Flip this house!

[gwyneth]

For inexpensive appliances find the stores that sell to landlords. The simplest models in plain white work fine and will be much less expensive than any other appliance store. The appliances that come with a house are thought of as used and nobody pays much for a used appliance.

...
If it's possible spray paint the doors. Anybody walking through a house neccessarily takes a close look at doors and trims.

Actually, IMO it would be a waste of money to buy any appliances--with the sole exception of a dishwasher and disposal if the house doesn't have them.

Jan is absolutely right about the way buyers perceive appliances, but modest new ones aren't going to make the kitchen look any better. Maybe worse--sometimes a single door fridge makes the buyers think the kitchen isn't large enough for a double door.

At best the buyer's going to look at the modest new ones as something to replace, so there's a strong argument for 'why bother'.

The dishwasher and disposal, however, need to be there--if they are already, don't replace unless really funky and old, but if not bite for the installation (there a modest black GE makes no negative perception, unlike a modest refrigerator).

I also think there's no "if possible" about the paint spraying. If you're going to do the painting yourself, this is mandatory, both because of the time savings and the professional appearance.

Rent one if you have to, but it would make more sense to spend the $200 on an airless sprayer (the big kind with a spray handle and a long hose leading into the paint can).

You will never regret owning one if you plan to do this again, and probably even if you don't. (And if you're even thinking about the possibility of becoming a landlord, owning one is as important as knowing how to change door lock cylinders and keying yourself.)

[Jan]

To be truly functional an airless sprayer must have a pressure adjustment feature. When you use an airless unit you always run the lowest pressure consistent with the paint. I use a Graco Magnum DX that cost $300 from HD. I believe Gleempaint.com has some units priced lower than that though my DX has preformed well with exterior, interior, and clear finish. It does take a while to learn to spray with an airless so if this is the only project you plan you might just pay a house painter to spray the doors for you.

I think a kitchen without a stove and reefer looks forlorn. Besides, homebuyers freguently don't have the money to replace anything even if they want to. The people who stage houses for sale usually insist on having a full set of appliances in place so the place has a ready to go look. You might even talk to your appliance dealer about his return policy in case the buyers don't want them.

You should also check with the local authorities for any point of sale upgrades that may be required. For example, where I live old fuse boxs must be replaced with breaker boxs when a house is sold, sewer laterals must be upgraded, and spark arresters in place on chimneys. You'll want to budget for these upgrades if you're stuck with them.

[gwyneth]

I just wanted to add to Jan's excellent points that any learning curve with an airless sprayer is more than redeemed by how fast it will take care of the walls (in addition to the doors he's mentioned).

One of the idiotic things my mom did--or rather didn't do: at the beginning of rebuilding the 10-bedroom house a lacrosse team had destroyed, we saw a Cambell-Hausfield heavy duty airless at Home Depot that had been a rental unit--they tossed a new gun/handle on it and it was going for $110 (compared to the new ones they were selling at about $500).

She didn't think it would be worth it (used to paying slave labor for bad paint jobs, I guess). I bought it.

One of the few things I remember from that awful project was how long it took to paint the basement: 40 or 50 feet of halls, two large bedrooms, a kitchen, a bath, and a common area. Two coats at less than four hours each.

[jseklund]

I just wanted to chime in again and thank everyone for all of the advice that's been given so far. When I first started this project I thought I could get in and do it all in 3-4 weeks. That wasn't including the 2 weeks of prepping that I had before I actually closed on the deal. Well, I've owned the house for 10 days and the two weeks prep time is long gone. I'm thinking it better start going much smoother or I'll be looking at 6 weeks. That's always the way I guess.

So far I have fixed about 1,000 holes in walls from the size of a screw to the size of a door handle, to a couple of larger holes. I also created a nice BIG hole by removing a wall between one of the downstairs bedrooms and the staircase in the living room. It was two closets, now it's all open and I'm told it was a great idea. I've removed all of the kitchen cabinets, sink, appliances, linoleum. I've taken the bathroom vanity out, the toilet, etc. I removed the pet stained particle underlayment in one bedroom and put down a layer of smooth sanded plywood in its place. I removed more pet stained particle board from the bedroom that is now a soon-to-be dining room.

The real fun came when started removing the linoleum from the bathroom floor. Around the side of the shower the underlayment was obviously wet/rotted. I went into the basement and the plywood subfloor looked like it had taken some water, but not too bad. I decided to remove the underlayment and replace it. The first section I tried to pry up moved about 1/16 of an inch. Then my pry bar went through the subflooring. I started removing more and more. Turns out I had to cut out the shower entirely and the entire floor had rotted and was soft as could be. I've gotten almost all of he subflooring removed. I've been doing it in sections so I don't have an entire bathroom with just joists- I have about 2/3 of the bathroom subfloor down. I'll have to put an underlayment for the tile on over that. It did end the discussion about whether or not to replace that shower/tub though. Removing the flooring has to be one of the hardest things I've ever done- in a tight bathroom with no room to work, standing on joists, bent over. The sawsall and circular saw couldnt' reach some of the spots, so I had to go at it with a hammer and chisel. It was a great way to spend the weekend.

I've been eyeing air compressors. My thinking was that a nail gun or two could be nice for the flooring, although not necessary. I will need a stapler for the hardwoods though, and if they make good sprayers for the compressor that I could use for painting that would be a nice bonus. But this is just wishful thinking at this point probably.

I would love to get an airless sprayer, but .....can't justify it YET.

Thanks again for the advice!

[Red88chevy]

JS,

Sorry about the bathroom floor, guess that's one of those "surprises' people always talk about. Briefly read over the upgrades you were planning and you definitely need to get a nail gun for any kind of trim work, like the chair rail you mentioned or putting on new baseboards. You'll be amazed the time it will save you, besides how much better it looks, using a nail gun as compared to using a hammer, finish nails, and nail set. Amazon, HD, Lowes have a good Porter Cable combo set that comes with everything you need.
Good luck with the rest!