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You need to talk to an agent with experience in your neighborhood.
As a general rule just “very clean and not broken” is the way to go unless you’re going to fully update the whole house. Doing things part way probably won’t have the best return. |
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Millennial homeowner here. We were willing to compromise on quite a lot of the cosmetic stuff in order to get a house where we wanted to be. Given how little is on the market these days, selling something slightly outdated is going to be fine.
As to your specific questions: Hard scape? Different millennials want different things. We didn't want a huge yard, because it's a lot to mow and weed and maintain. But we also didn't want the whole lot paved over, because that's not good for the environment. Don't worry about hardscaping your yard; the selling point of this as a feature is going to be dependent on the buyer. Type of stove? Stainless steel. Everything else looks dated and like we'll need to replace them soon. Rentable apartment in basement? Personally, I don't want to be a landlord. I wouldn't turn down extra living space downstairs for my in laws to come stay, but it wouldn't need to be its own rentable unit. That said, other millennials and gen z who play the side hustle might be interested. Again, depends on your buyer and I wouldn't go through any extra work on your part to make this a feature of your house if it isn't already. Shaker cabs? People will either care about this or not. If your cabinets look clean and bright, I don't think the style matters quite so much. |
My issue with an obvious indication that minor repairs must be made is that there are also very likely larger and more expensive repairs needed. I’m fine patching up a hole or fixing a doorknob but often houses with lots of minor issues have more serious issues, too. As a buyer, these little things would be a warning flag that the house has not been well maintained. |
Yes remote, but working 60 hour weeks, so no, not really any time. I do hate DIYing things either way though |
| With the shortage of homes and the high unaffordability, I don't think anyone can really be that picky these days. |
+1 Just put your house on the market. If it's not falling apart, you're good. |
Grandpa had a stay at home wife to manage all the kids and running the household, and then spent his evenings and weekends tinkering with house projects so he could further avoid any other domestic duties. So I guess yay. He could put up drywall, but never changed a diaper. |
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We really wanted at least 3 bedrooms on the upper level (no master on a different level than young kids’ bedrooms).
Areas we could create home office space. Good storage options. Walkability/access to good public transit. The rest we didn’t care about because we knew we could fix things over time (outsourced, we both work full time with young kids so no DIY). As far as what you listed, we wanted a low maintenance, pollinator-friendly yard (we went with clover and have a few trees and native plants, but nothing requiring a ton of work). I would not necessarily seek out a rental unit, but it could be a bonus for having aging parents come visit or move in. For stove, I like induction because gas is linked to asthma. Shaker cabinets are pretty classic. Keep them neutral color unless you have a good eye for design. |
| Edison bulbs. They want Edison bulbs. And shelving made out of plumbing pipe. And lots of gray. They are weird. |
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They will think they have great vision and can update anything, so I'd just put it up as is.
Prepare to wait a little longer for the offer and maybe even the closing date since they'll probably be waiting for their parents' financial assistance to come through financing wise, which they won't tell anyone about. |
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Neutral walls (no shades of grey)
Updated appliances (within the last 10 years) Fenced in yard Hardwood (little to no carpet) Updated windows (within the last 10 years) All bedrooms on same floor Ideally laundry room not in the basement Newer roof (10-15 years left) Home with great natural light Hood over stove in kitchen Recessed lighting no track lighting Central lighting in all bedrooms Proper tubs no inserts |
Plus great (9/10) schools Walkability Under $600K
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| Man, y’all are some salty old folks! |
the verkakte repairs and upgrades to the 1950s house we bought would suggest otherwise |
Grandpa is probably in his late 50s or 60s now, so is Gen X - your image of "grandpa" is a little off. |