Selling a home and you want to know what you can do in your kitchen to ensure that it is most appealing to prospective home buyers. What can you do?

Getting a Kitchen ready when selling a homeHere in the beginning of my series zeroing in on the rooms of your home when selling a home, I begin with one of the most treasured parts of a home, the Kitchen. Keep in mind that you’ll want to view your Kitchen as if you are a prospective home buyer. This means you need to put aside your own emotional attachments; hard…I get that. Yet, a must.

Look at your Kitchen – what do you see – how can you get your Kitchen ready to sell?

This is a great way to begin. You want to step back and just look around your Kitchen as if a visitor. What do you find appealing or what do you find not so appealing? Be honest with yourself. No sugar coating. What is the condition of your Kitchen? Now you’ll be able to break it all down, as we get into specific areas within your Kitchen that we’ll address. By doing this we’ve already prepared your mind for what’s to come when getting your Kitchen ready when selling a home.

What about your Kitchen’s countertops?

If they’re already appealing made out of granite, quartz, or another popular top, then you’ll likely simply need to make sure it’s sparkling clean. On the other hand, if your countertops have seen their better days, you could consider replacing your countertops with an affordable granite. You’d be amazed at what a new slab of granite can do to a worn out Kitchen.

What about your Kitchen’s cabinets?

Similar to countertop appeal, if your cabinets have been well kept and are made of quality classic cabinetry materials, such as wood, you’ll likely just need to ensure their cleanliness. A solution of Murphy oil soap is superb for cleaning wood cabinets and the natural smell is amazing. In fact, whenever I clean my home’s own Kitchen wood cabinets I use Murphy oil soap and the scent lingers reminding me of growing up when my childhood home was often cleaned with the use of the soap.

However, if your Kitchen cabinets aren’t in the best of condition, a coat of paint to compliment your Kitchen could do wonders. I’ve seen Kitchen cabinets that were very drab and after a coat of paint, done well, makes a world of difference to brighten the appeal of a Kitchen. Gaining attractiveness without having to get brand new cabinets. Now that’s music to your ears.

At the very minimum, you’ll want to make sure your cabinets are thoroughly cleaned no matter the type of material. Cleanliness will always add value.

What about your Kitchen’s appliances?

Matching appliances make a world of difference. Are yours matching or mix-matched? Money would be well spent to replace that white dishwasher when all the rest of your appliances are stainless steel – kind of like bringing your appliances up to code.

What about upgrading all your appliances? Will this really be worth the investment? Read more about such options here – Upgrading appliances when selling a home.

• Then you’ll want to clean all your appliances:
• Clean the exterior of all appliances so they shine.
• Turn on the automatic self-cleaning feature in your oven.
• Clean the interior shelves/drawers of your refrigerator and by all means, make sure you get the old and rotten foods out while selling a home.
• Clean the inside of your microwave. An easy way to accomplish that is by placing a mug of water in the microwave, bringing to boil and letting the steam from boiling water work on removing the crusted-on gunk.
• Clean the inside of your dishwasher too! Have you ever taken a look at the inside of your dishwasher? A good cleaning of it can remove some not so good looking gunk in it too.

What about your Kitchen’s faucet and sink?

Unless you have recently replaced your kitchen faucet, consider replacing it with a shiny new fixture. How about a hands free one, which would be particularly welcome in our nation right now with all the focus on cleanliness to avoid viruses. Hands free is brilliant!

Or how about your sink? Is it in good condition or is it full of scratches and stains? If you cannot bring out all of its glory, you could consider replacing it.

What about your Kitchen flooring?

How do your floors look – are they in good condition? If you see cracked tiles or damaged wood/vinyl/laminate planks, consider changing them out. Or if your home’s kitchen allow for its area to accommodate its own flooring, you could change it out for an updated look that would complement the rest of our home’s interior design. At a minimum, if you have tile and the grout is filthy, now is the time to get down on your hands and knees, if needed, to clean the grout. The simple solution of baking soda and peroxide works wonders along with a narrow brush to line up with the width of the grout line, such as an old toothbrush.