I realize that @powercropper did not ask about this, but because it was brought up in earlier post, Medicaid does provide long-term care benefits. Though Medicaid is a Federal program, it is my general understanding that each state administers Medicaid benefits for long-term care and each state has its own rules for eligibility:
http://longtermcare.gov/medicare-medicaid-more/medicaid/medicaid-long-term-care-services/
Unsafe, dwindling neighborhood where prices are dropping? Or neighborhood that could stage a comeback, where some young couple wants a fixer-upper?
If you think it’s only going to sell to someone with fed assistance, someone looking for whatever they can afford, special or not, then just make it pretty enough. We could give steps to paint the pine doors, but you may not want that level of effort, if you’re thinking of listing soon.
You have to guess what value all the effort can really bring. If it’s not much. I’m not sure I’d take on painting pine doors unless the room is atrocious, a pit, and lighter colors would “open it up.” Or you think it will bring that much more in sales price.
I think I’d TSP (to get the years of kitchen grease out; there’s a non-toxic alternative,) give the doors a good sanding to lighten them (use a mouse sander, start with less abrasive paper to get the feel of the task,) then use whatever light non-yellowing varnish the paint store recommends. You may need to lightly sand (by hand) between coats, for adherence. Easy.
TSP the inside, rinse and dry, lightly sand, then just paint them. Use a roller (the ones that look like a hot dog) for the walls and shelves and a brush only for corners. Will save time. ) If the inside is pine, too, make the base coat Kilz or Bullseye. Any bleeding won’t show for some long time. I recently had great success with Bullseye over water damage. No bleed through.
ps. Some Formica countertops are very nice, look like granite, have a textured surface and wear very well. Much less expensive. I guess I’m wondering how much you are putting into this house if you think the neighborhood is going down.
UPDATE FROM OP…we spoke with our Realtor. She and I grew up in this neighborhood, she continues to sell houses in this neighborhood. We are taking the opinion of our Realtor, along with the opinion of our Painter, who also grew up in this neighborhood and swam on our swim team with us.
The Painter is experienced in painting over these cabinets, and is willing to put 4-5 coats of paint on. The Realtor tells us that painting the fronts of the cabinet will be a good return on money spent. The Painter is getting started today.
We are selling the house to get rid of an obligation that we don’t need to deal with anymore. The house would have to sit empty for probably 5-10 more years before there could be an upswing and revitalization in this neighborhood. Having an empty home invites trouble, whether it is from criminal or natural elements like water pipes bursting with no one noticing for a few days.
My mom is taken care of, and will not ever be leaving the place she lives out. When her dementia worsens, she will move to a locked memory care unit. My dad provided for her, and she receives pension and social security each month that takes care of her expenses.
Thanks for all your input. I’m leaving this thread now.
ANOTHER UPDATE FROM OP…finally got the house on the market and it garnered much attention and many offers, including 3 full price offers in the first 24 hours. We had poured tons of money into renovations, and had scrubbed away 50 years of grime and dust. Made a 50 year old house look young again.
The painted kitchen cabinets were really the best decision we made with the house. Thanks again for all your advice.
congratulations!
Terrific!
Congrats!!
Don’t do it
Congratulations! I’m sure that’s a load off your shoulders. Your realtor knew the market. Good choice.
Congratulations! And best wishes to your mother and your family!
I would have been in the don’t paint crowd, but sounds like it was the right thing to do. Thanks for updating.
Congratulations. Sounds like you put a ton of work into prepping the house, so it’s good to hear all the effort paid off.
Congratulations! I would have been in the don’t paint crowd too, but only because I’ve done it myself and it’s a huge PITA. Good thing you listened to your realtor, hired a professional, and got so many offers!