Don't Let Your Dated Kitchen Kill Your Homes Sale

In my last blog, Use Coronavirus Quarantine to Maximize Your Homes Showing Potential, I discussed simple, inexpensive things you can do yourself that will help your home show at its best and, hopefully, help it sell for top dollar. It's not possible to cover all of the things you can do in one blog or even three or four blogs, but I am going to continue with this topic because there is a lot more to discuss that can be helpful. In this blog, I'm going to discuss what many will say is the most important room in the house, the kitchen.  

Meals, snacks, and the fact that there's usually a table for work or homework make the kitchen a convenient place to gather, and with a lot of use often comes a lot of wear. Because it's a favorite place to gather, buyers usually want a great kitchen. If your home was built more than 10 years ago, you can almost bet that the kitchen needs a little touch up to compete with whatever the new-build market is currently pushing. I know, I know who can afford to change their kitchen every 10 years? Almost no one, which means it needs to look as good as you can make it unless your house is priced with a kitchen remodel in mind.  

This doesn't mean that people aren't buying homes that don't have remodeled kitchens, but it does mean that yours needs to be in good enough condition for people to be willing to live with it. For example, if your kitchen has one of those standard tan-brown granites with brown wood cabinets, instead of the white/white or white/gray so popular now, people might be okay with that if all of the appliances and flooring are in good condition. A buyer may be willing to live with painting cabinets that are in good shape because they don't have to replace any appliances, and they like the rest of the house. Painting cabinets can dramatically change the look of a kitchen for the better when done right. People are often willing to live with a less expensive refresh to hold them over if they love everything else about a house. If your cabinets are putting off buyers or you want to get a little more money out of your sale, you may want to go ahead and paint them. Make sure to research what is currently popular, but keep it as simple as possible. No finishes or colors that haven't stood the test of time. Think of the 1970's avocado green and harvest gold. Your realtor is a great resource for this, do not forget to get his/her opinion first! 

If painting the cabinets is still a bigger fix than you want to take on, replacing hardware is probably the simplest option that can help the look of your kitchen. Sometimes simply adding or changing out drawer handles or knobs can make a huge difference. The easiest way to do this is to find pulls that line up with the existing screw holes in your cabinets and drawers. If you can't find something you like that lines up, it will just take a little more work to fill in the old holes. I don't have any before and after type pictures to share, but if you google kitchen makeovers, you will find plenty. Make sure whether new or old, your cabinet doors hang and shut correctly, and drawers are correctly aligned and move smoothly. 

Countertops are also high on a buyers list and will make an impression whether you want them to or not. The best thing to do is to take care of them from day one. It's hard to say if cabinets or countertops make a bigger impression on buyers, but it will probably cost less to replace countertops than cabinets. An unsightly countertop is not quite as easy to camouflage as cabinets that can be painted. However, if replacing is not in your budget, there are still things you can do to make them show at their best. Countertops are something that buyers often have to settle themselves with as they will either be able to afford to replace them or they will have to live with the existing ones. The question will be, will they love your house enough to want to live with your counters? Laminate and tile are the most outdated options for counters followed by solid surface polymer-resin, better known as Corian. Granite and marble have both remained popular for a very long time, but quartz has been the designer's choice for the last several years. Granite was well-liked over the last decade for its color variations, but with the more monotone kitchen palettes of late, the uniformity in its color and pattern make quartz a better fit. Marble is also still highly desirable, but it is the costliest of options.

If you have a smaller kitchen and you do decide to replace the counters, looking for remnants, leftovers from other jobs, can help reduce the cost. However, since it's not likely that most of you will replace your kitchen counters to sell your house, I'll give you some tips on what you can do to help your existing counters. No matter what type of counters you have you can keep expensive fixes at bay by following a few simple rules;  

1. Wipe up spills right away
2. Use trivets or hot pads under hot pots and pans no matter what type of countertop
3. Always use a cutting board, and 
4. Use a soft cloth with water or the right product for cleaning your counter type.

