Real Estate Professional?

[Superfly]

I have a few questions. I am looking to make some improvements to my house to make it more valuable when I get ready to sell, which may be within a year.

I'm not happy with the quality of carpet, so that's coming up. Which would be better? Laminate? Hardwood? A better quality of carpet? Obviously laminate or carpet would be much more cost efficient, but I don't want to waste the money on either if it's not going to really make a difference. I'd prefer to put hardwood down, but I've got 2,500sf of flooring on the downstairs that needs to be done, and it's averaging $5 a square foot. So which would make my house's appraisal value go up, and make it more marketable?

Also, I'm looking at a granite countertop. Obviously a slab of granite would be perfect, but I am looking at something like this: Granite Kitchen & Bath Countertops & More | Granite Transformations. Again - one is more affordable than the other, but if doing the granite transformation thing isn't going to help, I'd rather not bother with wasting my money.

 

[specklebang]

I have a few questions. I am looking to make some improvements to my house to make it more valuable when I get ready to sell, which may be within a year.

I'm not happy with the quality of carpet, so that's coming up. Which would be better? Laminate? Hardwood? A better quality of carpet? Obviously laminate or carpet would be much more cost efficient, but I don't want to waste the money on either if it's not going to really make a difference. I'd prefer to put hardwood down, but I've got 2,500sf of flooring on the downstairs that needs to be done, and it's averaging $5 a square foot. So which would make my house's appraisal value go up, and make it more marketable?

Also, I'm looking at a granite countertop. Obviously a slab of granite would be perfect, but I am looking at something like this: Granite Kitchen & Bath Countertops & More | Granite Transformations. Again - one is more affordable than the other, but if doing the granite transformation thing isn't going to help, I'd rather not bother with wasting my money.

I'm just an investor, not a "real estate professional" so don't take my opinions too seriously unless we get some professional agreement.

I wouldn't invest a penny more than I had to other than providing clean surfaces. I think wood floors and granite counters are a complete waste of money in terms of resale value. Might make the house sell faster but not for more money. A cheap carpet and laminate counter just by being new, fresh, undamaged will accomplish the same thing for thousands less.