What's a house that hasn't been updated since the 1980s actually worth?
Answered by Chris Deutsch, Founder & Editor
Licensed Minnesota Realtor #20382264 ·
The short answer
Usually more than the family fears. A dated house isn't a broken house — and the things that actually drive value never went out of style: the lot, the location, the bones, the block. Original finishes price in as a discount against updated comparables; they don't disqualify the home.
On stage The 60-second answer
Captions on · Transcript below
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Chris's video answer is on its way. Until then, the short answer above says the same thing.
The transcript posts with the video.
The longer answer
The honest method: find what updated versions of the same house sold for nearby, then subtract what it genuinely costs a buyer to get there — not what HGTV says it costs. Done right, that lands on a number that's defensible instead of hopeful. What hurts households isn't dated kitchens; it's guessing. Pricing on feelings, in either direction, costs real money.
I do that homework before we ever talk numbers, so nobody's lying awake wondering. (The number is usually a relief.) When you want it, ask.
The next department over
What people in this spot usually ask next.
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From the editor's desk
“As Founder and Editor, I review, correct, and stand behind every answer.”
Is your situation more specific than the market? That's the one worth talking through.