Kitchen

[RainyDayGal]

Our house was built in the 70s and I love the uniqueness of it. It doesn't look like all the fancy updated houses out there. A few things were redone, like the kitchen counter tops and floor, and new carpeting. I thought I would change the cabinets but I've grown to love them! The ceramic tile flooring I would change, but I can live with it. But I swear all the original appliances are there (even the furnace). Oh, we did have to replace the water heater recently.

We're all about the perfect property and privacy, not the home. So our needs are totally different than a lot of people.

[151949]

I NEVER understand when people are upset that they can see the neighbor's house from the deck or the windows - OK - have you thought of buying yourself a farm - because anywhere else you live you are going to have neighbors.

[RainyDayGal]

On 5/21/2014 happy housewife said:

I NEVER understand when people are upset that they can see the neighbor's house from the deck or the windows - OK - have you thought of buying yourself a farm - because anywhere else you live you are going to have neighbors.

Oh I totally get it. I hate seeing neighbors and hearing them. But not everyone can move to where you avoid that.

[Eileen in Virginia]

We're still living in the starter home that we bought 30 years ago. It's just the right size for us and you simply can't beat the proximity to Washington DC - roughly 8 miles away. Our kitchen's a galley kitchen that we remodeled in the early 90's to include solid maple cabinets and electric appliances. Like some of the others, we just couldn't justify the cost of running a gas line to the kitchen. I think many of the house virgins on those shows are spoiled and don't have any idea about how much it costs to run a household. I have to laugh when they scoff at some of the fixtures and appliances in the homes they tour. I remember when harvest gold and avocado green were the hot kitchen colors; it wasn't that long ago that black appliances were in demand only to be superceded by stainless steel. I've heard that granite counters are on their way out now. Call me a cynic, but maybe the realtors are recommending these expensive upgrades to increase their commissions. You may not be able to recoup the cost of an expensive kitchen remodel, but their commission will be based on the final sale price. The houses in our community were built in the mid-1950's, so many of them have been remodeled in some way, shape or form. In the past 2 years, sellers in our neighborhood have received multiple offers at or above the asking price within a week of placing the listing. We've decided that we'll make sure our home's functional and that it's pleasant to be in. As long as we like it, that's all that matters. There's a new show called House Hunters - Where are they now? It revisits people who were on the original show and highlights the changes they made to the homes they bought. Ironically, some of them couldn't afford the expensive kitchen remodels that they just had to have when they were looking at the house. Surprisingly, everything's working out just fine as is.

[Blondie28]

On 5/20/2014 MOM of Mason said: Most of the people on the real estate & improvement shows all expect brand new complete kitchens with all the bells & whistles.....if you can afford it without going into debt that's great but it isn't realistic for many people who are trying to put children through school/ college and save for retirement too........

Thank you! I would love to have an updated kitchen and updated bathrooms, but right now it is more important to us that we pay our son and daughter's college tuition, and save for our retirement. I've managed to feed my family in our 1987 kitchen, and stay sparkling clean and smelling nice in the "outdated" bathrooms! I certainly don't need to keep up with the Joneses!

[Fifi1]

Our home is 25 years old and any/every room has been gutted and refreshed. Very few homes in our area still have original anything. We enjoyed our upgrades, and planned and saved for this, so not in debt at all, home paid off years prior and have added a LOT Of equity with the beautiful updates. We did wait til son was out of school and I had completed an advanced degree as we didn't want any loans. Don't plan on moving, so did it for us. Generally when you sell a home you do need to do some updates.

Enjoy your home and make happy memories, that is the most important purpose!

[curlywhitedog]

On 5/21/2014 Eileen in VA said:

