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THE KITCHEN - HOW IT CAN HELP SELL YOUR HOME More than likely, the majority of people looking at your home will have to cook. Therefore, the one room they will look at with the most scrutiny is your kitchen. Not only is the kitchen the one room that is the hub of activity in preparing meals, eating, and even sorting mail, the kitchen has long been a place for people to just "hangout." Some people say the kitchen is the heart of the home. A recent study shows that as high as 85% of buyers consider the kitchen to be a huge deciding factor in their buying decision. Even if you don't have the time or finances to do a complete kitchen overhaul with custom cabinets, ceramic tiles, and granite or marble countertops, there are some things you can do to spruce up the kitchen that won't cost you a bundle of money. These changes will greatly add value to your kitchen and to the sale of your home.
Before you put your home on the market, look around the kitchen and make sure it's what you would look for in a home. If not, make appropriate changes. A hot item in kitchens today is stainless steel. The gourmet look of stainless steel stoves, refrigerators, and sinks is appealing to many homebuyers. Now you probably can't go out and buy all new appliances, but if you have other types of appliances, then consider changing out your hardware with stainless steel or even use stainless steel accessories. If you are in the market for new appliances, you can buy new stainless steel models but make sure the buyers know they are coming with you. This will at least show the potential buyer what the kitchen could look like if they wanted to add stainless steel themselves. If you own an older home, you probably have one of three designs:
These designs were all created from the "work triangle" concept where all appliances are positioned within steps from each other. This idea was first conceived back in the 1950s based on information from stay-at-home moms. By 1990, the designs of kitchens started to change based on lifestyle change. More and more couples starting sharing the cooking duties, families started eating more pre-packaged or frozen foods, and people needed better storage and space. Because of these changes, multiple workstations are now being incorporated in kitchen layouts, getting away from the traditional triangle. This new design allows more people to work efficiently in the kitchen. Keep in mind that there are still things you can do to make your kitchen more functional. You can add a center island for more counter space, have shelves built on the wall, install under-counter lighting, etc. To bring life into your kitchen, you should avoid certain things such as:
All rooms in your home are important when you decide to sell however, the kitchen is by far the most important room and should get some extra attention.
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The L-Shaped
To avoid this,
add glide-out shelving or Lazy-Susans.