Switching to Granite?

[shaynasmom31]

We have a designer home (Iris) located in Lake Deaton. We have high definition laminate in our kitchen. We want to put our house up for sale in the near future. Would our house sell easier with granite? Thanks in advance!

[VApeople]

We have a designer home (Iris) located in Lake Deaton. We have high definition laminate in our kitchen. We want to put our house up for sale in the near future. Would our house sell easier with granite? Thanks in advance!

In my opinion, a lot of the granite countertops are ugly, and you might choose a pattern that a future buyer would hate.

I think it is better to just sell the house as it is.

[champion6]

In my opinion, a lot of the granite countertops are ugly, and you might choose a pattern that a future buyer would hate.
I think it is better to just sell the house as it is.
:agree:

[John41]

a lot of people prefer quartz.

[Stu from NYC]

In my opinion, a lot of the granite countertops are ugly, and you might choose a pattern that a future buyer would hate.

I think it is better to just sell the house as it is.

Agreed, very possible a buyer would not like your choice and would toss it and buy new one

[retiredguy123]

A lot of people who list their house for sale will provide a list of upgrades with the actual cost they paid for them, and expect the buyer to pay full price for the upgrades. Typically, you are lucky to get 50 to 60 percent back for upgrades. So, if you want to spend $6000 on granite and get an extra $3000 in a higher sales price, then go for it. But, it would be a waste of money.

[mepoole]

Keep it as it is.

[CarrieOn]

Do your counter tops look like they need to be replaced? If not leave them..when I bought my home I was glad the house needed upgrading and I could do it the way I liked..not them picking something cheap just for looks & to sell..

[dewilson58]

Typically, you are lucky to get 50 to 60 percent back for upgrades. So, if you want to spend $6000 on granite and get an extra $3000 in a higher sales price, then go for it. But, it would be a waste of money.


Bingo.

[Jewelz]

Why don't you put "stone countertop allowance" in the listing and discount it accordingly? Also lower selling price= lower taxes!!

[Chatbrat]

We have granite, the only problem the granite is constantly cold and cools plates and food quickly, we solved that problem early, purchased small pet warmers from Chewy , we place our plates onto of them and our food stays warm

[Mamaderby]

Sell as is. We did. Of course we had some lookers who said they would have preferred granite and some who really liked the high-def laminate. They can always change it to something of their liking.

[Dlbonivich]

I would consult your realtor, all Villages homes are basically the same. A few floor plans, so the only thing that makes your home stand out from others are the upgrades and the features of the lot. If the home looks tasteful and has features that buyers are looking for then it may not be necessary or maybe the realtor could suggest another upgrade that makes more sense. They are the professionals. I have been a realtor for 24 years and have seen many updates that made no sense financially. Andrea Bonivich, Sellstate Superior Realty

[Chatbrat]

Price & price is what determines salability, I've instructed the Admiral, to sell the house for what you're comfortable with, we're living without any financial benefit form our house--and if you have enough assets, don't let selling your house for a predetermined value be the determining factor--your personal comfort is what counts, every month a house is on the mkt costs you $$--sell it quickly and get it off your mind and move on

[susantabler@yahoo.com]

We have a designer home (Iris) located in Lake Deaton. We have high definition laminate in our kitchen. We want to put our house up for sale in the near future. Would our house sell easier with granite? Thanks in advance!

I work for a homebuilder who is not in TV. We use quartz. It is maintenance free nonporous and nonabsorbant so it will not draw in moisture from leftover food. Also harder than granite so less chance of scratching. No resealing like other tops.

[vonbork]

Our house had granite when we moved in and my wife hated both the pattern and that it was granite. We replaced with quartz. Putting granite in is expensive and as others have noted, may not add to the house's value to all buyers.

[jonathanb]

The thing right now is quartz. If you see the more appointed Spec homes in The Villages they have quartz countertops. But it is hard to get your money back in such a short time frame. I would have a listing rep from The Villages come in and look at it and let you know if you need to do it. If you have a view site people expect it. If it’s an interior site not so much.

[VirgoGirl]

Decluttering and a fresh coat of paint is a better ROI.

