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Granite?

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Keatod

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We will be putting our home on the market soon, and have formica counter tops, in a 5 year old home, stainless appliances. Should we put in granite tile counter tops to compete with new construction up the road? The houses are similarly sized, although we have .25 lot, opposed to 4000 sq foot lot. We have 10 foot ceilings, craftsman style natural woodwork, hard wood floors (vinyl in kitchen too... that can stay..) river rock fireplace.. pretty nice. We are forced to move due to relocation.
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August 13 2007 - US
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Valentin Markov, "valenmarc"

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well, what is the price deferens between yours and the new place up the street.
The most important is the price you?d like to sale for. Right priced home sales faster. I would get opinion from a realtor who can give you the best advice
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August 14 2007
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GooberedUp

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Yeah, that's a very city/neighborhood specific inquiry.
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August 14 2007
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OrlHomes.com

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If the new construction has higher-end finishes and you will be competing at the same price level then yes you need to compete with regard to finishes.

Or, you can compete on price and let someone put in their own finishes.

The problem in the Orlando market is buyers do not want to do any work/upgrades...and do not need to do any work because they have plenty of options to choose from.
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August 14 2007
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Keatod

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It is the Puyallup area, 30 miles south of Seattle. We have talked to an agent, he wasn't really one way or the other on it, New houses up street are asking 460k, with the nicer finishes. We feel about 430 for ours. The kitchen right now is awfully beigey in my opinion and I think that granite would help make it stand out. We did paint the walls a nice light neutral gray/green - but the countertops are beigey, so is the floor and there are oak cabinets. We do have stainless appliances. We don't want to sell ourselves short on the price, but we don't want it to sit for months on end.. so the delicate balance... sigh.

Thanks.
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August 14 2007
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Robin Lynch, "robin398"

West Harrison

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The color of granite is always up to the seller. The dark granite has been popular for a while and some feel that the lighter granite is the "new" color.
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August 15 2007
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lucydjacobs

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You could also ask about a half-step: Quartz. Tougher than granite, and won't need to be sealed.

Again, that's market-specific. But if you're an "in between" house, maybe a solid surface one step below granite will work.
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August 15 2007
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Jeanette Jordan & Rachel Collier, "Rachelcollier"

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I think if you are competing with granite - granite tiles are a good compromise. They are not as pricy and can look just as fabulous. It's the feeling that a person has when they walk into your kitchen and if they are feeling "beige" like you do about it, they might go for the other just on pure emotion.

Good luck!
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August 15 2007
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Luv2cook

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We put granite in last year, about 3 months before we went on the market. But with this market, it didn't help much. We get the ooos and ahhhs, but no offers....at least not yet.

We did get a sweet deal on it though. We knew a friend who began working for this company. They had a lot of remnants in their back. Our counters weren't too big so we chose from the larger remnants. Turned out great (look at my photos).

Also, if you do, don't go with they typical bull-nose edge. We chose a router edge called "Ojie square" - has a really nice custom edged finish.

Our counters with labor ended up costing about $3,000 and that included the fire place facing!
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August 16 2007
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skyharr

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As a buyer/home owner ~ not a "realtor" I would prefer slab granite over granite tile. If the one down the street has slab - go slab, if it has granite tile - leave the formica. Reason being - is the person who buys can get the exact granite they want, and not something thrown in for a sale. (Think $75-$100 per square ft.) In the process of the sale keep that number in mind - or half that for them to have their preference.
Even in slab granite there are different options - that one person might spend that another selling might not.
I love my granite - but don't know if my buyer would buy or not buy because of it.(I have both slab and tile - tile on the back splash is a nice option. Grout sucks on the surface.
hope this helps
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August 21 2007
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Callista, "warriorprincess"

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As a potential buyer I would advise you to leave the improvements to me. I'm so tired of viewing houses with cosmetic upgrades that the seller tries to overcharge me for. I'm particularly tired of laminate flooring granite countertops, and travertine, they are in EVERY house. Fix any major problems (ie. mold, structural, etc.) leave the rest the way it is, and discount for the cost of the upgrade. I personally will be looking for a house that I can rennovate with my own tastes, and that is what you have going for you. If your house is older it can be rennovated to taste by the next buyer, where as the others are kind of as is.
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August 21 2007
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MMBOLT

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Great advice Skyharr and Callista......Granite tiles look cheap!
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August 21 2007
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FlooredAgain

Portland, Oregon

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Putting in granite tile is a lot less expensive than slab, however, slab is what gets the sale, especially with an undermount sink. 3 cm. granite seems more durable than the thinner granite tile but as you know, it isn't. To the consumer, if it's thicker, it must be better. It's a tangible item. Can't afford slab, go to a neutral quartzite product such as Silestone, Caesarstone et al but expect to pay just as much for fabrication, (honing and polishing edges and splashes). One idea is to do slab decks and 4x4, 6x6 or 12x12 slate or quartzite full backsplashes with accents. Big seller. I'm in the field and I hear from designers, and they know all, right, that granite is on it's way out but that depends on the area your in. Pac NW is still big granite area.
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August 25 2007
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Pam Winterbauer, "REALTOR of the Year"

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We have a wonderful kitchen that had tile and wanted a solid surface. We went with a company that did an overlay on top of our exising ceramic tile. It is 98% Italian granite and 2% polymere....strong as can be. Looks like a million dollar kitchen.
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August 25 2007
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Andy

Seattle, WA

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We've put Silestone (I think it's called an "engineered stone") on several of our countertops. To me, it looks just like granite, it's available in lots of different colors, it costs less than granite, and actually holds up better than granite. It doesn't require sealing, and is impervious to some of the substances that granite and marble don't tolerate well, like lemon juice and other weak acids.

We just ordered a new Silestone countertop from a place called e-counters.com. I originally wanted to buy from a local shop, but the price difference was significant (about 30% less), and their tools for selecting the countertop were very good. (I went with a semi-custom countertop that I'll install.)
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August 29 2007
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Kimberly Cole, "soldbykimberly"

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Personally, I think granite is out....just about every home out there looks like a home depot / lowes fix up. I say leae it alone & let the buyers pick their choice. Ask your realtor to put together a small questionier to find out if the ct really were the deciding factor in not buying your home...I bet youll be surprised...Granite "USE" to be big in Million $$$ + homes now even starter homes have it!!! Some builders put it in as a regular feature. Maybe you can give a credit @ close for them to put in the ct of there choice...

just my opinion-Good Luck!
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August 29 2007
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Brenda Torbush, "Seeker15"

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We just had new granite countertops installed, not for a selling point but because we wanted them for our own enjoyment. I prefer granite over Corian or quartz/Silestone because it is a natural product. It absolutely is easy to care for and I have not regretted the decision for a moment. We went with a local small business and saved money over a contractor or HD or Lowes and had excellent customer service. The same company installed hardwood floors for us. We plan never to move again so we are putting the things that we enjoy into our home.
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August 30 2007
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Daniel, "Dan_2007"

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I just wanted to say thanks Andy for posting that e-counters site. I haven't seen that one before and I like the design part of it. Pretty good for planning a project. I may not go for that site... I'm still a long way from working on my kitchen but it's a good resource still.
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August 30 2007
 

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