Popcorn is great at the movies, but it's no longer cool on your ceiling. Sadly, a majority of the homes I visit still have it. You wouldn't expect someone to buy your old orange polyester suit with the white zip-up boots, so why would they want your popcorn ceiling and burgundy carpet?
One thing we at Brio do on a weekly basis is tour homes that are on the market in our area. We typically view about 7-9 each week as a group, and then many of us will visit various open houses during the week on our own. For the most part (and I'm not going to single any homes out), what I've noticed is that a great deal of the homes still languishing on the market could be considered the left-over's of the sales boom. Many of these homes are being sold by the original owners and haven't been upgraded or altered since the 70's or 80's. It also appears owners still expect top price for these homes in a buyers market.
My suggestion is that sellers take a little of that equity they have accrued over 30 years and bring that house up to speed. You don't have to spend a fortune, but you need to spend something! Telling potential buyers "Yes, we're offering a credit for the ceiling and carpet" isn't really closing deals these days; people aren't anxious to buy a home and then have to remodel, and lenders aren't too happy about allowing credits at closing.
So let's get those ceilings scraped down, and get that old gold vinyl off the floors in the kitchen, bathrooms, and laundry room. Replace the George Jetson light fixtures, filthy rusted old washing machine, single pane windows, faded wood paneling, and any carpet that's color looks like it belongs on a sports jersey. Then, consider doing a little painting, and I suggest steering clear of some of the more creative looking "designer colors" I see out there. Also keep in mind, mirror tiles were barely cool when they came out, to the trash they must now go!
The first 15 seconds a buyer looks at your home are the most important, that's when they will either say "Wow!" or "Woe" (and woe's not good). A buyer shouldn't feel like they've stepped into a time machine when they walk into your home, and if they do, the odds of them buying at your price are next to nothing. If you want maximum price, you must offer maximum value. A good agent can still get you a good price for your home, but they need a home that works with them, not against them.
You may consider hiring a design consultant if your not up to the task of bringing your home into the new millennium, but believe me, you will sell your home faster, and you will get your price. Then you can relax, go see a movie, and yes, get some popcorn!
Jo, I ran across this site when researching it today:
http://www.naturalhandyman.com/iip/infpai/popcornoff.html
It really depends on it being asbestos or non-asbestos, and if it's been painted over thats an issue as well. It's certainly better to do it while the home is empty, but whatever it takes, it needs to be done. As you can imagine, if it's to big a pain for the seller to deal with, why would the buyer want too?
Michael,
I totally agree that offering credits for carpets or things that are cosmetically unappealing doesn't work, and really never did. People discount for the "eyesore" and take the credit too!
People don't seem to realize that when prospective buyers walk into a room and it's so stunningly horrible they literally take a step back, raise their eyebrows, and say "Woe!", then there's not really a credit in the world that will compensate for that. It then becomes a home that people will buy only if your practically giving it away. +
A little paint, new earth-toned carpet, and a $30.00 light fixture can make all the difference in the world. But I don't need to tell you that.
Your welcome, I thought so too. I was going to put some of it in the post, but there was just to much of it. As you can see, if it's not asbestos based, with time and effort anyone can safely get that stuff off of there. It's probably the cheapest fix one can make that actually will add value to the home. I used to build homes years ago, and we insisted on having that stuff shot on the ceilings, it was mandatory and it looked great. Now, somehow, it's just become an unsightly relic of the past. Kind of like Burgundy carpet!