[Emmakrock@yahoo.com]

Depends if you are selling your house at the going price for an Iris? If the answer is yes add granite , it would make a difference to me! Just do t go crazy, keep neutral. But over a certain price I expect to see granite or quartz. ( I prefer granite) but I wouldn’t pull quartz up if it’s down. Two places kitchen and garages can sell a house

[MandoMan]

I’ve been reading “Fine Homebuilding” and “The Journal of Light Construction” for about thirty years. They have both had articles suggesting that granite is going out of style among the high end houses that establish styles, which means it will eventually filter down to The Villages. I think quartz and products made of ground up stone or glass in a matrix are more trendy right now. I happen to like high-end laminate, and I’ve had it for years. It’s a great product. However, a huge number of people see granite as a big step up—it’s considered desirable. When I bought a house in The Villages, it came with chocolate-colored granite. Not a color I would choose, but I’m definitely not going to pay to replace it. So I’m stuck with it. Oh, well. One thing you could do would be to provide the buyers a budget discount for replacement. Or pay a kitchen decorator specialist to guide you in the material and color choice.

[kimgarwel12@gmail.com]

I've had both, granite and high def laminate and while I like the looks of the granite, I find that I prefer the high def laminate because 1) It's warmer, 2) Granite requires a special cleaner to keep from getting a "cloudy" look to it with other cleaning products, and 3) If you drop a breakable item on high def laminate, your chances of breakage is a lot less than with granite (or any other "hard" surface counter). I'm with the others, sell as is and offer a counter allowance if your high def laminate looks worn, but let the new buyer decide!

[IndianaJones]

We have a designer home (Iris) located in Lake Deaton. We have high definition laminate in our kitchen. We want to put our house up for sale in the near future. Would our house sell easier with granite? Thanks in advance!

Do quartz instead of granite - no maintenance, doesn’t require sealing, very durable. Light colors help resale!

[Linda Taranto]

I wouldn't change to sell unless it looks bad or is marked up.

[DrHitch]

As a potential buyer in TV, I'd rather see and buy a house with pink Formica at a "fair" market price and then remodel.

As others stated, all home improvements will never get back their full cost at time of sale, unless you're a professional house flipper and have low cost basis before renovations.

[Mhollowaygleasom]

We have sold 3 homes (2 during pandemic) in the past 6 months. All 3 were very different (NH, Cape Cod & TV) and sold within 24 hours. One had granite and the others had Corrian. Pricing the home right, decluttering and cleanliness are the most important factors to consider when selling. In The Villages, a golf cart garage and location determine where your home falls within the recommended price range for that model, as you are competing with other like models. A clean, uncluttered, bright home will sell quickly here regardless of the countertops. Best of luck, save your money and price accordingly.

[gpkk_2000]

Great idea!

[Bethwill]

I would leave it as is, and if it becomes an issue, the price could be adjusted to make the buyer feel good.

[airstreamingypsy]

Personally, I hate granite. I think it's not only ugly, it's very passe. If you are going to spend the money, and watching House Hunters, it seems like it's worth it..... go with quartz. It beats granite hands down, and is much nicer looking. Granite would turn me off looking at a house, quartz would tempt me.

[kendi]

We have a designer home (Iris) located in Lake Deaton. We have high definition laminate in our kitchen. We want to put our house up for sale in the near future. Would our house sell easier with granite? Thanks in advance!

I’ve had both and personally prefer laminate. When we purchased our house I asked the realtor what upgrades would help the resale value. He said Possibly granite countertops but laminate sells well too

[Villagesgal]

Many including me don't like granite. Don't waste your money. Price your home well and it will sell. No one is not going to buy a well priced home they love just over a countertop that can easily be changed by them.

[meridian5850]

When we were looking, granite or quartz countertops were on our "would like to have" list, rather than our "must have" list. It didn't matter to us if the house we bought had hi-def laminate.

[B-flat]

Can’t go wrong with laminate we find that no matter what surface the food is prepared on the quality/taste of the food has nothing to do with the counter top.:icon_wink:

[TNLAKEPANDA]

In my opinion, a lot of the granite countertops are ugly, and you might choose a pattern that a future buyer would hate.

I think it is better to just sell the house as it is.

I doubt that you will recoup the cost...

[FosterMomma]

As a buyer, I would like the fun of picking my own counter tops.

[newgirl]

No!!! Granite is too personal, I sold real estate for 20 yrs and you will not recoup your money. You can offer a allowance to new buyer for them to get granite after close, that works well.

[sblb]

Our food gets cold from the ceiling fan. What is the pet warmer that you bought from Chewy?

