Wood countertop - resale value - would it be a dealbreaker for you?

[Anonymous]

Sorry, "wood is unappealing"

[Anonymous]

I don't know of a way to avoid water damage around the sink and would be thinking of bacteria in the wood.
Wood countertops are gorgeous if done right, but seem unsanitary.
Is there a stone surface that you can live with? Soapstone is very soft and brittle and though pretty, is easily damaged.

[Anonymous]

I like it but I'm from Germany!

Unless someone buys at the absolute top of their budget and exhausts all savings, I can't see how countertops (especially in a small kitchen) could be a dealbreaker. The cost of replacing them is small in relation to the house price. I wouldn't worry about resale with this one and just do what makes you happy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If I were thinking of bidding on your house would plan to replace it and factor in the cost and hassle when I came up with an offer price.

+100 And if there was anything else, I would question the whole house.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everyone for the quick and thoughtful replies ! (I love this forum)

To answer some of the questions, we just bought the house and have no plans on reselling it soon, but may want to in 7/8 years. So at that point the kitchen will probably be a bit worn in and buyers will want to change it anyway. I just don't want them to see it and think "oh wow those people are crazy and cheap for putting wood countertops so the rest of the house is probably bad too".

You know: the "halo effect"... I am often surprised by how difficult it is to project your potential change/tastes and see past the bad color or floor choices.

From what I gather here, wood countertop would def be a bad investment if I wanted to modify the kitchen to resale now (which I kind of knew). But most of you wouldnt find it sooo ugly that you wouldn't be able to look past it and could plan to change the countertop when moving in.. (I live in a hot market close to the subway so if you are a rationale buyer the cost of changing the countertop is peanuts).

Given the majority of negatives, I am still going to explore if other countertops could make me happy...

[Anonymous]

I would like it more.

We wanted to put our own countertops in and it was hard to find a house that either had what we wanted or didn't have ugly granite. I just couldn't throw the ugly granite out and replace it with something else so we passed on those houses.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If I were thinking of bidding on your house would plan to replace it and factor in the cost and hassle when I came up with an offer price.

+100 And if there was anything else, I would question the whole house.

OP here: damn... that's the only thing I am afraid off..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would like it more.

We wanted to put our own countertops in and it was hard to find a house that either had what we wanted or didn't have ugly granite. I just couldn't throw the ugly granite out and replace it with something else so we passed on those houses.

I knoowww... I find most of the granite so ugly . A PP asked previously about cost, for me it is really not that I want to cut the cost, I just find that wood looks better..

[Anonymous]

We just sold our house, OP. Put Wood counters in much of the kitchen about four years ago and every single person that walked into the house commented on how great they were.

I wouldn't sweat it - if anything, it added value to our house.

[Anonymous]

I don't like wood but it's $5k to replace countertop, so definitely not dealbreaker if I like the house.

[Anonymous]

I like them, but it'll look like crap in a few years. How about a quartz composite? They have some really beautiful ones now.

[Anonymous]

If the look you want to achieve calls for wood instead of granite, do wood. If granite is going to look out of place, then don't do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the bigger deal is that your husband won't like them.

Good point But my husband sometimes just need a little bit of time and reconditionning to appreciate my European tastes.. Like no baggy suits or painting a full house clean white...at first he hated the idea and now he is sold I won't go for it if after a few weeks of pinterest bombarding he still finds it unappealing..

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We just sold our house, OP. Put Wood counters in much of the kitchen about four years ago and every single person that walked into the house commented on how great they were.

I wouldn't sweat it - if anything, it added value to our house.

Oh great !!

[Anonymous]

Get cheap granite. The French are stupid don't listen to them