Snapping Up a Bargain? How to Keep it From Looking Dated When the Market Turns

Prices are down and sales are up across most of the Bay Area – most likely for the same reason oil prices have risen so high; speculation!  Investors are purchasing homes at rock bottom prices with grandiose dreams of flipping these properties for a substantial profit once the market turns – and it has always turned throughout history.  

Winning when the market turns is not going to be a simple matter of buying and holding a house; said house will have to be desirable, and timeless.  By timeless, I mean sans anything that time stamps it’s era as did shag carpet in the 70s. 

That having been said, here is my check list of what should be removed sometime between now and when you plan to flip your investment property:

a) Single paned windows are OUT OUT OUT in today’s energy conscious world!

b) I happen to believe that the granite countertop craze will die down in due time, when all houses have them and they are no longer special.  Custom tile will then become unique and interesting.  Corian will always say ”cheap” in my book, and should be removed. 

c) Wood paneling, even if painted over, is very 70s and 80s.  It is a pain to remove, but worth it.

d) Heavy wood beams are not only poor feng shui, they make a home look dark and smaller than it really is. These were popular about 10-20 years ago also.

e) Cheap plastic shower enclosures definitely must go.

f) Melamine kitchen cabinets or thin wood doors with white paint are definitely dated at this point.  Cherry is the new hot wood type.  

g) Berber carpeting is all the craze now, but how long will it be popular?  It is low maintenance, but tends to be very hard on bare feet.  There are many other types of carpeting that are less “trendy”, and softer to walk on. 

h) Non-grounded outlets are a no-no for people with computer equipment, and can be dangerous.  

i) Popcorn ceilings!!!  Need I say more?

j) All cement backyards may say “low maintenance”, but they also absorb heat and cause the average home temperature to go up.  These will wane in popularity in the coming years, especially if global warming stays the course.