T DO IT. Maybe get a new Realtor instead!!

Another vote for leaving it. Everything looks clean and well-kept. A flooring allowance is common enough when the seller acknowledges the need for replacement.

If there are a lot of retirees in your area, it's understandable that they may not want to deal with renovations- and especially, since you mention that contractors are not easy to come by there.

From my perspective, if I were moving into this house, and did not want a big project right away- I think that if the countertops were changed, and the light box (fluorescent?) was addressed- I would be fine- until I figured out if, and what, I wanted to change. The white appliances would not bother me at all, if the countertop was more in sync- and if they are working appliances.

Obviously you would not need to put in marble or quartz. I recommend Formica Calacatta Cava. Durable, very cost effective and attractive. A subtle, realistic marble type look- much more realistic than anything I have seen in quartz. Alternatively, you could just do a plain, solid white Formica, which could also work. I think my first choice for this would be the Calacatta Cava, though.

And it would be good to have all the carpeting ”green cleaned”.

If these few steps, plus staging, do not sell the house fast enough for you- then you can always go further,

I would also question the GIVE A $HIT on the latest updated whatever according to whoever the powers that be on decor have decreed . If it is all in good repair, the retirees are the ones who prefer carpet underfeet most often, etc etc etc. Or do what you want, waste your time and effort and money. Either way the price will be the over all encompassing issue for anyone buying a home. It is INSANE that a person who has lived in a house for 50 years cannot sell and buy smaller, and come out with money in the bank. These 'retirement' homes are so over priced it takes many out of the market. You can hire help for YEARS on what you would lose when you 'downsize".

The first thing to do is get quotes, and it may change your mind…allowing you to list lower than the other two. It also gets the house on the market in a season when there are more buyers. If you don’t live close, consider your involvement and time..finding contractors/handymen, or working on things yourself, dealing with issues (which there will be).

My 90 year old mother considered updating her first floor and when she learned what a house a few doors down invested/got (exact layout), she changed her mind, on the advice of her agent as well.

"It is INSANE that a person who has lived in a house for 50 years cannot sell and buy smaller, and come out with money in the bank. These 'retirement' homes are so over priced it takes many out of the market. You can hire help for YEARS on what you would lose when you 'downsize". "

Ain't that the truth... It's ridiculous. No...it's criminal.

From what you wrote about the houses which did sell, the market only valued those upgrades at $10,000.
That is your breakeven benchmark on doing or not doing upgrades.