Setting the Stage - By Andrea

Kitchens Sell Houses . . . 

The smartest financial commitment you can make for your house is a kitchen upgrade.  It will give you the most return on investment.  People make the decision to buy a house based on what the kitchen looks like more than anything else." - Annette Verschuren, President Home Depot Canada - Chatelaine, pg 78 July 2007
 
Now you're probably saying to yourself "Yeah sure, but she's with Home Depot and has products to sell."
 
Yes, but if you take a moment to watch a television design show, such as "Sell this House", "Take this House and Sell it", "Buy Me" etc, all the designers & real estate experts will tell you the same thing: Kitchens sell houses.
 
I'm not saying to rip out your existing kitchen, and spend more than $20,000 but I am suggesting to do some updates that won't "break the bank" but will definitely add the "Wow factor":
 
- paint dated & tired cabinets in a neutral cream or crisp white
- add brush nickel hardware knobs and door pulls
- paint over a dated tile backsplash - again with a fresh neutral colour
- or rip out the backsplash and cover with sheets of stainless steel
- if your counter is tired & duck tape is holding it together - change it.  For under $1000, for an average sized kitchen, you can have your older counter removed and a fresh new one installed.  It adds such value for so little money.
- if the cabinets do need replacing, consider re-facing - keep the boxes of the cabinets just change the doors at a fraction of the cost
- add more task lighting: either over the kitchen sink with a modern light fixture or under cabinet puck lights are inexpensive
- update the sink with a newer faucet
- de-clutter the counters: put away crockpots, toaster ovens, kitchen utensils etc - you want the potential buyer to think there is loads of counter space & cupboard space - not that you've run out of room!
- remove all fridge magnets, calendars, personal photos, kids artwork - de-personalize the kitchen
- toss out dirty kitchen carpets that are near the sink - replace it with a modern bamboo mat - or clean new neutral carpet
- just before an open house make sure your kitchens smells great: bake some cookies and leave for the guests with a "Help yourself" sign or put on a small pot of DIY potpourri (mix cloves, cinnamon sticks, slices of oranges with some water & simmer over low heat for 20 minutes until fragrant).  Try to avoid cooking strong smelling foods before an open house - you don't want potential buyers thinking the exhaust fan above the stove isn't working!
- now that you've neutralized the kitchen - you can always add a punch of colour with a bowl full of red apples on the kitchen table, a red tea towel at the ready near the sink, a glass jar filled with red licorice or gumballs on the counter
- and last but not least -make sure the kitchen is spotless.  The sink is clean, the garbage is thrown out, the counters & floors are free of crumbs and stains. By spending the time, or "sweat equity", you might just find that you will have more equity for your hard work.
 
The kitchen is considered the heart of the home.  Potential buyers need to see that the current owners have given the kitchen some love & TLC. 
 
-Andrea