Prepare Your Home for Sale: Kitchen
Makeover Ideas
By Jeanette Fisher
Money spent updating your
kitchen rewards you better than money spent on any other upgrade to your
home. When it comes to kitchens, buyers continue to demand improvement in
efficiency and style, and they usually want the kitchen fully remodeled and
operational when they move into a new home.
Cooks want to be in the
middle of family activities so they can enjoy companionship. Newer homes
place kitchens open to the family room and often have wide views of the
outside. Newer homes also boast larger kitchens with more than one
preparation area because cooking has become a social activity, and new homes
often include a bar or buffet for entertaining.
Buyers look for a kitchen
with large open areas that allow guests enough room to mingle, along with
workspace for kids doing homework or even a small kitchen workspace for
paying bills or making phone calls. Present your kitchen as an organized,
clutter-free, versatile space that will help your buyers feel they could be
productive and happy working and interacting in the heart of their new home.
You don't need to
completely remodel your kitchen to sell your home. Packing and storing extra
kitchen pots, pans, and utensils generates a more spacious presentation. You
may also wish to invest in an attractive portable kitchen island to use as a
prop for a kitchen with an open center and insufficient counter space.
Consider easy, low-cost
changes that instantly upgrade a kitchen without major remodeling. These
include:
-
Replacing your faucet
with a fancier model.
-
Changing your cabinet
hardware.
-
Painting cabinet faces or
ugly laminate countertops. (Use Marine-grade paint.)
Design Psychology Tips for Selling Your
Kitchen
-
Light up dark areas. Use
plug-in night lights to brighten dark counters for a thrifty solution.
Also, a small lamp looks great on a countertop.
-
Soften the hard surfaces
with fabric, including window treatments and new hand towels.
-
Remove all appliances
from the countertops. Use a bowl of fruit or flowers to brighten the
space. This one step, clearing counter eye-clutter visually expands your
kitchen. Each item on the countertop stops the eye for a second. Fewer
accessories let the buyers' eye roam freely and they get the impression of
a large countertop expanse.
If you decide the kitchen
cabinets must be replaced, choose light wood or white finish to reflect
light in a dark kitchen and to convey a sense of cleanliness and
spaciousness. Wood cabinets in major cities recover 90-130% of the cost to
put it in when you sell.
For a moderately priced
home, laminate countertops mimic limestone or granite and provide a smooth
surface. Upscale buyers prefer granite countertops, but large-scale ceramic
tile with small grout margins produce an effect similar to granite for a
fraction of the cost.
Luxury home buyers look for
walk-in pantries, wood or stone flooring; built-in wine coolers
water-filtration systems; built-in microwaves, and custom lighting. All
buyers expect a garbage disposal, a dishwasher, and a ventilation system
over the stove.
Modern, sleek kitchens
don't need softening of the all-hard surfaces (countertops, flooring,
cabinets, etc.). However, homes showcasing a relaxed, inviting atmosphere
benefit from visually softening additions like new colorful hand towels, a
carpet under foot at the sink, and pot holders on hooks near the stove.
What ever your redesign
budget for preparing you home for sale, little changes like clearing the
countertops and adding new dish towels and a bowl of fruit can make your
kitchen entice a buyer to say, "This is my new home."
Copyright
© 2006
Jeanette J. Fisher
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