[merrymini]

You never recoup the cost of installation on the short term. If you like trendy, that us fine but just like this year’s hot color, it will be different next year. I personally love granite, you can put very hot items on granite and you cannot do that on quartz. Sealing granite is easy and only has to be done a couple of times a year. I would let the buyer pick their own and not make an issue out of it, unless it is damaged.

[Gizemo33]

We have a designer home (Iris) located in Lake Deaton. We have high definition laminate in our kitchen. We want to put our house up for sale in the near future. Would our house sell easier with granite? Thanks in advance!

It has been my experience that when you are selling a home don't go crazy at the end and invest a lot of money. The laminate that you have, assuming it is in good condition, should just be left alone. Remember people buy houses and then they made changes to their taste.

[greenflash245]

may sell easier, but you won't recoup the cost. plus, maybe the potential buy won't like the new counter top

[WinnieHa]

Just had a conversation with our realtor about this. He sold us our house in August of last year. I was actually asking about how much we could build before “over building“ in terms of building a birdcage on a corner lot and enclosing our small lanai. He offered, unsolicited, that there were two obstacles as a realtor he commonly encounters that need to be overcome: #1 was lack of granite and #2 was an unenclosed lanai. To put in context, we have a screened lanai that backs up to another screened lanai.”kissing lanais.” He offered that, in order to get the price over $400,000, you need to have these two things. I’m just leaving this here without regard to stating whether or not I agree because I have no idea. But this realtor is knowledgeable and experienced and ,at the time I was having a conversation, it did make some sense. But some of the other comments also makes sense and it does make a huge difference as to what the buyer is looking for i.e. turn key or fixer-upper. And since there’s a debate about whether granite is still favored, maybe you could replace the word granite with ‘upgraded countertops” and it may have more application. We have a very expensive granite back home but did not blink an eye really at the high definition laminate that we have in the villages. But I do think we would have views it even more favorably if it had some form of “upgraded countertops.“ We were looking for something we didn’t have to do a lot to in order to enjoy the home. We did encounter a house while looking for this house that had extreme granite that they had spent a lot of money on that was horrendous. It would’ve been awful to have bought that house and had to rip a perfectly good yet atrocious looking granite. So there’s a lot of angles to this apparently. Good luck.

[Chatbrat]

go to Chewy.com & look up small pet warmer, they plug into an outlet on your counter--we only eat @ the counter, never use our dining room

Its called "A small animal heated pad"=made by K & H manufacturing, inc--only negative thing its made in China

[jimbo2012]

reduce the selling price for the cost of counter top change,

Personally we both dislike both stones, too cold to the touch.

On our new build hi-def lam was $600, Corrian $2800, stone 6-10K

We like the Corrian choices went with one that looks like quartz

[17362]

Yes and I am one of them. Quartz, For many reasons.

[Mebnj]

I would suggest you have a Broker look at it and discuss pricing before you put $7000 to $10000 into granite counters. A proper market analysis /Broker opinion of value would be best. You may need something else done that you would get 100% return versus a deterrent because someone does not like your selection. You are welcome to call me to assess. Uptown Properties. "Work with a Broker Why choose less?" 30 years experience.

[Villager2465]

Quartz is a better option

[Golfgrammie02]

Sell as is. You will not get more on the selling price if you install granite. Ask your realtor but most would say don't spend the money.

[shaynasmom31]

Thank you to everyone who has responded! Really appreciate your taking time to give us your opinions. Looking forward to seeing any more comments. Sounds like the majority of people feel the granite is not necessary and we would not recoup the total amount of upgrades. Thanks again!

[coffeebean]

a lot of people prefer quartz.

Quartz is the way to go, IMHO. I would let the new owners pick their own countertop. I'm thinking of myself as the prospective buyer and would like to put my own personal stamp on my kitchen.

[drrichard]

Sounds like it's unanimous! (I agree.)

[dewilson58]

Thank you to everyone who has responded! Really appreciate your taking time to give us your opinions. Looking forward to seeing any more comments. Sounds like the majority of people feel the granite is not necessary and we would not recoup the total amount of upgrades. Thanks again!


Lots of experts in TV.




:BigApplause:

[Tripngirl]

Is the counter top badly warn? I'd think twice before spending the money....however, depending on your price point for selling and how competive the market for a home like yours will Granite or Quartz countertops be expected by the buyer. What are the other homes in your price range offering?

[celiarw]

When we were in the market, we were told that quartz countertops are man made and you cannot take food containers directly from the oven onto the quartz counters like you can for granite. Just food for thought.

