Taming the Truly Ugly Kitchen — Part 2
In part one of this little series we talked about ways in which you can erase your fingerprints from a kitchen other people – read prospective buyers – might not truly appreciate. Those who work daily in the business of staging property know that success in the real estate game depends on making a house look move-in-ready.
This means dressing it so that it doesn’t seem to need any work at all. The fewer tasks left to the buyer, the faster your house will probably sell. So, your stager will attempt to make your home look as if it could fit into the way of life of prospective buyers. The broader that field of buyers can be, the better.
The chartreuse kitchen is probably not going to fit as well into the buyer’s tastes as something a bit more neutral. The red-brick wall paper will likely need to go as well. Since the kitchen is one of the rooms that can make or break a sale, the work you do with your stager here is especially important. We continue:
Tile – Tile – Tile
When there is tile on the floor, tile on the backsplash AND on the benchtops, you may need to rethink your use of this very cleanable material. There really can be too much of a good thing. The good news, this is where your professional at staging property will shine.
Because stagers work with all manner of issues every day, one that has any experience to speak of will know precisely what to do with your miles of tiles. Stagers also have a very good idea about what the cost will be to replace your glut of subway tiles, so you can make decisions based on your budget.
Dark Cabinetry
If yours is a small kitchen with limited light, having walls covered in darkly stained wood cabinets can be oppressive. Unless prospective buyers are used to living in a cave, they might find such a kitchen to be a deal-breaker.
Back in the day when walnut stain was a popular kitchen choice, there was also a school of cabinetry thought that ornate was especially wonderful. Dark cabinets with ornate doors make your kitchen cave seem deeper and darker. (And they are impossible to keep clean.) At this point, a prospective buyer will either say “No way!” Or they might calculate, “Hey. We can put in new cabinets. Let’s make a low-ball offer to cover that cost.”
Neither of these options are good ones for you, the seller.
Talk to your stager to discover what options you have to make your kitchen a bit brighter. There are other options including painting, or replacing just the doors. Even if you have to totally replace your cabinetry, you are probably going to come out ahead money-wise. Don’t forget, you may be able to sell the rejects.
The Dark and Dismal Kitchen
If your kitchen has few windows, or is without them totally, your problem is as simple to fix as:
1. Knocking out the wall and adding a bank of windows
2. Adding a skylight to bring in natural light, or
3. Bringing in artificial light
Depending upon the depth of your pockets any of these solutions will work. The least expensive option, of course, is to add electrical lighting. There are wonderful options today that can illuminate a dark kitchen without breaking the bank. A well-lit kitchen goes a long, long way toward selling a house since so much of our lives are tied to the room where the refrigerator lives.
Speaking of Refrigerators…
Upgrading appliances may seem like a spendy solution to your problem, but it need not be. You can find good, used appliances at affordable prices if you know where to look. If you don’t happen to know where to look, your home stager will. A nice, new-looking stove and refrigerator can make the sale of your home so much easier.
Staging property can be tricky and expensive. On the other hand, having low-ball offers that don’t approach your asking price is also an expensive problem. Before you list your home for sale, call in a professional stager to help you prepare your property to garner the highest sale price possible.
