If you talk to most people looking to buy a home, the kitchen is one of the most important rooms. It's where people congregate, cook, and share their lives. Kitchens are often what makes or breaks a potential buyer's opinion of a home and are a major selling point. Kitchens can be expensive to remodel, but these four tips will help you beautifully stage and update your kitchen in a snap.
1. Do A Deep Clean
Clean the kitchen from top to bottom, until it sparkles. Start up high, by dusting light fixtures and ceiling fans, wiping down walls and windows, scrubbing countertops, wiping out drawers, cleaning the sink, and polishing hardware and appliances. Work your way down to the cabinets and give them a good scrub, inside and out, wipe down the baseboards, and clean the floors.
2. Organize and Declutter
First and foremost, clear off your countertops. Remove unnecessary appliances such as blenders and toasters and store them in a cabinet. Because buyers tend to love kitchens with ample counter space, consider only having a few decor pieces on your countertops. Next, clear out and organize all drawers, cabinets, and pantries. The more you remove and declutter, the more storage space you're showing to buyers. Make sure to remove magnets from the refrigerator and toss old or expired food items in your pantry or cupboards. If you kitchen is decluttered and organized, it will seem bigger.
3. Make Small Updates
Consider making some inexpensive but impactful updates such as replacing cabinet hardware, buying new chairs for the kitchen table, purchasing a new faucet, painting the walls, ceiling, and cabinets, and replacing outdated light figures.
4. Style and Accessorize
After cleaning, organizing, and updating, it's time for some fun! Adding in a bit of flair in the form of decor and accessories can take a kitchen from stark and bare to open house ready. Use your nicest dishes and placemats to set the table, as this helps buyers imagine themselves eating there. Next, accessorize with decor items that make sense in a kitchen, such as a few jars of dried beans and pasta grouped together, a candle or two, a cookbook opened on a stand or in a basket, a bowl filled with fruit, or a vase with fresh flowers. The key is to add in a few pops of color and personality without overdoing it.
There you have it, those are our top four kitchen staging tips to help potantial buyers fall in love with your kitchen! If you want to learn more about home staging, check out our post titled 52 Home Staging Tips to Help Sell Your Home Fast.