[rjm1cc]

Don't guess on what the buyer will like. Add $5,000 to the asking price and if the discussion comes up about some work that needs to be done offer to write the buyer a check for say 5,000 at closing to resolve the problem. You also leave the problems of finding a good craftsman's to the buyer.

[sloanst]

Quick answer, No, IMHO. Sell as is. If the buyers want granite, they will install it themselves. Why spend money on a house that has the potential to sell within 15 minutes of listing.

[HoosierPa]

Quartz is more popular now than granite. I would try selling it as is without an agent. Put it on Zillow and save 6%

[dkaufnelson]

When selling my last home two and a half years ago the realtor told me to leave my counters as is as I wouldn't reap the financial benefit I would spend and many people might not like whatever I chose to put in. just make sure countertops and counters are clear of all the clutter and room color is neutral so room looks tidy and larger and buyers can envision their own changes. If you watch any of the sell this home programs you will see that the main thing they do is remove the clutter from all over the house, remove excess furniture from rooms so rooms look larger and if necessary repaint any walls that are not neutral colors. Buyers don't want to see your favorite lilac or bright pink walls.

[Mumbles]

In my opinion, a lot of the granite countertops are ugly, and you might choose a pattern that a future buyer would hate.

I think it is better to just sell the house as it is.

We sold our spacious 2600 sf home last August in Fleming Island/Orange Park. The Realtor told us the house would sell just as well the way it was--laminate counter. Looked old fashioned to me, but some things are better left untouched.

We sold the house 1 day after it went on market!

[nevjudbaker]

I agree. I was in real estate. Especially with so many new builds available. My customers would love the extras but would choose a new build where they could put in what extras they wanted. Those extras go out of style & something new comes along. I don't know much about granite but if it really expensive I would go with something else especially if you are not going to live in the house. Extras are for your benefit so don't expect it will help sell a house. Most home sales price is figured by sq footage of the home. Wallpaper, wall colors & etc can turn a buyer off. I have always had white or off white walls, beige carpet, white and beige tile & our homes have always sold very fast. If you put in tile that looks like wood flooring keep it a light color. That is a good selling feature now days. The tile is more practical in Florida homes & so many want the hardwood floor look. Cheaper wood looking flooring can be put down but if water gets under it it will mildew. We lived in an apartment. The lobby had the fake wood. Hurricane flooded the lobby. Not much water but they had to take out the flooring & replace it with the tile that looks like wood floors.

[VApeople]

When we were in the market, we were told that quartz countertops are man made and you cannot take food containers directly from the oven onto the quartz counters like you can for granite. Just food for thought.

Yes, we were told the same thing. We never take a pot off the stove and put it on our quartz countertop without having some kind of insulation under it.

[DeafDeaf]

Almost all realtors encourage the sellers to make some improvements in hoping for a potentially better sale. That is not true. Even with a new carpet, for example. The buyer rather buys one that can be improved to his or her taste.

[cj740@comcast.net]

In my opinion, a lot of the granite countertops are ugly, and you might choose a pattern that a future buyer would hate.

I think it is better to just sell the house as it is.


I agree. Sell it as is.

[cj740@comcast.net]

A lot of people who list their house for sale will provide a list of upgrades with the actual cost they paid for them, and expect the buyer to pay full price for the upgrades. Typically, you are lucky to get 50 to 60 percent back for upgrades. So, if you want to spend $6000 on granite and get an extra $3000 in a higher sales price, then go for it. But, it would be a waste of money.

I think that's true. You won't get a good return on your cost/

[Lizziemay]

That would be a question to ask a realtor .

[Njdonato]

Only upgrade if you want to and not for resale. Most people will want to choose their granite/quartz according to their taste.

[cdimauro]

I "hear" that granite becoming dated as it is everywhere

[coffeebean]

When we were in the market, we were told that quartz countertops are man made and you cannot take food containers directly from the oven onto the quartz counters like you can for granite. Just food for thought.

I'm so conditioned to not place hot items on any counter tops. Trivets are for that purpose and knowing myself, I would still use trivets if I had granite.

[Cynthiaruiz10]

We have a designer home (Iris) located in Lake Deaton. We have high definition laminate in our kitchen. We want to put our house up for sale in the near future. Would our house sell easier with granite? Thanks in advance!
Get an estimate for granite and give the sellers a credit for granite with a full price offer. Everyone has different taste. You could shoot yourself in the foot if yours doesn't match theirs...just a thought!

