Should You Buy a House with Popcorn Ceilings?


You may finally be ready to go from renting an apartment to becoming a first-time homebuyer as you’ll likely encounter, there are many variables to consider when looking for a home. Factors such as location, schools, finances, the style of the home, and yes, should you buy a house with popcorn ceilings. Popcorn ceilings shouldn’t be a deal-breaker, but it’s one more variable to consider and what to look for when buying a house. 

Deciding whether or not to buy a house with popcorn ceilings will depend largely on the conditions of your local housing market, and your own comfort level either living with popcorn ceilings or using one of the methods mentioned below to get rid of them. For example, if there are several similar houses for sale in the area you’re looking to buy, then making an offer on a home that doesn’t have popcorn ceilings could certainly save you some money and time. However, if the home you’re looking at is located in a hot market and will most likely receive multiple offers, then understanding exactly what you can do about popcorn ceilings so you can buy a home this year is a great way to go. 

Why were popcorn ceilings so popular? What’s their purpose?

Remember bell-bottom jeans and moccasins? How about bouffant hairstyles for ladies and slicked-back hair for men? Just as in fashion and beauty, the housing industry goes through fads and trends too. For example, shag carpets and popcorn ceilings were extremely popular from the 1950s through the 1970s. But what are popcorn ceilings, and why were they such a popular home trend?

Popcorn ceilings are bumpy, textured ceilings that came into vogue beginning in the 1950s. The sprayed-on technique used to apply these ceilings was less expensive than a hand-troweled, smooth finished plaster ceiling. The popularity of this cottage cheese-like texture was spurred on because the style provided camouflage for ceiling imperfections and a measure of noise-canceling benefits, hence, their…