Monday, November 28, 2011

calm before the storm

Peace prevails, but not for long.  Next Monday I will be turning my house over to the renovators who are re-doing my kitchen.  I have heard horror stories from those who have endured kitchen renovations.  I never thought I'd be joining their ranks.  Yet here I am, bracing myself for my small house to become engulfed in turmoil for at least a month.  And I will have no kitchen during that period.  I just hope it doesn't send me over the brink.

I never gave a hoot what my kitchen looked like as long as it functioned.  (And it did.)  But ohhhhhhh nooooooo.  It's not good enough for the people who viewed my house when it was for sale.  They found my kitchen unacceptable.  I hope they realize that now, after spending a ton of money on renovations, I will have no room to negotiate when the house goes back on the market in the spring. 

Of course I'm scared.  I just can't figure out what my biggest fear is.  I suppose it's that the renovations I'm doing won't be enough.  Is it enough to do the kitchen, the floors, and paint the walls?   I can't help but notice that once you start making changes to a 50 year old house, everything that isn't changed stands out more than it did before.

I worry that the renovated kitchen will end up being mine, and it isn't being designed for me.  It is designed for Jane Doe Homebuyer.  The plan is that I am supposed to be able to sell this house after the renovations.  But the plan may not work, and I don't need or want a new kitchen.

I am scared.



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3 comments:

Cinderella said...

Dear B,
I am scared for you. Something doesn't feel right.

Every gut instinct that I have says that since you have tidied up the landscaping outside - and tidies up inside so everything is all neat and organized, that this is ONLY a price issue at this point.

I don't think redoing the kitchen will make that much of a difference in an older home because you still have older bathrooms and older closets.

You'd have to spend so much money it just doesn't seem to make sense.


Why not take it off the market until January - and then lower the asking price by the amount you were going to spend on the kitchen - and see if someone is interested then?

It's a really tough market right now, since the economy is so blah.
But price is everything, even in a tough market.

Will cross my fingers for you, and hope for the best, with whatever you choose to do.

((hugs))

B.S. said...

Cinderella, I am going to post soon. I'm trying not to dwell on what's happening. The work has started. It's every bit as unpleasant as everyone said it would be, only worse, especially in such a small house. I have photos.

Hugs,
Betty

Big Dave T said...

You're braver than I am. Not just updating your kitchen but putting your house on the market in these times. I feel bad for the lady across the street from us. She and her husband, an elderly couple, did Extensive renovating of their home and notice the capital E. Not long after the workmen finished, the guy dropped dead, literally. The widow put the home up for sale but of course there are no takers at the price they're forced to advertise for. And the house is empty too. Don't know where the widow went, but she obviously didn't want to stay in the house.

I guess that's probably not the kind of story to be telling you, but it's one of those things could be worse, I guess. My brainstorm--a guy named Urban is interested in buying your home.