[CFrance]

We've had all three plus Corian. The Corian scratched if you glanced sideways at it, the laminate dulled in one house, and the house we bought a year or so ago had laminate with rough patches that you couldn't really see, but you could definitely feel. That house was built in 2011, had one owner. We bought the house sight unseen while out of the country, expecting to do some things--we wanted the layout and especially the locale. It was a very good price. I was going to live with the laminate since we're snowbirds, but ultimately wanted something cleaner, crisper, and newer. We went with white quartz with a very tiny veining in it. It was NOT CHEAP! Almost twice as expensive as the upper level granite we put in our designer in 2013.

I would not put new countertops in before selling. If you have a clean, uncluttered house in a good location, you'll do well.

[J1ceasar]

The absolute best thing you can do to sell your house quickly besides pricing it fairly is 2 do a deep cleaning of your house, declutter your house I getting rid of all of the countertop appliances in the kitchen and all the extra knick knacks, and getting rid of most of the photos and personal effects on the walls. That will be the best couple of hundred dollars you will spend. Don't forget to throw out most of your stuff in the garage or put it in storage for one or two months. The real estate agents will appreciate you doing that to show off your house to the best. Also take a walk around your house outside make sure your bushes are trimmed the nicely you have fresh mulch and plant a couple of flowers from Lowe's or Home Depot. Again the best couple of hundred dollars you will have ever spent.

[SnowflakeinDeLaVista]

If you don’t have stone, quartz or something in that category, expect to get less and sell slower. Also I’ve seen where people put in the lowest end granite just to sell the house and i felt it probably hurt the sale. If your current countertop looks great and is not outdated it’s better to have that and your buyers know they will have a little time before sinking $5k or more into the countertops than to invest $3k of your own into crappy looking stone and your buyers to know they will want to immediately sink $5k or more into the countertops. Just know that kitchens and bathrooms sell houses and if you go to some granite people and talk about what you want to do, they just might be able to hook you up with some scrap exotic granite for certain areas like the bar or an island and have a good looking complementary stone elsewhere that is not as expensive. After doing that deep dive into countertops, I couldn’t help but think that maybe there are more important considerations than granite. Remove all clutter. I’ve seen houses packed with stuffed animal collections and doll collections. Doilies everywhere. Wallpaper. Walls covered in decorations, cabinets topped with silk plants. Every room Painted a different color. Before spending a dime on granite or quartz clear out all the extra stuff, get rid on anything sitting on top of cabinets and tall furniture, strip wallpaper and paint the walls a fresh neutral color. Then look at cabinets and countertops. If you have outdated honey oak or worn cabinets, paint them. Then look at the countertops. Do some research. How out of date are the bathrooms and kitchen? Every day you hold onto the property while it’s on the market costs you money in holding costs (amenity fees, insurance, upkeep) and also drives the value down. Is it worth it to spend $5k on the kitchen and know you have to mark the price down and hold the house longer because your bathrooms require $25k in Reno’s? Or there’s $15k in flooring replacement? People get used to the quirks of a house once they own it but a buyer sees those as problems and problems =costs. Have some realtors come out and assess the property. Then decide what’s worth investing you cash into.

[newchapter]

Wow!. You sold 3 homes during the pandemic, including 1 in TV? I am a former realtor and I wholeheartedly agree with you. Clean and decluttered is key! Remove all personal stuff. If you're moving anyway, box stuff up and get it out of the house. Good luck!

[John_W]

If new granite counters in the kitchen cost $5,000 then if you want the same return, you'll need to price the home $5,000 more. Chances are you're not going to see that return, in fact it will probably be priced the same without or without granite. What granite will do for you is if a buyer has 2 or 3 similar homes, similar prices, similar areas in mind, they may eliminate those that need more upgrades.

I sold my house in Baltimore in 12 hours after listing it. The buyer was the first person to see the home, she was the new manager of the Wegman's built across the street and she was in town for two days. She looked at 9 homes on day one and didn't like any. She saw our home at 10:am on day 2, and by noon they made an offer to buy the home. When the Realtor asked her why that home, she said it had the only updated kitchen, granite, new stainless steel appliances, recessed lighting, new floors, plantation shutters. We had remodeled the kitchen 3 years earlier. Had we not remodeled, she wouldn't bought our home, how many days it would of been on the market is a guess, it would been priced $35,000 cheaper without the remodel, so we would of had a different buyers market and maybe sold just as quick at the lower price.

