Advice Needed Renovating my Apartment

[Archive7]

I own a small apartment only two rooms in a good area near Tel Aviv, but I hate the area and dislike most of my neighbors. Over the years I have accumulated a lot of things, mainly books and entertainments boxes. (Receivers, VCR, DVD players, loudspeakers and of course a large TV).
Several years ago I managed to paint the rooms but not professionally.
These past days I am thinking that I need a change:
1 - Relocate to a different country
2 - Relocate to a different city
3 - Renovate the apartment and either continue to live in it, rent it and rent another apartment in a better place or sell it and with the money rent another apartment.
I can't buy a different apartment because I can't afford to pay for a mortgage.
All options boils down to one essential fact, that I must renovate the apartment otherwise I can't rent it or sell it.
Renovating means changing the kitchen cupboards, the bathroom, replacing all the doors a total of six and replacing the sitting room movable blinds.
My problem is what am I going to do with all the things inside my apartment, as I want nothing inside to make it easier for the renovators to do the jobs.
I suppose I can pack everything and take it to storage somewhere and pay for that, or sell everything beforehand except the bare necessities and live in a hotel or with friends for few days or few weeks until the renovation is over.
The bulky stuff are my sitting room furniture, the large TV and the bed.
And of course I have to worry about the cost of the renovation. No idea how much it is going to cost but it can be something like 10,000 pounds.
I would like your opinion what is the best way to go on the renovation project, especially if you have done something like this yourselves.

 

[Lazarus]

If you decide to sell, do you really need to refurbish?

In the UK, its not uncommon for buyers to redecorate etc. to their own particular taste, often negating any time, effort and expenditure by the seller.

Bottom line .... one man's sh*t is another man's fertiliser.

 

[Topper]

Well jumping back to renting could be the thin end of the wedge and a move you may regret if remaining in the country. Is the cost of renovation going to maximise the amount of return on the sale? If not then as mentioned do not renovate. If you decide on renovating is it not possible to do one room at once, move everything into one room and do the other etc?

 

[Archive7]

If you decide to sell, do you really need to refurbish?
In the UK, its not uncommon for buyers to redecorate etc. to their own particular taste, often negating any time, effort and expenditure by the seller.
Bottom line .... one man's sh*t is another man's fertiliser.

Thanks. I think my apartment can fetch a better price if I renovate it and try to sell it than how it looks now.
Same thing with renting.
Worst case scenario I would continue to live in it, but I would probably feel better after getting rid of all the clutter.

 

[2cvbloke]

Paint everything in cheap Magnolia paint and sell up, gives a buyer a blank canvas to work on, and gives you a chance to find somewhere different to live...

 

[Archive7]

Well jumping back to renting could be the thin end of the wedge and a move you may regret if remaining in the country. Is the cost of renovation going to maximise the amount of return on the sale? If not then as mentioned do not renovate. If you decide on renovating is it not possible to do one room at once, move everything into one room and do the other etc?

Thanks. I believe having an empty apartment would be the best option because of all the dirt and dust from the work. The bedroom is too small to have the sitting room furniture inside.

 

[TJExcalibur]

Remove all the clutter and be hard on yourself. If you haven't used it in ages just get rid of it despite what it cost you. sell it if you can. Renovating is not difficult, empty a room and do one at a time. If you are unable to do it then pay but get a few quotes. When the place is up together you will either like it and stay or take your time and sell. remember the less clutter the bigger the rooms look.

 

[Lazarus]

Regarding the price you might achieve, I suspect that will be much the same whether you renovate or not. These things dont follow normal logic - I suggest you invite the opinion of two or three Estate Agents before making any decisions.

 

[Archive7]

Regarding the price you might achieve, I suspect that will be much the same whether you renovate or not. These things dont follow normal logic - I suggest you invite the opinion of two or three Estate Agents before making any decisions.

Selling the apartment is the last thing I will do because I need a roof over my head that is my own, even if I rent it, I can always come back and live in it.
I will not let any estate agent set a foot in my apartment, certainly not in Israel.

 

[Terryl]

Here state side we have a company called "PODS" they rent you a container, you can put everything inside it and store it outside the building or they can take it away for storage, the containers are totally weather, vandal and burglar proof, even better is storing them at their place.

I don't know if they have something like that at your location, but have seen them listed for the UK and Australia, so maybe something like them around your area.

 

[sonnetpete]

When my wife died in 2009, I decided to renovate this house along the lines we'd discussed, plus a few additional ideas of my own. I had the kitchen replaced, the bathroom refurbished, and central heating installed upstairs. This made very little difference (if any) to the estimated selling price I was given from an estate agent afterwards. I suspect it would be the same if I'd intended to rent. Recently we've converted a lumber room into a downstairs bathroom, I.E. created another useful room, which would affect the price/rentability. Unless you can somehow make your two rooms into three, I don't think any amount of time and money spent on renovations will make a significant difference.

 

[Archive7]

Here state side we have a company called "PODS" they rent you a container, you can put everything inside it and store it outside the building or they can take it away for storage, the containers are totally weather, vandal and burglar proof, even better is storing them at their place.

I don't know if they have something like that at your location, but have seen them listed for the UK and Australia, so maybe something like them around your area.

Yes we have something this this here. This can be a good option if I decide not to sell the furniture.

 

[Archive7]

When my wife died in 2009, I decided to renovate this house along the lines we'd discussed, plus a few additional ideas of my own. I had the kitchen replaced, the bathroom refurbished, and central heating installed upstairs. This made very little difference (if any) to the estimated selling price I was given from an estate agent afterwards. I suspect it would be the same if I'd intended to rent. Recently we've converted a lumber room into a downstairs bathroom, I.E. created another useful room, which would affect the price/rentability. Unless you can somehow make your two rooms into three, I don't think any amount of time and money spent on renovations will make a significant difference.

I suppose you are right about the selling price. But you needed the change and you felt better after the renovation, right?

 

[sonnetpete]

But you needed the change and you felt better after the renovation, right?

Yes, I did, however I was somewhat deflated after the estate agent left. It's only been during the last couple of years since I met my present partner that she's brought a different view of what to do with this place. It had become a bit 'blokey'. We aren't thinking of moving either...

 

[Archive7]

Remove all the clutter and be hard on yourself. If you haven't used it in ages just get rid of it despite what it cost you. sell it if you can

This is really an excellent advise. Thank you!!!
Looking back for example at the cost of all the PC's I built over the years and how they are worthless now except for the information on the hard disk (which I am going to backup up to an external HDD just in case), I think they are the first thing that will go to recycling. I have now only two PC's that I haven't used for several years and I was thinking of using one for Linux but now I am not too keen.

 

[Lazarus]

You wont regret running a Linux Distro.

No, Sir.

 

[Channel Hopper]

Selling the apartment is the last thing I will do because I need a roof over my head that is my own, even if I rent it, I can always come back and live in it.
I will not let any estate agent set a foot in my apartment, certainly not in Israel.

What could be more obnoxious about Israeli estate agents over the norm ?

Estate agents posed online to insult residents

 

[Topper]

Unfortunately many large businesses do not know what half their staff get up to, even using the business lines to exploit their own form of racism and make abusive calls to 'customers', I would love to know what their bosses think when the company is unable to contact the recipients of those abusive calls who have used common sense and the 1572 service from BT, (which for a freebee is fantastic), well until someone finds a way round it.