*Disclaimer #1* These pics were taken at the end of the day without a bit of picking up. Please try to ignore the dirty dishes, toys on the floor, etc.
*Disclaimer #2* I know our house is WAY too cluttered for selling. And it's even worse than usual right now, because I'm starting to get ready for the next consignment sale so there are piles of clothes everywhere. I'm looking for suggestions beyond "get rid of the clutter" 'cause I know that is a need! Specifically, I need to know what your biggest issues would be if you were looking to buy this house.
Front of the house: The grass on one side is pretty much dead because we need to get the sprinklers repaired. The bushes are somewhat overgrown.
Entryway - The exterior portion of the door could stand to be refinished.
Computer room - This is technically the formal dining room, but we don't have a formal dining set so the room got repurposed. The pictures are taken catty-corner from each other. What would you do with this room for selling since we don't have a dining set?
"Formal" Living room - The first picture shows the view from the entryway; the second is catty-corner. We have never figured out a good layout for this room because there needs to be room for traffic flow behind the love seat, and the french doors block off a bunch of another wall.
Kitchen - Cramped & lacking counter space (can't do much about that without a major remodel), and yes, that is purple counters and backsplash. The microwave and one burner have issues but still function.
Breakfast room - The first picture looks in toward the kitchen & shows the pantry. The second shows the built-in hutch. Those are two of my favorite things about the house. The color on the walls is wallpaper.
Laundry room - This is standing in the doorway from the kitchen. The door leads to the garage. The room could stand to be repainted.
Sun room - Sorry, I know it's a big mess. These pictures are taken catty-corner. This is one of the few rooms we've redecorated. The floor has some damage that we're not sure how to repair. The exterior door desperately needs to be refinished.
Playroom - This is right off the entryway. Three walls are built-in bookshelves. Love the room, but it is hard to place furniture since there's basically no wall space. I know the paneling looks dated but not sure what else to do with it.Now we're heading down the hall to the bedroom area....
Kids' bathroom - See anything that needs updating? The discoloration in the shower is where we replaced some grout with the wrong color. We need to dig it out and redo it but haven't gotten to it yet.
DS's room - We'd love to get that water softener out of his closet as we don't use it. Would we call a plumber for that?
DD's room - There is a portion of her ceiling that needs to be replaced because of a roof leak that has long since been fixed. I'm sure that's one that definitely needs to be done before selling, yes?
Master bedroom - Not much to say about it!
Master bathroom - This is my sink area. DH has his own sink area from another doorway in the room, and the shower & toilet are in between them. It's kind of like a Jack & Jill bathroom but in one room. I know the sinks probably need to be redone (it's the 70s swirled marble with a shell-shaped sink). How about the color of paint? The tub/shower has several issues but we don't have the money or strength for a bathroom remodel right now. It does function.
Backyard - The first picture is looking from the back door to the corner, and the second is from the sandbox looking back at the back door. The bare ground is where we took out some garden to make more play space, and the grass is gradually growing back. There is a stone path leading to the gate that is totally messed up. Probably a priority to fix that, right?If you made it this far, thanks! My main question is - what jumped out at you as something that a potential buyer would see as a negative point for this house?
I hope this helps you figure out what you want to do.
ReplyDeleteThe first things that stand out to me are the carpet and the walls. I would go with a super neutral color. Lowes or Home Depot always have specials and they come to measure the spaces for quotes, so you could get an idea of cost for new carpet. Paint gives you a lot of bang for the buck. Again I would go very neutral and bright.
Painting the paneling and bookcases would help brighten up the playroom too. When you are ready to show the house I would minimize the things on the shelves, maybe get baskets to store the toys and such in between showings.
I would also ditch a lot of the bush plants in the front yard. They are blocking the view of the house. Fix that sprinkler issue and get that grass back to life. The backyard seems okay to me, but I would try to find a little table set for the patio during showings. Make it inviting for the potential buyers.
Well, that's my two cents. I hope it helps a bit.
I left a message on the LLNOE forum.
ReplyDeleteHave fun with this! I totally love doing this kind of stuff.