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Split levels?
Is anyone out there interested in split levels? If so, what is it about them that appeals to you? I ask because I am not interested in another split level and so I want to hear from those that are. Or anyone else that may have an opinion.
I am trying to sell my split level home; we have 2 bedrooms on the main floor and 2 in our basement, which is finished. We have 980 sq ft on the main level and 900 downstairs. To me, I think we have to really play up the features of the basement since that is essentially half of the property.
Does anyone have any ideas on how to do this? Most of our house is neutral colors (brown), but the basement is painted kind of a light blue - it looks more like white than blue. My H is not interested in painting; even though I point out that it would be less than $100 and could potentially get us more showings, he is not havin' it. He doesn't think that it would make enough of a difference with traffic for the effort that goes into it and he thinks that people would repaint it themselves if they don't like it. I wholeheartedly disagree. I think painting it a warm color would give it much more of a home-like appeal. I also think that in this market, we need to do something to make it more visually appealing to draw people in to begin with. I know when I look at houses online, if a picture doesn't draw me in right away, I close that one and move on. I think the basement for us could maybe cause me to close the pictures. I know that everyone has their own preferences, but I'm looking for opinions anyway.
Thoughts on painting? Any other areas to pay attention to specifically with split levels that I may be overlooking?
Sorry for the novel that i just posted! I can be a bit wordy...
Re: Split levels?
I think it's entirely up to what you guys want to do. I don't think it would hurt to list, see how it goes, and if you don't have enough people coming out to see it, repaint and take new pictures.
The house we bought has great paint colors everywhere, but we repainted the upstairs bedrooms because they were very obviously a little boy and a little girl's room and we don't have kids. I think everyone expects to paint when they move in, I wouldn't do it unless you have to.
As for a split level, we didn't buy one, but I grew up in one and I loved that house.
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I live in a split level and am not sure why you think no one wants them? They are pretty common in my area. It's an older area and the splits are the largest of the home plans around.
As far as painting I do think blue in a basement is more likely to make the place look dim than inviting. Mentally to me it feels a little dated. But I also agree with the PP that there's a lot more important things than paint colors. When we were house hunting, I learned pretty quickly that MLS pictures *rarely* matched up for good or bad with what a house actually was like in person.
I own a 2 storey semi now, but I grew up in a back split and the first house I rented was a split level. I loved the back split especially - the place felt huge! I like the way spaces were divided up on different floors, but it didn't feel closed off like our 2 storey does. I also loved the way the split level was laid out - it had a walk-out, finished basement, so there were 2 great living spaces in the house (1 upstairs as well). Total of 4 bedrooms (3 upstairs, 1 downstairs), 2 bathrooms (1 up, 1 down). I only lived on the top floor, but I was downstairs a few times, and it was a style of house I could see myself purchasing in the future.
They say painting can get you more $ for the house. It's up to you whether you paint or not. If you do, go neutral and warm.
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Like pp said, split level homes aren't the first choice for buyers right now. Eventually that will probably swing but it doesn't help you now. Many split levels tend to be dated which is a turnoff. So I would absolutely try to play up newer features of the home, Splits maximize the living space and provide an open social upper level but also allow for privacy when desired. I'm trying to think of good selling features of the layout.
I grew up in one. It would probably be great for families with older children or teenagers - can do stairs, don't need to have all bedrooms close together.
* sorry for spelling errors; phone nesting
I would keep your paint and decor neutral, stage the heck out of the place, and hope for the best. Especially in your basement.
With a split, you need to know that some people won't even click through the pictures on your home listing. (I am one of those people- we will not consider a split). So do your best to make the inside universally appealing for anyone who isn't opposed to a split. (This is true for all styles of houses, of course, but splits seem to get the worst of it).
I would paint. It's cheap and not that difficult and can totally change how a space feels.
When we were house hunting, we looked at one house that was the same floor plan as the house we bought, and we thought it was okay, but not great. Three months later, we looked at the house we ended up buying, and with totally different decorating, the house looked so much better! I knew right away that the two houses were the same floor plan, but they felt so much different.
With a split, a good portion of your living space is in the lower level, so make it feel as open and airy as possible. Anything that looks basement-y is bad. Warm tones will be better than cool tones in a basement, and make sure you don't go too dark or it will feel like a dungeon.
Also consider what kind of window treatments you have in the basement. Use lighter colors around the windows that draw attention to the windows and any natural light you have. Hang curtain panels to make the windows look even bigger.
If you have dark wood baseboards, door frames and mouldings in the basement, you might want to consider painting them white. It sounds silly, but it makes a big difference.
Mr. Sammy Dog
We are looking to buy this split-level fixer upper.
The bottom is a converted garage, which we are planning to turn back into a garage and remove those ugly units in the window.
I didn't know that it's not a popular choice in the market, we just thought it was charming looking house that had great potential.