Kitchens Sell the House

The rooms buyers most closely look at and judge in a house are the kitchen and master bath. These are the interior spaces where the most value can be added during a sale, so why not make it look its best!

For today, let’s evaluate the advantages of upgrading your kitchen if you’re looking to sell. A serious home chef like my wife, or just house-proud owners, might consider the kitchen their showstopper room, the one that will acquire the attention of potential buyers. That’s why they add all the upgrades, accoutrements, and trendy new finishes they can possibly find. A well-appointed kitchen can make a buyer fall deeply in love.

An inherent danger of taking a deep dive into modern design is accepting the harsh fact that today’s trends may be tomorrow’s “What was I thinking?” fads such as fake brick or hideaway appliances. With the average kitchen remodel around $20,000 depending on size of course and designing without foresight can be very costly. Before, planning any upgrades to your kitchen, consider the neighborhood you live in and the kind of buyer you’re looking to target.

Some trends such as subway tile and granite countertops have a long life in the designer world. Designers expect they’ll be in style for years to come, so you’re safe giving them a starring role in your remodel. Evaluate the surrounding homes and see if they have tidy, simple kitchens with Formica or tile countertops. Ask your Realtors advice on what catches the buyer’s eye and what seems to sell in your area and upgrade similarly.

Don’t overdo your remodel. An upgrade can range from a weekend long, low budget brush up to a full blown project.  Either way, your goal should be to make your kitchen look fantastic without wasting money, overinvesting, and ultimately upgrading your kitchen so that it’s out of place amongst the rest of the properties in the surrounding neighborhoods.

Countertops are your kitchen’s primary focal point, it’s important to ensure their longevity. Picking a trendy material will be best while it’s still trending, but in a few years, it might make your home impossible to sell. Better to spend a bit more on a surface you’ll love for a great while. If the rest of your kitchen is looking very worn and dated, you may be able to salvage some of its basic structure and replace it with modern elements that will simply improve the kitchen cost-effectively. Resurface, refinish, or scrub down the cabinet doors, replace cabinet hardware, install a new faucet, upgrade the appliances, install new lighting fixtures, place some backsplash tile and apply a fresh coat of paint that will have the kitchen stand out.

"Some people look for a beautiful place, others make a place beautiful!"