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Poll: Countertops

We're trying to sell our condo and we're getting it ready for some open houses in the next couple of weeks.  Our countertops are the original off-white laminate countertops that came standard with the condo 20 years ago.  I say that we should replace them and put in a newer laminate and H says we should just leave them as they are.

They aren't in horrible condition, but there is a big chip that you can see right when you walk into the kitchen.  We installed new tile and appliances and put stainless knobs and hinges on the cabinets. 

Should we replace the countertops or just try to get a repair kit and fix the chip?  Would you be turned off by out dated countertops?

Re: Poll: Countertops

  • I watch HGTV and they say that kitchens and bathrooms sell homes.  Based on their advice, I would replace the countertops.  I know crap about selling homes though so I am only telling you what HGTV tells me...bwahahahahahaha!
  • I would talk to your realtor. I agree - kitchens do sell homes, but with the market you might want to make sure you'll make up the cost of replacing the counters.
  • It's true that kitchens sell homes but I would put the house up for sale and see what happens...if you notice it's turning people off then replace them.  It would a shame to replace them when you are moving out.  Also if you do replace, there are amazing laminates...there is one by Wilsonart HD and they look exactly like Granite or Quarts. 

    We are doing the same thing and getting things done in our house to sell but I don't want to uprgrade our contertops for almost $2000 to move...the laminates would cost us $800 and they look fantatic....we didn't even realize they where laminate until we touched them.

    Good Luck!

  • We have the laminate that looks like granite. I agree if you're going to replace them - definitely go with laminate.
  • We're going through a similar situation... totally renovating our house for sale in 2-3 years. The kitchen is one of our main focuses, and honestly, replacing a laminate countertop is not going to cost that much. And you'll definitely get a full return on the investment. My H is a Realtor, and he always recommends kitchen and bathroom improvements (within reason); you don't want to replace it with granite.

    I don't think it's the end of the world if you don't replace it, but if you have the money and know someone who can install it, it may be worth it!

  • Ha ha...I'm the realtor. I'm not really one, but we're trying to sell it by ourselves.  My dad is a realtor and he said that we're better off trying to sell it ourselves and maybe a realtor will co-op with us for a lower %. 

    We'd also be doing the install ourselves.  We're both pretty handy and I've talked to a few people that have done it themselves and they say it's easy.  I'm sure there's videos on DIY.com or something.  We're always getting the 10% off from Lowes/Home Depot, so we'll save a few bucks that way.  I don't think it's going to cost more than $500 if we install ourselves.

    I guess we'll see how our open houses go and if the prospective buyers say anything.  I think our bathrooms look amazing, so hopefully that will sell the place and buyers will overlook the countertops.

  • When we were looking at houses the mental checklist I had in my head was...

    Kitchen (appliances, counter space, did it need updating)

    Bathroom (how many, is the tub clean, are there any cracked tiles, water damage)

    Closets (how big, how many, where at)

    Storage (linen closet, pantry, coak closet, random storage for my stuff)

    Yard (is there one, is it fenced, taken care of, etc.)

  • If you can do it yourselves and you can do it cheaply enough, I say go for it and replace it.  Even if it is only with one of the look-alike laminates.  My sister also has those off-white laminate counters in her condo, and even with all of the other upgrades and improvements they've made throughout, the kitchen looks so outdated because of the coutertops.
  • If you can replace the countertops cheaply, I would do it.  You will get your $ back and I think it is important to have an entire updated kitchen than an updated kitchen with crappy countertops.  That could definitely be something that buyers will use to justify knocking $5k off the price. 
  • I had the same countertops at my condo and no one made any comments about them.  You don't want to overimprove for your area/type of house (if that's the case--no one in my condo area in Voorhees had anything fancy).  I put too much work into mine and didn't make any money when I sold mine.  People might come in and decide to change things anyway.  Learn from my mistakes, don't put too much money into a house if you are trying to sell!!  Unless they are unbearable!
  • SG--Thanks for the warning. I think we've been pretty conscious of the area when making improvements to our place.  We did all of the work ourselves, so it was only the cost of the materials.  Some of the condos in the area do have granite, which I think is kind of a splurge and they'll definitely lose money on it.

    The countertops aren't unbearable, but they're pretty ugly.  I'm going to buy a repair kit this weekend and fill in some of the chips/gashes and then recaulk the seams.  Hopefully that'll take away some of the ugly.  We're not in any rush to move either, so maybe if we're still here next year we'll reconsider getting them done.

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