For a majority of home buyers the kitchen is the heart and soul of the house. The kitchen will be the number one room that the buyers will scrutinize as they view your home. It is well known in the real estate industry that a well presented kitchen sells homes. A kitchen should be prepared for showings as well as the photography for your homes online marketing.
Unless your kitchen is in complete disrepair or completely outdated compared to your competition, I do not suggest running out and spending $1000′s of dollars on a kitchen remodel. Following are suggestions to show your kitchen off to its greatest potential.
The first three items we will discuss is clean, de-clutter and paint and can have an amazing impact for free or very little money!!
- Clean, Clean, Clean- Make sure your kitchen is sparkling clean from top to bottom. This means inside the cabinets,the exterior and interior of your stove, the refrigerator in and out, any kitchen windows, floors, counters, etc…. You get the point, your kitchen can’t be too clean!
- De-clutter and organize- Get rid of the stacks of papers and bills, remove everything from the refrigerator, pair down the items you have on your counter top, remove knick knacks etc… Let home buyers view the kitchen space not your personal items. Organize your cabinets and don’t forget to organize your refrigerator.
- Paint- There is nothing cheaper than paint. Fresh paint has a huge impact on not only your kitchen but anywhere in your home. Make sure it is a neutral color and don’t forget a fresh coat on the ceiling. Kitchen ceilings tend to get dirty from kitchen grease and steam.
If you only do the first three items you have accomplished a lot. The following suggestions are low dollar high impact items you can do to help improve an outdated kitchen.
- Replace hardware- Simply replacing outdated hardware to a more current style can have a ton of impact on a kitchen. Remember brass is out, chrome and nickel is in.
- Replace fixtures- With the prevalence of home improvement stores like Home Depot and Lowes, lighting and sink features can be a very inexpensive proposition and is another item that can have a huge impact on how your kitchen will show.
- Add Lighting- Simply adding some lighting to your kitchen can brighten it up. Some very small table lamps can be put in corners of the counters to help lighten up the kitchen.
- Paint the cabinets- You are starting to get into a lot of work here but cabinets that are in good shape but the color is dark and outdated can have a dramatic impact by painting them. If your cabinets are severely outdated, like the old knotty pine or in a dark oppressive color painting your cabinets can transform your kitchen unbelievably. Your not talking a lot of money, but it can take time. Plan on several weekends worth of work if you are going to repaint your cabinets.
- Replace counter tops- If your counter tops are dated, tired looking or in bad repair consider replacing just the counter tops.
Remember your kitchen should be clean and bright!!
Your Listing Agent is a Valuable Resource
If you are thinking of selling your home, consult with your local real estate agent to get the most bang for your buck out of your kitchen. A quick refreshing of the kitchen can recoup you thousands of dollars in a home sale and your trusted real estate agent can help. Your real estate agent should be able to give you an honest assessment of your home and give you valuable suggestions to prepare your kitchen and your entire home as well.
You have spent the time to prepare your home, hopefully sought out good counsel from your listing agent, now make sure they do a good job presenting your home online. The photographs your real estate agent presents online is one of the single most important tool you have to market your home. Below are photographs taken from the our local MLS, the photographs are on the left are from other listing agents, the ones on the right are mine….. make sure your agent is presenting your home properly. In every one of my listings I consulted with my clients and helped show off their kitchens to the their best potential. I then followed up with quality listing photographs, making sure they were in focus, lit well and were properly staged for the photography.
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If you are thinking of selling your home and would like a free consultation of how to prepare your home for a maximum return, call Kevin Vitali at 978-360-0422
