What do you want in a home?
So we're going to be selling our home soon. We've been thinking about it for a very long time, keep putting a 2 year time limit on it, and every year we say "another 2 years". Well, we've finally decided that this time we mean it, 2 years!
Some specs on our home. We're the first and only owners, we had it built, and moved in in 1996, so it's around 18 years old. It's a bi-level, in a cul-de-sac, 1066 sq feet, which is only the square footage for the upper level. Large master bedroom, no ensuite but a bathroom a step out the door. The basement is done, so it's more like 2000 liveable square feet. It has 3 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a large kitchen, two family rooms, a lot of storage, and of course a laundry room. It has a decent sized fenced in yard with a retaining wall because we're on the top of a hill. It has a nice sized deck coming off the kitchen. The basement has high ceilings, 9 feet, and the upstairs has vaulted ceilings. It's a nice home for a smaller family, we've just outgrown it (outgrew it 12 years ago actually) and we really want to realize our dream of moving to an acreage.
Anyway, it needs a bit of updating, so I'd like your advice. I know that kitchens and bathrooms sell the house. Our kitchen has white cabinets, and lots of them, tons of counter space, including a counter that is a seating area (it extends over, we have chairs on the opposite side, and people can eat off the counter. Hope that makes sense). It's a cooks kitchen for sure. Tons of room to cook or bake in.
The counters are a grey speckled nothing really special counters. They're in good shape, but dated.
So, if you were looking to buy a home, what would you want to see in the kitchen? I like the dark cabinets, granite counters, tile or laminate flooring, stainless steel appliances, but if a kitchen didn't have all that, I wouldn't care, I'd be willing to renovate. I just need the space, which our kitchen has. But I know that most people want move in ready.
So, if I'm going to spend money upgrading the house so we can sell it for a good price, what should I do?
Do you all prefer the modern look, like I do, or do you like white cabinets? Would you prefer to pick your own counter top and flooring? Should I spend the money knowing that it's my taste, which may not be someone else's taste? What about paint colors? Neutral, or would you care if there's some color?
I was thinking of painting the cabinets black, which would work really well with the existing counter tops, and then putting a grey laminate on the floor. Would that appeal to the majority? I was going to leave the countertops because people seem to be so picky about that.
Thoughts?
What do you want your home to look like? If you were in the market, what would you expect to see, or hope to see? What would you prefer? What would you not care about, and what would be a deal breaker?
Just post what you'd like to see in your home. I'll go with the majority. :)