Real Estate Novice

I love my condo.  I really do. But, I'm thinking of selling it.

For those of you who don't know the story, I bought the book "Home Buying for Dummies" on Thursday and bought my condo on Saturday.  I didn't want a condo; I wanted a historic home ... wood floors, arched doorways, decorative fireplace, etc.  A condo was not what I wanted.  Thankfully, I had a realtor who knew what I needed.  As a single gal, who likes to travel and hates yard work, the gated condo with no yard was the perfect fit for me. Have I mentioned I didn't want a condo?  Yet, that's what I bought that sunny afternoon.

I've enjoyed the good (tax break!) and bad (#%&* heat pump) that come with home ownership.  I love having my own space to decorate (clutter up is more like it). My condo was what I needed at the time.

Of course, this was pre-Tilt-o-Pearl and pre-knee surgery...

Now, having a condo with all the living space on the second floor is not such a good thing with my old-lady knees.  While Pearlio can do some laps and use the puppy pads, she'd much prefer to use a yard instead.

So, I think I may sell.

I don't know so much about real estate and have some stupid questions. If you know the answers, please comment.

I need to get tile in my bathroom. Should I get my dream tile or merely nice tile?

Should I get new carpet?  Or, should I merely offer a carpet allowance to the buyer?  How much $$?

How much money will I get from a sale?  Do I get my down payment and mortgage payments to date back?  Kind of fuzzy on this and need to know to determine new price range...

I'm an intelligent gal, but time didn't allow me to do as much research as I normally would.  Sometimes, you must go with your gut.  I have not regretted my decision.  Just need some insight for my next step ...

Comments

[Tom]

I'm not a Realtor, but I'll play one here. And I've watched a lot of HGTV since Bethany moved in a year ago.
Most buyers are looking for updated kitchens and bathrooms. Any improvements you can put into them will help.
Carpet can be negotiated in an offer, or it can be something to do if you're not getting any interest.
I haven't sold a house either, but would guess that you walk away with the difference between the sale price and what's owed on the mortgage (minus the realtor commission, of course).