Home Staging Tip #5: Preparing your Kitchen
Let’s face it; there are two rooms in your house that can either be the deal sealer or the deal breaker, the kitchen and/or the bathrooms. Interested prospective buyers can overlook a lot of ill wills, but if they walk into a spectacular kitchen it will hedge your bets that they will make you a solid offer. On the contrary, if they walk into a cluttered, outdated, dysfunctional mess you can almost be certain that they will look for other flaws and most likely send you a low ball offer. This month we will focus principally on the kitchen.
If you are on a tight budget and you want to spruce up your home to put it on the market, then the kitchen is the place to start. There are many ways you can accomplish this without breaking the bank and with just a little sweat equity. Before you even start declutterring and organizing, take a good hard look at your cabinets, plumbing and hardware. Are they grungy and tacky from years of cooking oil and dust buildup? Are your cabinets laminated and in need of an update? Are they a sea of oak in an otherwise light and bright décor? Is your countertop chipped or stained? If you can answer yes to any of these questions then we have budget friendly answers for you.
The best way to update your cabinets is with a fresh coat of paint. If you now have a dark kitchen, painting your cabinets a light or white color will brighten your space and, if done right, make your cabinets look brand new. Other techniques include antiquing or distressing the finish to give it a casual “cottage” look. If you have good solid wooden cabinets that simply need a facelift, painting them is far easier and less expensive to get the look you want than replacing them with less expensive cabinets. FAR LESS EXPENSIVE!
There is a wealth of information on the web that gives you step by step instructions to get the look you want. The best site I have found is Hometalk, http://www.hometalk.com/14227468/how-to-paint-kitchen-cabinets, to get thorough instructions on supplies, prep, painting and finishing your cabinets on a budget. You can also paint laminate, but do not sand first. Clean and prime and then follow the painting instructions. If you have trim on your laminate you want to cover you may want to consider trimming out or re-facing your cabinet doors before painting. Go to http://www.hometalk.com/17912650/rental-apartment-kitchen-updo to see what this young lady did in just a weekend with help from her sister. She also painted her laminated faux wood countertops to look like marble.
If you are not up to a DIY project, these budget friendly suggestions can easily be done by a good handyman/painter. If you do not know of someone, ask your Realtor, Professional Home Stager or your local paint store for a recommendation.
Once you have painted or refreshed your cabinets, don’t stop there. Organize your drawers. Take down any artwork and magnet collections from your refrigerator. If you are selling the refrigerator with the house, make sure it is spotless and organized. Clear your countertops leaving only the essentials such as a coffee pot, crock for cooking, utensils (if needed), toaster oven, etc. After declutterring you may find space in your cabinets to store items you do not use every day! Eliminate “junk” drawers by organizing with drawer trays. Neatly fold towels and linens. Discard old and worn items. Neatly stack dishes. Turn coffee cup handles facing the same way. Replace your faucet if it is old and leaky; you know you have been putting this off anyway so getting your kitchen up to a new and sellable standard is well worth your efforts.
Give us a call if you need assistance or just need a little encouragement to get started. We would also love to see your ‘before and after’ photo’s of your transformed kitchen. We are certain that if you put your money in updating your kitchen you will be rewarded with a good return on your investment.
Has this information been helpful? Give us your feedback. Let us know if there is a topic you would like for us to address. Need the assistance from a professional Stager? Contact Vicki Grant, CEO of Grant Home Staging Services, grantstaging@gmail.com or (305) 394-9201, staging Key West homes since 2009.
