Unless more than one knowledgeable realtor tells you otherwise, I would not renovate them. But then you knew I would say that!

But to me, your case is clearest, because the fact is that renovating never returns 100%, so you would only ever do it for your own enjoyment, not for profits.

( I know someone will disagree with me, but those shows that show 110% back or whatever are relying on a lot of free talent and elbow grease, usually).

I think bathrooms are risky "upgrade" for selling, because they are very expensive to do, and it could well be that a buyer has very different taste and either won't buy because of the cost to redo the baths (after you've just done them!) or will rip out what you did anyway.

Leave it to buyers to do and get the bathrooms they want, would be my advice. And tell them that if the topic comes up.

I also wouldn't do the baths - if you do them, you're hoping to find someone who likes them and will "pay" for them, if you don't do them, you'll be looking for someone who wants to do their own, and you're saving time, energy and money. We sold our long-time home a little more than a year ago in a completely as-is deal. We even had one bath that had been demolished and never rebuilt. We decided that it wasn't worth it to us to spend the time, energy and money redoing what needed to be done, we'd just price it accordingly. Done, sold. Now we're redoing our apartment, but we're going to live in it for 5-7 years, so its worth the time and energy (if not the money!)

Agree to ask your realtor. A good one will tell you Exactly what to do and not to do.

We sold our 1930s home last spring, and our bathrooms were part original and part updated. The realtor had us change out a faucet and light fixture and repaint 1. The other we took out some storage pieces to give more open-ness (but no place to keep anything LOL) and also the realtor wanted new towels, rugs, candles, etc of course.

So I think you want the baths to look like up to date vintage baths, if that makes any sense.

And yes it is all worth it in the end!

Our old house we didn't touch the half bath - original 1960s brown tile. It was in very good shape, just "looked" dated. In the full bath we removed the shower doors, put peel & stick tile to cover the slashed up linoleum, installed a new mirror, vanity, and replaced the blue toilet with a white one. Kept the blue tub and the blue tile surround. Very low cost, with a crisp white shower curtain to really make it feel fresh.

As long as everything is clean and still functional, I would rather you leave them as is and let your price reflect that. I would not be happy to have to pay for something new that I didn't like and would want to change

Definitely not gutting. However, even if your market is hot, some updating with new paint and hardware, new towels and accessories is worth it. Also, make sure that it's clean and decluttered, the grout and caulk are clean.
In my area, buyers want move-in ready.

don't do it, you'll never get the returns.

It really depends on who the targeted buyer is for your house. If you live in an area of starter homes that mostly sell to younger people, having updated facilities is often a plus as the buyers may not have extra cash or time for remodeling. I wouldn't spend a lot, though, just do the basics in a neutral color.

If your area is one where buyers are accustomed to buying a home and remodeling it to their specifications, I wouldn't spend the money and would price my house accordingly.

I agree, don't do much, if anything. As long as it's clean, especially the grout, caulk, and the paint looks reasonably fresh in the bathrooms, you could leave as-is. If it really bothers you that the countertops have some stains, put in some inexpensive formica tops and an inexpensive new sink and faucet, hang some fresh towels and call it a day. It all depends on if houses are selling quickly in your market or moving slowly. If they are moving quickly, it's probably not worth the effort and money spent.

The only way I would do it is if the house absolutely would not sell with the bathrooms the way they are now. If you did minor cosmetic updates (new cultured marble to replace old, things like that) if might be plenty and you would get a return, maybe, if it was only a thousand dollars or so (or at least not a great loss. If you renovated the baths or one of them, in its entirety, no, I don't think you will get the return at all.

I had to redo a full bath (the only full bath) in my last place because it was very worn out and the rest of the apartment was renovated. I did not see one penny of it in return except that I sold the apartment and there are others that were on the market longer that did not (and have not sold yet) three years later. Obviously there are other factors involved, but in my case leaving an only bath renovation to a buyer (which is a hassle) would have meant I couldn't sell at all.

Thank you everyone, this is really what I wanted to hear. And I do agree if the house lingers then it might be worth considering. I live in Orange County CA and our market is really strange right now, some homes sell very quickly and other linger and I can't really figure it out. A quick seller might be a house that is not as even fixed up as mine, in an average neighborhood at a fair price but not undervalued and then another house priced almost the same and fixed up may not sell. My hubby is more the "we have to gut the baths" of the two of us. Then again he is the one who thinks repainting is a waste, I find it all very interesting. In all honesty I think the painting response is just because he is really busy with other things and does not want to be bothered. Do plan to have my realtor over in another couple of weeks, want to finish my packing first, I will see what he has to say.