Hello Everyone! :) I am an aspiring real estate agent with a background in interior design, and I have a question that has been bothering me for a while now.

To use a personal example, My father was a general contractor for his entire adult life, working with his father from his teenage years up until the day he died at the ripe old age of 76. My dad had his own style, and favored a varied mix of interior and exterior designs, ranging from spanish stucco exteriors, to primary paneling interiors.

My question comes from my most recent aquisition, a home my father built which is half of a twin. I managed to obtain the property for 40k under appraisal, and I am looking for ways to make the property more appealing to home buyers.

This home has a predominance of dark paneling, with a semi-gloss finish, typical to most wood finishes. Its not real wood, but some sort of prefab that looks pretty, but definately has me questioning which sells better, painted sheet rock (drywall) or fake wood paneling.

If anyone could comment on the general consensus on the resale value of homes full of paneling vs typical drywall, I'd be happy to listen. I'm torn between ripping out all the paneling and replacing with drywall before resale, or dedicating the money to other areas. As already stated, I have 40k in equity in the house, plus whatever I can add on top to what the neighborhood standard can handle. The house resides in a small town in eastern PA marked in the top 100 of money magazine's best places to live two years in a row. The house is in the high density residential zone, which allows home offices/businesses.

If anyone can comment favorably on my situation, I would appreciate it. i am considering this my baptism by fire to get myself in the world of real-estate, but on my own dollar. :)

Thank you so much for reading this.

Sincerely,

Matt Freyman

With all things being equal drywall will sell faster in my area.

Anywhere I've ever been, Buyers consider paneling to be "chintzy", and will describe it as such, often using less attractive terminology.

Maybe Folks in Pennsylvania have different taste buds; but I don't think so. That's the way it is. I's too bad because that paneling is virtually indestructable, child proof, mar resistant, washable, and low maintenance . . . . but it's still chintzy !

The buyers I have dealt with like drywall over paneling. Most said the paneling looked dated. Of course the orange shag carpet in that room didn't help.

Sheet rock beats paneling any day. Painted paneling even beats paneling.

Some people have perfected the technique of filling the depressions (or grooves) in the paneling with joint compound and then wallpapering over to conceal the paneling . . . . but really Savvy Buyers can still tell. They have developed a nose for that stuff !

Part of the problem with paneling is that it can make someone feel like they're in a Mobile Home . . . . even when they are not. Have you noticed that even the Mobile Home Manufacturers have moved away from paneling? I guess that tells you something.

Paneling was very popular in the Poconos....ugh. There are a few rare buyers who actually like it, but most prefer sheetrock. At the very least the paneling should be painted a nice light, warm, friendly color (I like pale buttercream yellow / navajo white myself...it's neutral, light, and warm at the same time but not as stark as white and not as bold/vivid as yellow. It's cheery.)

See if you can cull through the sales in your area and then run the numbers - make adjustments, and see what the numbers tell you as far as what sells faster/for more money...

Otherwise it's all speculation and guessing.

Paneling is so 1970's

Professional decorators use paint color to help define a room.

In my area, paneling is a sign of outdated, cheap, inferior design.

Oh come on now, I like the rustic pine tongue and groove look, especially in the basement, reminds me of my old frat house!

Well, there's paneling that has a printed fake wood design on thin fiberboard that's cheesy, chintzy, and so forth. That type of paneling is definitely out of style. In fact, wallpaper also seems mostly out of style as well.

Genuine wood paneling may be another thing however. A high end home with, say, a wood-paneled library, can be very rich and elegant in appearance. I wouldn't say that type of paneling would hurt a home's value.

Thank you so much, guys! your opinions are all gems!

Caveman, Retsof yor, REO, Mark, Bigtoe, ManFtB, thanks so much for your comments!

Vermont, this is the "chintzy" version of the paneling. you can tell its fake, very evidently so. It is somewhat pretty, but you know deep down its not real wood. To me, that's a major failing. If I put up paneling, I want it to look like real wood panels. :)

Perky, you are so right! the poconos are less than an hour drive for me, and we do like our rustic dwellings here in Northeast PA. However, there's a limit. I personally don't like it everywhere.... two rooms upstairs are completely sheet rock, and those rooms are the "go to" rooms for the upstairs, more than the living room and kitchen.

in my remodeling plan I am going to take out a supporting wall between the kitchen and living room and replace it with a beam(most likely laminate, due to the high weight threshhold, but considering options). that'll open up the two rooms, allow them to merge, and allow me to seal up another entryway to the kitchen to allow for better cabinet placement for the redo. That's nuke half the kitchen paneling. the other half is on the firewall between the twin next to me, which I am going to replace with sheetrock.

That leaves the downtstairs on a concrete foundation (carpeted overtop) which allows me to rip out all the paneling and sheet rock it. I might opt for beadboard or wainscoating downstairs or upstairs, first choice the kitchen depending on how much I'll use for cabinet space.

PA Roadkill, it is indeed a 70's house. I managed to purchase the house from my mother's estate for about 40k under appraisal, including the contents of the house. Its hard enough dealing with an outdated home, but add in all the outdated furnishings.

The appraisal was a gem to read. it literally came from the 70's and 80's decor wise.

Thanks so much everyone for your help and advise! This is one forum where I feel being a newcomer isn't a bad thing. :)