Eric I just bought my first little 2/1 starter condo. The place is pretty nice and spacious for 868 SqFt. Its in a great neighborhood. The living room is nice and the bathroom is descen but the kitchen is like a cave from hell. The kitchen is a boxed in 10×10 slum, pretty much the same as it was the day they completed it in 1987. Orange/yellow linoleum, old dark cabinets, beat up appliances and one dim light in the center.
I have the money to put into remodeling the kitchen to be quite nice. New lighting, maple cabinets, granite countertops, stone floors and stainless steel appliances. Here in NorCal kitchens get the money on a resell. The dilemma is, do I want to sink that kind of money and effort into a place that will scare away “starter home buyers” or do I want to go for it and appeal to the higher end bachelor/bachelorette? Any suggestions?
I do plan on living in it for about 5 years to build some nice equity. I would like to live with the nicer kitchen, but I would be content with a less extravagant kitchen that would cost thousands less.
Good answers so far…I was thinking about the fact that the kitchens in the other unit’s for sale in the complex are updated, somewhat, but are still 10 years old and not impressive. That’s why I picked mine, besides the best location in the complex; it had the oldest kitchen with the lowest asking price.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go “all out” on the remodel or hold back and just do a “nice” remodel. I am definitely doing more than just some painting on cabinets and a tile backsplash.