We're still living in the starter home that we bought 30 years ago. It's just the right size for us and you simply can't beat the proximity to Washington DC - roughly 8 miles away. Our kitchen's a galley kitchen that we remodeled in the early 90's to include solid maple cabinets and electric appliances. Like some of the others, we just couldn't justify the cost of running a gas line to the kitchen. I think many of the house virgins on those shows are spoiled and don't have any idea about how much it costs to run a household. I have to laugh when they scoff at some of the fixtures and appliances in the homes they tour. I remember when harvest gold and avocado green were the hot kitchen colors; it wasn't that long ago that black appliances were in demand only to be superceded by stainless steel. I've heard that granite counters are on their way out now. Call me a cynic, but maybe the realtors are recommending these expensive upgrades to increase their commissions. You may not be able to recoup the cost of an expensive kitchen remodel, but their commission will be based on the final sale price. The houses in our community were built in the mid-1950's, so many of them have been remodeled in some way, shape or form. In the past 2 years, sellers in our neighborhood have received multiple offers at or above the asking price within a week of placing the listing. We've decided that we'll make sure our home's functional and that it's pleasant to be in. As long as we like it, that's all that matters. There's a new show called House Hunters - Where are they now? It revisits people who were on the original show and highlights the changes they made to the homes they bought. Ironically, some of them couldn't afford the expensive kitchen remodels that they just had to have when they were looking at the house. Surprisingly, everything's working out just fine as is.

As a retired realtor in the business for 35 years, I'm offended by the suggestion that any realtor would put a homeowner in debt for $10,000 (or more) solely to make an additional commission which, in the end, is divided 4 ways anyway. Most of the time the upgrades we suggest are necessary to either substantiate the asking price or elevate that particular property to be equal to or better than others on the market at the same price. Realtors are professionals who are held to extremely high standards and not only don't we look for ways to artificially increase our commissions, many times we're the ones the buyers and/or sellers come to when they need to shave some money off their expenses. I can't tell you how many times I have cut my commission to help a homeowners who wants to accept an offer that's below what they need in order to move on. Realtors are professionals, not charlatans.

Maria

[bbluvr]

and if i hear ""man cave"" one more time.....

[Fifi1]

On 5/21/2014 curlywhitedog said:

On 5/21/2014 Eileen in VA said:

We're still living in the starter home that we bought 30 years ago. It's just the right size for us and you simply can't beat the proximity to Washington DC - roughly 8 miles away. Our kitchen's a galley kitchen that we remodeled in the early 90's to include solid maple cabinets and electric appliances. Like some of the others, we just couldn't justify the cost of running a gas line to the kitchen. I think many of the house virgins on those shows are spoiled and don't have any idea about how much it costs to run a household. I have to laugh when they scoff at some of the fixtures and appliances in the homes they tour. I remember when harvest gold and avocado green were the hot kitchen colors; it wasn't that long ago that black appliances were in demand only to be superceded by stainless steel. I've heard that granite counters are on their way out now. Call me a cynic, but maybe the realtors are recommending these expensive upgrades to increase their commissions. You may not be able to recoup the cost of an expensive kitchen remodel, but their commission will be based on the final sale price. The houses in our community were built in the mid-1950's, so many of them have been remodeled in some way, shape or form. In the past 2 years, sellers in our neighborhood have received multiple offers at or above the asking price within a week of placing the listing. We've decided that we'll make sure our home's functional and that it's pleasant to be in. As long as we like it, that's all that matters. There's a new show called <em>House Hunters - Where are they now?</em> It revisits people who were on the original show and highlights the changes they made to the homes they bought. Ironically, some of them couldn't afford the expensive kitchen remodels that they just had to have when they were looking at the house. Surprisingly, everything's working out just fine as is.

As a retired realtor in the business for 35 years, I'm offended by the suggestion that any realtor would put a homeowner in debt for $10,000 (or more) solely to make an additional commission which, in the end, is divided 4 ways anyway. Most of the time the upgrades we suggest are necessary to either substantiate the asking price or elevate that particular property to be equal to or better than others on the market at the same price. Realtors are professionals who are held to extremely high standards and not only don't we look for ways to artificially increase our commissions, many times we're the ones the buyers and/or sellers come to when they need to shave some money off their expenses. I can't tell you how many times I have cut my commission to help a homeowners who wants to accept an offer that's below what they need in order to move on. Realtors are professionals, not charlatans.

Maria

maria, my very dear friend is a broker and gives up her commission $$$ often to help the seller with upgrades and marketing! She lists and sells plenty, so she does well and has an excellent reputation and eye for what needs to be done! I get what you're saying!

[ROMARY]

Very expensive around here, and contractors take forever to complete kitchens, it seems, in my neighborhood. I know, get a completion date in writing, but what if the manufacturers and others are delayed? Usual remodel around here is almost a year. Who wants to cook in their garage and have all of that dust and debris floating around? The successful neighbors just moved out for a year for kitchen/family room remodels.