Guest Author - Donna Coogan

Are you trying to sell your house but your kitchen is holding you back? The kitchen is the prime feature people look at when buying a home. It can be the “make or break” feature. Why? Because kitchens are expensive and buyers want one that already has all the bells and whistles.

Well, what do you do when your kitchen doesn’t have all that? Perhaps it’s time to start thinking about home improvements.

Since you are trying to sell, you want to be able to make the best improvements for the least amount of money. You have to do that without becoming emotionally involved. Create a kitchen that would appeal to a lot of people besides you.

Begin with knowing what is popular in kitchens right now. The main features that homeowners look for in a kitchen is lots of storage, a good traffic pattern, attractive cabinetry and clean, working appliances. Do some research to see how your home compares.

Visit trade showrooms, home expos and model homes to see what is popular. Read the paper for kitchen descriptions of area homes for sale. Visit open houses and pay attention to what they offer to other buyers. Ask your friendly neighborhood real estate agent to make some suggestions. Believe me – they’ve seen it all and know what kitchen features will pull in a buyer and what will repel them.

Once you’ve gathered all this information it’s time to study your kitchen in more detail. How does it compare? What changes can you affordably make to bring it more up to date?

This will vary from one home to the next, so you really have to determine your own needs. But here are a few ideas to get you started.

Caulk around your countertops.
Add a shiny new sink faucet with updated sprayers.
Replace light fixtures.
Paint a fresh neutral color on the walls.
Convert an empty cabinet into pantry storage.
Add new knobs to cabinet doors.

And if you can afford it, replace the kitchen appliances. It may cost a few thousand dollars, but it could bring you new buyers that much quicker.

What you don’t want is a kitchen that shows obvious signs of wear and tear. Just because you’ve put up with them doesn’t mean that other people will want to. This sounds like common sense, but it’s human nature to fall into a glitch and just put up with little inconveniences. But those problem areas will turn off potential buyers.

Make repairs wherever they are needed. Holes in the floor mean it’s time to shop for new flooring. Broken cabinet doors mean getting them replaced or adding new hinges. A rusty dishwasher means a new one is the order of the day.

Neutral colors in taupe, gold or cream are a good choice of wall color. Pick white or stained wood cabinets. Keep the countertops neutral too. Granite if you can afford it is always popular. But any number of quality laminates or ceramic tiles are also very attractive if they blend well with the room.

If your kitchen is open to other rooms in your home, then selecting neutrals is even more important. This allows buyers more flexibility for design options when it comes to decorating adjacent rooms.

Anything you can do to make your kitchen feel more cared for and appealing is your goal. This is the heart of the home, so you want to give it a sense of welcome to as many people as possible. As long as you don’t do a major makeover or remodeling job, you can normally recoup your costs when you sell. Put your money into the most important features first and then work on the cosmetics to bring the room to life.