Stains on laminate can often be removed with paint thinner, nail polish remover, or a baking soda paste. There are also laminate repair pastes and color-matched repair pens to fix small scratches and possibly gouges in laminate. Give your laminate a deep cleaning, remove old silicone in joints and replace (yes, you can do this on your own) and give it a good shine with a light coat of car wax. Abracadabra, fresh looking laminate! Corian can become spotty from hard water over time. To get rid of this, and fine scratches use Softscrub or another mildly abrasive liquid cleanser. Using a damp sponge, apply the cleanser in small circular motions up and down and back and forth to the entire counter, rinse with water, and dry. For more stubborn or deeper scratches, go to the Corian website where they walk you through a "sanding" process but proceed with caution as some have said this isn't as easy as it seems. If all else fails, call a professional. Granite and marble are the creme-de-la-creme of countertops as far as looks, but when it comes right down to it, marble is not a very good choice as a countertop. Yes, it's beautiful, but even when sealed, marble can easily stain and is less likely to release a stain. Granite can still be stained, but is more stain-resistant than marble, depending on what type used and if it is sealed or not. A poultice can be used on both to remove stains. A poultice is basically a paste that, when allowed to sit on a stain, draws it out. For oil-based stains on granite and marble, apply a poultice of baking soda and water, and for water-based stains, apply a poultice of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Apply the poultice, cover with plastic wrap, and tape down the edges. Allow to sit for a minimum of 24 hours and then rinse. If the stain is not gone, repeat. I can say from experience that this works. I removed a very large coffee stain off of my granite with this method, but always make sure to do a spot test first. As far as pits or chips in granite and marble, there are many kits on the market to fix these yourself without much difficulty. However, if your counter has a lot of chips or if they are bigger than ½", you may want to contact a professional. Recaulking seams for granite and marble is just as simple as for laminates, but you may want to be more careful as to not damage the stone. Make sure to always choose the right caulk for the job. If I haven't covered the type of counters you have in your kitchen, no problem, just google how to freshen up what you do have.

Tile makes an appearance in many kitchens, whether it be on the floor, counter, or backsplash. Tile is often one of the easiest items to keep clean with everyday over-the-counter cleaners. For natural stone like granite and marble, use the same methods given above for countertops. Thenaturalstoneinstitute.org is a great resource for how to care for natural stone. Although tile is not always porous, grout is, and soaks up stains like a sponge, again, the best solution is prevention. First, make sure tile and grout are sealed appropriately when installed and periodically thereafter. Then to avoid stains in the first place, spray grout with vinegar and wipe it down once a week. To keep mold and mildew away, wipe grout with alcohol once a week as well. If, after all of this, your grout still grabs some stains, there are several ways to treat them. The one that works the best, in my opinion, is a 50/50 mix of baking soda and hydrogen peroxide. Spoon the mixture onto the grout, let it sit for about 15 minutes, then scrub and rinse. There are tough stains like oils that this does not work on, but believe me, I have tried countless different over-the-counter and DIY cleaners, and none have worked better on my grout. There is one I have not tried yet, and that is oxygen bleach. I have heard it is a miracle worker, but I did not receive it in time for this post. If all of this fails, you can call in a professional to clean or replace the grout. According to Bob Vila, it is "well within the range of the average do-it-yourselfer to remove and replace grout."  

Sellers are expected to leave the kitchen appliances; however, the refrigerator and microwave are often exceptions to this. When listing your house, give your appliances the deepest of deep cleans, getting into every tiny corner (I've even been known to use cotton swabs). The next best thing to a brand new or updated kitchen is a spotless one, and shining appliances add greatly to that! The kitchen sink and faucet should also get a deep cleaning. This is easy to do with the correct cleaner for the job. All sinks will need new caulk, and you may as well do it now since getting rid of any discolored and fraying silicone will help the sink sparkle. If I can do this job, and I have, anyone can.  

Fixtures are yet another area that can really add to your kitchens wow factor. I know I pay attention to them every single kitchen I go into, and lights are often one of the first things I mention to a buyer when giving them ideas to improve an existing kitchen. Pendant lights have become very dramatic lately if you haven't noticed. They've gotten bigger, bolder, and incorporate more natural fibers. Faucets are something a homeowner can swap out on their own to incorporate the current trend, helping a kitchen seem less dated. Discounted fixtures can be found all over online, in second-hand stores, and even garage sales.  

This post is already way longer than I wanted it to be, so even though there is much more to cover, I'm going to stop here. The biggest things to remember are 1) upkeep and preventative maintenance are the best ways to keep your home's value, and 2) there are many, many free or inexpensive things you can do in the kitchen to improve your home and maximize your sales price. Please share, by commenting below, any before and after pictures you have of your own kitchen DIYs or any "miracle" cleaning solutions you have found. I know we will all benefit from them!  

If your kitchen just doesn't make you smile anymore and you're ready to trade it in for a new one, give me a call, and I'll help you find a house with the perfect one for you. If you're hoping to design your own kitchen, give me a call, and I can help you find a fabulous older home that will be amazing when the kitchen is remodeled, think Snee Farm. If you prefer a brand new kitchen in a brand new home, I can show you one of the many new builds around town, like Governor's Cay just off Clements Ferry and 526.