My wife and I have a long list of remodeling ideas for our new "fixer
upper" house--longer than our budget will allow--so we need to
prioritize. I am also concerned about resale. I know that most
projects don't actually return more than they cost, but I want to
minimize the "loss", while enjoying some improvements. Our own realtor
has not been very helpful, except to say that "new kitchens and baths
will help sell the house."

I am also wondering if it is worth it to hire a professional appraiser
who knows local real estate market to give us more detailed advice. I
figure it's worth it to pay a few hundred dollars before we put down
real money for major upgrades.

Anybody else do this? Was it worth it?

In article .com,
"revheck" wrote:

My wife and I have a long list of remodeling ideas for our new "fixer
upper" house--longer than our budget will allow--so we need to
prioritize. I am also concerned about resale. I know that most
projects don't actually return more than they cost, but I want to
minimize the "loss", while enjoying some improvements. Our own realtor
has not been very helpful, except to say that "new kitchens and baths
will help sell the house."

I'd suggest doing the minimum possible to spruce up the house,
then sell it and move up to a house that is more in tune with
what you want. The reason is that folks always look at a house
thinking that they can fix up this or that, and they don't realize
how much time, money, work, and distruption it really is. Do only
what you need, then let someone else follow their dream, while
you move into a finished house that is ready to enjoy day one.

-john-

--
================================================== ====================
John A. Weeks III 952-432-2708
Newave Communications http://www.johnweeks.com
================================================== ====================

"revheck" wrote in
oups.com:

My wife and I have a long list of remodeling ideas for our new "fixer
upper" house--longer than our budget will allow--so we need to
prioritize. I am also concerned about resale. I know that most
projects don't actually return more than they cost, but I want to
minimize the "loss", while enjoying some improvements.

Unless you are in the middle of a "hot" housing area, almost all
renovstion projects lose money -- you are very lucky (and good) if one
actually breaks even.

Our own realtor
has not been very helpful, except to say that "new kitchens and baths
will help sell the house."

Your realtor is correct. Those are the most expensive and time
consuming reno jobs, so it makes sense that they would help sell the
house. Try a different realtor as well -- some are better than others
when it comes to this type of suggestion.

I am also wondering if it is worth it to hire a professional appraiser
who knows local real estate market to give us more detailed advice.

An appraiser isn't what you want -- that's just a realtor working under
a different name :-) You need to find a professional house flipper;
those are the guys that really know how to squeeze every penny out of a
renovation. You might also try hiring an interior designer (not
decorator) -- a good one can at least point out some areas for major
improvement.

I figure it's worth it to pay a few hundred dollars before we put down
real money for major upgrades.

Anybody else do this? Was it worth it?

My suggestion -- do the minimal fixes to your house, sell it, and buy
something more to your liking. It doesn't sound like you have done
major renovations before, and words can't describe how much pain and
work you are getting into. For a small taste, here are a few shots of
our house during the kitchen renovation:

http://members.shaw.ca/murraypeterson/reno-during.jpg
http://members.shaw.ca/murraypeterson/reno-halfdone.jpg

We have done major renovations before, so we knew what to expect. Even
then, five months of cooking on a hotplate and washing dishes in our
bathtub was not exactly a joy.

--
Murray Peterson

look at energy star items which will pay for themselves.
curb appeal and paint and landscaping will sell the house, but the
insulation, quiet HVAC, handicap access, skylights, decks, pool, solar
roof, wind generator, geothermal heat, architectural LED lighting, and
incredibly low utility bills will make your home most desirable to you
and future buyers.

On 26 Dec 2005 14:39:02 -0800, someone wrote:

My wife and I have a long list of remodeling ideas for our new "fixer
upper" house--

Are you fixing it for yourself to enjoy, or fixing it to sell?

If you are fixing it to sell, you are in business, and shouldn't
expect to rely on usenet to make your business decisions for you (I
used to rehab houses to sell, but that's a whole nother step past
'fixing up'). If you have to ask, you shouldn't be doing it (for
resale reasons that is).

Fix to live in, do the things that will make the greatest difference
in your comfort and enjoyment first. Then after all is said and done
you will have a nice house to live in. And depending on what the
market and your life does, you stay or sell.



Reply to NG only - this e.mail address goes to a kill file.

"Are you fixing it for yourself to enjoy, or fixing it to sell? "

That'a a very good and important question. Another is how long you
think you will likely be in the home. I think an appraiser is probably
a waste. Some searching of the internet will show you which
improvements have the best return. Usually at the top of the list are
adding a bathroom to a house that only has one and renovating the
kitchen if it's in poor shape. It's not usual for even these to bring
positive returns, unless what you have is a real mess. So, I would use
any lists of returns only as a general guide and focus on what will
make you happy as long as you're going to live there for a reasonable
time. If not, then I would only fix things that are in real bad shape
and likely to turn off a buyer.

wrote in message
ups.com...
look at energy star items which will pay for themselves.
curb appeal and paint and landscaping will sell the house, but the
insulation, quiet HVAC, handicap access, skylights, decks, pool, solar
roof, wind generator, geothermal heat, architectural LED lighting, and
incredibly low utility bills will make your home most desirable to you
and future buyers.

In my opinion, energy efficient upgrades do not result in a very good
payback when it comes to resale. For example, the price to install a 16 SEER
HVAC system vs a 10 SEER one is substantial. Also, the cost of R-6 Heat
Mirror glass in windows vs plain old double pane (non LowE) glass is
substantial. Most buyers couldn't tell the difference between the two and
probably won't be willing to shell out the differential. Stick to the tried
and true items to maximize your returns as mentioned by the others. It's
unfortunate in this day and age that energy efficient is so low on the list.

-al sung
Rapid Realm Technology, Inc.
Hopkinton, MA