The place where food brings family and friends together, the kitchen is perhaps the most important room in your home.
In order to sell your home and get your pick of offers, you want to showcase your kitchen as a desirable place. A dingy, cluttered, or even outdated kitchen will likely turn away buyers; a polished and organized space will do just the opposite. With these staging tips, you’ll be set for house showings, marketing photos, and selling as a whole.
Tip #1: Set an accurate listing price.
We’ve talked about finding out how much your home is worth, but this is also important to keep in mind before you start showings (or marketing your property online). If your appliances, counters, or cupboards are outdated, replacing them just before trying to sell doesn’t make sense. It’s OK if your kitchen doesn’t resemble a set from Food Network—just make sure the state of your kitchen is reflected accurately in the listing.
Tip #2: Clean, clear, and declutter.
The trick to staging is that your home shouldn’t look like your home on a random Tuesday, but instead look like it could be somebody else’s home. Cleaning your kitchen until it’s spotless should go without saying, but here are a few other ways you can tidy up:
- Take magnets off of the fridge.
- Clear off all kitchen surfaces.
- Move any pet bowls to the garage or mudroom.
- Organize your fridge and cupboards.
- Consider giving your walls a fresh coat of paint if it’s due.
- At the very least, don’t forget to wash and clean your walls!
Tip #3: Put the spotlight on ______.
What are the best aspects of your kitchen? Are they those gorgeous hardwood floors? Your lighting fixtures? The ornate backsplash? Whatever it is, make sure these aspects stand out.
Polishing your wood floors, replacing light bulbs, or hanging up a dish towel that complements the color scheme are just some examples of inexpensive—but effective—ways to highlight your kitchen.
Tip #4: Turn on all the lights.
The brighter, the better! A dark kitchen isn’t welcoming, and it can ruin even the best kitchens when trying to photograph. Staging your kitchen—whether for photographs or an open house (or both)—is most effective when you turn on all the lights.
Tip #5: Spruce it up!
Weirdly enough, real estate agents tend to have a habit of setting out two empty wine glasses, an unopened bottle of wine, and calling that staging. While subtlety is key, that doesn’t exactly sell your house in an eye-catching way.
A simple succulent or other houseplant serves as an excellent table centerpiece. Reupholstering your chairs or stools is a great way to add a pop of color (or to provide color balance). A cute dish towel can draw just the right amount of attention. Sprucing up your kitchen takes thought but hardly any time—and it can be just what your kitchen staging is missing.
Selling your house takes a lot of work, as well as time. But when you work with RealtyHive, you can sell fast, easy, and on your terms. Contact us to sell through a time-limited event today!
