Jeannie in NJ Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 we have our house listed as a fixer upper but after 2 offers (one was withdrawn and the other they canceled the contract at the 11th hour) all we seem to be getting now are people that want a turnkey . Right now is the buying season here at the shore so we need to show our house as much as possible. But we have decided to start renovating the inside (mostly major work in bathrooms and new kitchen cabinets ) and we have started painting the other rooms. Most showings are on the weekends but sometimes during the week also. So it will be obvious that the house is being renovated, especially once we start doing the bathrooms and kitchen. I guess what I am asking is as a potential buyer how would it affect you to come into a house that is being redone? We are having a handyman do the bathrooms and kitchen (dh and I are not handy much beyond painting and very simple repairs and one bathroom needs the floor taken up and subfloor fixed). ANyway handyman can not start work for 2-3 weeks (he is highly recommended by extended family members that have used him a lot with rental properties) so we only want to use him. We cannot take house off market as there is only a short buying season here at the shore. Since we had planned on selling the house as a fixer upper that is why we did not have the work done before. Basically we do not have the money but are trying to get a loan right now to do the work. Why does everyone only want a house that needs nothing done, only turnkey? Thanks for reading so far on my rambling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I would rather consider a house where the work is being done before I buy and move in than a house that would require me to put work into it before I was happy with it. So no, it wouldn't bother me to view a house in the middle of renovations. I would want to see a list of renovations that are in progress so I could get a larger picture of what the finished house would look like. DH said he feels that some people will have a problem because they are unable to envision what the house will look like. They want to walk in and start mentally laying out their furniture to see if it will fit and how it might look. Renovations would be distracting. It's a fine line. What does your realtor say? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeannie in NJ Posted May 22, 2012 Author Share Posted May 22, 2012 our realtor thinks we should only finish up painting but we are sure that the condition of the bathrooms and the kitchen cabinets are what is turning people off. Most people leave in less than 5 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tammyla Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 You realtor hasn't sold it so far. kwim? I'd rather move into a home with a nice kitchen and baths than think of renovating one. our realtor thinks we should only finish up painting but we are sure that the condition of the bathrooms and the kitchen cabinets are what is turning people off. Most people leave in less than 5 minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hwin Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I looked at a lot of houses with "potential" but we picked the one with the nicest kitchen (and bathrooms, and the the nicest floors, and the nicest paint colors) even though it cost more. I fell in love with it and had to have it. Much easier to fall in love with something that you're looking at, than something you are trying to visualize. It's silly and emotional and probably not the best way to buy a house, but there you have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 If I had no intention of lifting a finger, then seeing a home in the process of renovation would work for me much more than seeing a home that needed the work that I was unwilling to do - does that make sense? Can you make storyboards (I know you are already busy to the max)? In a room that 'is' done - a roon that only needs paint and stuff - set up magazine photos, artist sketches, color schemes, etc of what the finished bathrooms, etc will look like. We looked at a home years ago that was having work done on it, and while the house was way out of our price range, I loved being able to see what it was going to look like when the work was finished. And, you and I both know why they want turn key - whether they say it or not, they want the option of rental income. Has your agent prepared a spread sheet of the rental income potential for your home once the renovations have been done? I can say from the house we just sold that new bathrooms (and one wasn't even new, it was miracle method) made a huge difference. Hang in there -- if the other rooms are 'show' ready, then bathrooms being worked on would not bother me at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyof4ks Posted May 22, 2012 Share Posted May 22, 2012 I would not look at a house going through renovation, because I would want to do the work and get what I want. It would of course need to be priced as a fixer upper, but that is exactly why we bought our current house. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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