Your Kitchen.
The gathering place for family, friends, parties, and holiday gatherings. It’s no matter that this is considered the heart of the home and more importantly, it’s the room that could make or break a sale. Quite frankly, it’s the most important room in your house - which is why you need to take extra attention here, when getting your home ready to sell.
Don’t be getting panicked if your room isn’t uber modern or anything to brag about. If you are willing to put in the work, I will give you some tips that won’t break the bank, leaving you more cash in your pocket. Try to remember, you have your home how you wanted it while you lived there. Your job now is to create a blank slate for the new homeowner to make their memories.
We can start out easy (print this page and use as a checklist):
· If you have dated wallpaper, take it down. If your kitchen isn’t painted a very neutral color, paint it a neutral color. Why do you need to neutralize? Think of it this way, the more your kitchen to appeals to as many age groups and personalities as possible, the more interested buyers you should have.
· Start by uncluttering your cabinets. Anything you won’t need for a couple of months, sell, pack or give away. Make your cabinets look like they have room for the new homeowners’ things.
· Unclutter your countertops. Take items you don’t use daily and tuck in a cabinet. Keep items on your counters to a bare minimum. Clutter doesn’t sell kitchens. Put spices back in the cabinets or pack the ones you don’t use often away.
· If you have decor on top of your cabinets, pack 90% of it away.
· Dust cobwebs out of ceiling corners.
· Scrub your kitchen refrigerator – inside and out, and don’t forget the handles. This can also be a great time to toss out expired food such as salad dressings (why bring them to your new home?).
When you are finished scrubbing, sort and organize your fridge.
· Wash your cabinets with a cleaner that is made for the type of cabinets you have.
· Scrub and clean your stove and oven. Make it look as new as possible.
· If your dishwasher looks dirty (inside and outside), scrub it.
· Wipe the dust off your lights and the top of your fan.
· Clean stove, floor and wall vents.
· Clean any crud you may have around your faucets, sink and counters.
· Clean your sinks.
· If your table isn’t going to be staged, keep it clear of extra “stuff”.
· Take down dated curtains and blinds. Not having anything on your windows look better than dated (dated takes away from the offer price).
· Wash your windows.
· Clean and shine your floors.
Sounds overwhelming, but it will pay off. Now, if your kitchen is severely dated, here are a few tips that will be worth the labor or investment.
- If you can afford it, have newer, matching colored appliances. You can usually buy appliances in packages that are more inexpensive than if you bought them individually.
- To update the cabinets, you can do a few things without totally replacing them.
o -Change out the doors
o -Have them painted
o -Paint them yourself
o -Change out the handles (you can get a pack of 20 for about $30)
- To update your counters, you can:
o Paint them with a kit
o Replace
- To shine wood floors – I love the green label Quick Shine. If your floors are dull, you will have to give more than one coat.
I hope these tips have helped you. Please contact me if you have any questions. I created a detailed video that will walk you through the most important steps and tips to help you make the most money from the sale of your home: https://youtu.be/Ch8vPKaHG1A
Sincerely,
Karyn Murphy
Owner and Managing Broker of KamBri Realty, LLC
Mokena, IL
708-278-6996
Here is another great post that will help you with the sale of your home - https://realestatemall.us/the-power-of-curb-appeal-how-to-sell-your-home-before-the-buyer-even-walks-in/