[islandtiempo]

I agree. Better to sell it without the improvement. Someone may want to completely redo the kitchen. Quartz has gained in popularity. We recently put in HansStone serenity. You could also price it as though it had new counter tops & offer the buyer a countertop credit. You may want to do this, because a potential buyer might use the laminate to negotiate the price down.

[Quixote]

In my opinion, a lot of the granite countertops are ugly, and you might choose a pattern that a future buyer would hate.

I think it is better to just sell the house as it is.

I agree too. We like the formica, on top of which I cannot see putting a lot of money into features solely for the purpose of getting a higher price when selling. Up north, when we replaced countertops following a flood a few years before selling, we did so with new formica. The house sold BEFORE it was on the market; we'd been in it only a handful of times after buying in TV. I had interviewed a handful of realtors, and one had been contacted by another realtor with a couple interested in our house. We hesitated; the place was a mess, nowhere near ready to sell, and we were in the midst of selling contents and making donations, knowing that we'd have a ton of work to do to get the house ready to sell. But we let them come—no staging, stuff piled up everywhere, people milling around, bedrooms needed flooring and painting—an appearance that would make any realtor cringe. However, they bought the house, paying more than we ever expected, and their offer included leaving the house 'as is.' Wow.... And what sold the house? The large dining room and what was known in the area as 'the million dollar view.' Accepting the house 'as is' is what sang to me! If the property is priced fairly, it will sell—with OR without granite!


Depends if you are selling your house at the going price for an Iris? If the answer is yes add granite , it would make a difference to me! Just do t go crazy, keep neutral. But over a certain price I expect to see granite or quartz. ( I prefer granite) but I wouldn’t pull quartz up if it’s down. Two places kitchen and garages can sell a house

As I said, any property will sell at the right price. But what attracts me to a house is location, location, location, for which I would be willing to pay more—way more so than the composition of the countertops....

[Marathon Man]

I agree with the others who say don't upgrade before selling. However, I disagree with those who say to offer a credit with the price. Price the house properly and let those making an offer request the credit. Some people may not plan on buying new counters.

[jimjamuser]

We have a designer home (Iris) located in Lake Deaton. We have high definition laminate in our kitchen. We want to put our house up for sale in the near future. Would our house sell easier with granite? Thanks in advance!
Sell it quickly, without changes, before the pandemic torches the stock market. Just my opinion.

[MollyJo]

The edging on a granite countertop is just as important as picking a pleasant neutral color.

[Sheldon5663]

I don’t know if it will make your home sell faster or not but the wife and I like Ultimate Granite or Duncan Granite and Tile.

[Aces4]

Sell it quickly, without changes, before the pandemic torches the stock market. Just my opinion.

Yes, because the population of the USA hasn’t been able to spend much in the last three months and is itching to spend the extra savings on plans they’ve made for the cash they accumulated during that period. Oh wait, that would cause the market to rise. Hmmm.

[KMS1946]

I strongly agree with mepoole comment.

������

[KMS1946]

I say, don't make it an issue when there might be one. 😎

[CFrance]

When we were in the market, we were told that quartz countertops are man made and you cannot take food containers directly from the oven onto the quartz counters like you can for granite. Just food for thought.


When we put granite in our designer, we were told that while it's the common theory that you can put hot anything from the oven onto the granite, it could possibly hit some hidden fault line and crack the counter. It has happened.



I grew up programmed not to put anything hot from the oven on a countertop and saw no reason to start. I don't even remember what Exquisite Design told me about hot on quartz, because I wouldn't have ever done it anyway. I love my quartz.

[Ladygolfer93]

My personal experience has been: my sales rep at the time really tried to convince me to do that and many other expensive improvements on the premise it would pay off big time in the selling price. In REALITY, I lost twice and managed to break even on another move.... barely ! Just personal story, I know many others will say they spend 20K on granite through out and got 30K plus return. Not been my experience. Many great points made above (like yes, make it stand OUT as only a few floor plans here and all begin to look alike) but also, from another perspective, I am purposely NOT looking a homes with upgrades such as granite, or "no" carpet, or "new pewter" hardware, etc. etc. because I would much rather have my OWN upgrades rather wood floor, counter type, paint color..... just my personal view... many other my be looking ONLY if it has granite ! ?