Simple ways to get your kitchen ready when selling a home without having to undertake a major remodel.
Selling a home and you want to know what you can do in your kitchen to ensure that it is most appealing to prospective home buyers. What can you do?
Here in the beginning of my series zeroing in on the rooms of your home when selling a home, I begin with one of the most treasured parts of a home, the Kitchen. Keep in mind that you’ll want to view your Kitchen as if you are a prospective home buyer. This means you need to put aside your own emotional attachments; hard…I get that. Yet, a must.
Look at your Kitchen – what do you see – how can you get your Kitchen ready to sell?
This is a great way to begin. You want to step back and just look around your Kitchen as if a visitor. What do you find appealing or what do you find not so appealing? Be honest with yourself. No sugar coating. What is the condition of your Kitchen? Now you’ll be able to break it all down, as we get into specific areas within your Kitchen that we’ll address. By doing this we’ve already prepared your mind for what’s to come when getting your Kitchen ready when selling a home.
What about your Kitchen’s countertops?
If they’re already appealing made out of granite, quartz, or another popular top, then you’ll likely simply need to make sure it’s sparkling clean. On the other hand, if your countertops have seen their better days, you could consider replacing your countertops with an affordable granite. You’d be amazed at what a new slab of granite can do to a worn out Kitchen.
What about your Kitchen’s cabinets?
Similar to countertop appeal, if your cabinets have been well kept and are made of quality classic cabinetry materials, such as wood, you’ll likely just need to ensure their cleanliness. A solution of Murphy oil soap is superb for cleaning wood cabinets and the natural smell is amazing. In fact, whenever I clean my home’s own Kitchen wood cabinets I use Murphy oil soap and the scent lingers reminding me of growing up when my childhood home was often cleaned with the use of the soap.
However, if your Kitchen cabinets aren’t in the best of condition, a coat of paint to compliment your Kitchen could do wonders. I’ve seen Kitchen cabinets that were very drab and after a coat of paint, done well, makes a world of difference to brighten the appeal of a Kitchen. Gaining attractiveness without having to get brand new cabinets. Now that’s music to your ears.
At the very minimum, you’ll want to make sure your cabinets are thoroughly cleaned no matter the type of material. Cleanliness will always add value.
What about your Kitchen’s appliances?
Matching appliances make a world of difference. Are yours matching or mix-matched? Money would be well spent to replace that white dishwasher when all the rest of your appliances are stainless steel – kind of like bringing your appliances up to code.
What about upgrading all your appliances? Will this really be worth the investment? Read more about such options here – Upgrading appliances when selling a home.
Then you’ll want to clean all your appliances:
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- Clean the exterior of all appliances so they shine.
- Turn on the automatic self-cleaning feature in your oven.
- Clean the interior shelves/drawers of your refrigerator and by all means, make sure you get the old and rotten foods out while selling a home.
- Clean the inside of your microwave. An easy way to accomplish that is by placing a mug of water in the microwave, bringing to boil and letting the steam from boiling water work on removing the crusted-on gunk.
- Clean the inside of your dishwasher too! Have you ever taken a look at the inside of your dishwasher? A good cleaning of it can remove some not so good looking gunk in it too.
What about your Kitchen’s faucet and sink?
Unless you have recently replaced your kitchen faucet, consider replacing it with a shiny new fixture. How about a hands free one, which would be particularly welcome in our nation right now with all the focus on cleanliness to avoid viruses. Hands free is brilliant!
Or how about your sink? Is it in good condition or is it full of scratches and stains? If you cannot bring out all of its glory, you could consider replacing it.
What about your Kitchen flooring?
How do your floors look – are they in good condition? If you see cracked tiles or damaged wood/vinyl/laminate planks, consider changing them out. Or if your home’s kitchen allow for its area to accommodate its own flooring, you could change it out for an updated look that would complement the rest of our home’s interior design. At a minimum, if you have tile and the grout is filthy, now is the time to get down on your hands and knees, if needed, to clean the grout. The simple solution of baking soda and peroxide works wonders along with a narrow brush to line up with the width of the grout line, such as an old toothbrush.
