Selling Your Home with Great Kitchens & Bathrooms

Once a prospective buyer enters your home, selling your home is likely to focus on the features found in your kitchen and bathrooms. Great kitchens start with a great design so it is important that you highlight the best features of your kitchen. Windows can be showcased with new curtains, an island can be staged to illustrate its varied uses, and lots of storage capacity helps you  hide many of your belongings to create the appearance of boundless storage.

Preparing your home for sale is challenging. If you need to sell your home quickly and want to get top dollar, you should hire a home stager to help you remove clutter and personal things. They can also identify each room's key selling features and help you rearrange furniture to create a feeling of spaciousness.

Kitchens Features for Selling Your Home

It is unlikely you can change the basic layout of your kitchen. You can however, show off its best features by dressing them up to enhance the overall feeling of the room. You might be surprised by a few of them.

They're based on running my handyman business for eight years. We helped a lot of homeowners who were selling their homes. One woman said “Now that the kitchen looks so nice, maybe I should stay here.” after we installed a granite countertop (we also installed one in her new house).

• Replace counter tops to update the kitchen or a less expensive alternative is adding a pleasing back splash that wows buyers.
• Change hardware to update cabinets that are in good condition. You can also replace cabinet and drawer fronts if the current style is dated but in good shape.
• Replace light fixtures and/or windows to add light or maybe you can change the window coverings to let more light in.
• Frequently realtors recommend new appliances, i.e. stainless changes the look and feel quickly. There are reasonably priced packages which include a refrigerator, stove, dishwasher and microwave.
• Flooring is another feature that creates the mood of the kitchen. Consider replacing if your current flooring is worn and dated and the rest of the kitchen is in much better shape.
• A fresh coat of paint (don't forget the ceiling) is popular. Home stagers offer color consultations to help you identify the best colors for your kitchen based on current trends.
• Routine maintenance items should be taken care of. Repair leaky faucets and drawers/doors that are difficult to open and close. Replace grout that is crumbling and re-caulk the back-splash if it does not sparkle.
• Create a feeling of  spaciousness by removing clutter from surfaces, drawers, cabinets and the pantry so when buyers inspect them they feel like you have boundless storage.
• Make sure the room looks and smells clean. Wash appliances and cabinets, counter-tops, sinks and faucets. Don't forget the garbage areas and remove all evidence of pets.

Selling Your Home with Great Bathrooms

After kitchens, bathrooms are the next most important rooms for selling your home. They need many of the same touches as your kitchen, only on a smaller scale.

• Assess your fixtures and update those most dated. Faucets should be clean and shiny, along with all other metals from light fixtures to the sink and bathtub/shower.
• Add lighting with a new fixture, or possibly a new medicine cabinet with built in lighting.
• A fresh coat of paint and coordinated towels, hung on updated towel rods/hooks are inexpensive ways to give the room a new look.
• Routine maintenance items should be taken care of. Repair/replace caulking around the sinks and tub/shower,  repair/replace grout as needed and repair/replace leaky fixtures.
• Clean everything so it sparkles, It's a small room with lots of features that you don't ordinarily clean – toilets, sinks, faucet hardware, mirrors, soap dishes, etc and keep towels, shower curtains and bath mats clean.

Selling Your Home Starts with Creating a Mood

Once you've dealt with the bigger projects and you are ready to list your home, you'll want to create the right mood for buying. Your Realtor® can help you prioritize these ideas when selling your home, so you maximize your success in your neighborhood and town/city.

• Light rooms up by opening drapes and blinds during the day and turn on all lights for evening showings.
• Clear the hallways, stairs and closets of all clutter. Every buyer wants lots of storage.
• Arrange furniture to create a spacious look and clean/organize closets, storage, etc to create visual space.
• Make sure your home is warm or cool according to the season.
• Ensure carpets and floors are always clean.
• Make sure the house smells nice with potpourri or fresh flowers around the house.

Good luck selling your home!