"Lauri" wrote...

I'm struggling with the decision whether I should remodel my current
home or sell it and buy something newer with more of the features I
want...
Lauri in WA

I'm shocked. Shocked, mind you, and almost unsure if this is still USENET
;-) Here we have an original post, several sensible replies, quick
re-replies from Lauri...and not a troll or know-it-all to be seen. Just
joking--if only this was not the exception in newsgroups!

One potentially final reply from me, Lauri.

If going the remodel route (which sounds scary to me given all you've said
in your first post), take a look at some solid kitchen counter tops rather
than just replacing with new laminate. When on sale, the
less-expensive-than-granite options like Silestone or Corian will really add
to a kitchen renovation. They're worth checking out at a place like Home
Depot or whatever and if you go in with your rough current counter
dimensions, you can get a good ballpark figure for the total bill. I put in
Silestone (cheaper than granite and no annual/semi-annual sealing required)
and really love it. Of course, with any solid countertop material, you will
have the option also of undermounting the sink--very nice, too. Figure $200
for a new sink, $100 for a new faucet and an extra $200 labor if
undermounting. Home Depot has a great store-brand sink, the Pegasus brand
"granite" sink in black or white. It's something like 80% granite and 20%
resin.

Sell/Buy As another has said, maybe avoiding the Realtor in your home
is smart right now as there is a lot you can do on your own. You can
certainly visit open houses and check your local MLS on the internet for
newer homes to buy. Also, if your area is like mine, homes often sell in a
very narrow range of dollars/sq.ft. of living area. Armed with your area's
price per sq. ft., a quick measurement of your home could estimate what you
could sell it for.

Craig