What is on top of your Kitchen’s countertops?
Food items – Do you usually store all your frequently used food containers, spices, condiments, etc on your countertops? If you do, now is the time to get them removed and put away inside of your cupboards. Sure, this may not be convenient, however the quicker you receive an offer from a home Buyer the quicker you can relax a bit in your home.
Small appliances – Do you like all of your small appliances handy for when you want to whip up some ice cream, a baked cake, a smoothie with fruit and veggies or a margarita or when you need to grate up some carrots or some other vegetable for a new recipe you’re trying? Having all of these appliances handy is ideal, I get that, however not now when trying to sell a home.
The more the top of your countertops can be seen the better. A countertop cluttered with too much stuff is not at all appealing to a home Buyer. They want to see sparse tops to make sure that their items will have the space that they need. You must allow them the ability to envision their things not having to overlook your clutter. Most Buyers don’t have the ability to do such a task of looking through a home Seller’s clutter, that’s a gift a small percentage possess. Plus, it may signal messiness and uncleanliness to them, which by no means do you want. Your task is to make your home appear as it has always been clutter-free and well cleaned; this brings in top dollar.
What’s in your Kitchen’s cupboards?
Having your cupboards stacked full and unorganized is not appealing to a home Buyer. This will make them question your kitchen’s storage capacity. You’re going to have to pack to move anyway, so now is a good time to clean out all the items you don’t use routinely or just get rid of what you really don’t use. It’s all about maximizing your kitchen storage. Pack up or throw out before you move out.
Related: Selling your home to move for a job transfer details directions for when a mortgage is needed.
Lastly, after addressing all the areas as discussed above regarding how to get your kitchen ready when selling a home, you’ll want to make sure it is sparkling clean. Because if your kitchen isn’t clean nothing else matters.
Wrap Up
Even though your kitchen is just a part of your home, it is the room of a home that is huge for its importance to most any single person or family that will be moving in. Quite often, the kitchen is the first room of the house that a prospective home Buyer will want to see. Follow all my advice above and the viewing of your home will certainly go far in grabbing ahold of a buyer of your home. All the advice that I provide really sets the stage for your kitchen implementing a staging plan.
Further Real Estate Reading:
Real Estate Investing Blogs – One can never have enough Real Estate articles to read and Spark Rental has put together a group of blog sites that offer up some amazing advise and even entertainment. Be sure to take a look – you’ll likely want to bookmark the selection.
Considerations when choosing a Real Estate Agent – Selling a home or buying a home is a significant financial transaction and you’ll want to make sure you can trust who you hire for the job. Here Danny Margaliano provides welcome advice.
Home staging advice – Staging a home to sell is always going to further your success when selling a home. Kevin Vitali has presented welcome staging tips that will put your home in its best light. Be sure to take some time reviewing his article.
Buyers viewing video Kitchen Tours – In current times, we’re finding that home Buyers often rely on video tours when searching for a home. Here John Hamilton lists a few common questions that home Buyers have when viewing videos.
Today’s Boca Raton Real Estate article “How to Get your Kitchen Ready When Selling a Home” was written by Lynn Pineda a top Boca Raton Realtor and top Coral Springs Realtor selling homes in South Palm Beach county and Broward county in the cities of Boca Raton, Boynton Beach, Coral Springs, Delray Beach, Coconut Creek, Deerfield Beach, Margate, Lake Worth, Parkland, Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Sunrise, and surrounding areas within Broward and Palm Beach counties. Call Lynn at 954-464-1100 if you have questions about selling a home in Boca Raton to Coral Springs and around.
Lynn Pineda, a licensed Southeast Florida Real Estate Agent serving Southeast Florida since 2005. eXp Realty LLC. Real Estate Promises Delivered. You can speak with Lynn by calling/texting her at 954-464-1100 or you can email her at: LynnP@ImagineYourHouse.com if you need to buy or sell a Southeast Florida home. Your local, trusted professional when it’s time to buy or sell a home. Real Estate promises delivered.
