As any real estate agent will tell you, the kitchen is the heart of the home. While a messy, overcrowded and tired looking kitchen can be a big turnoff, the following steps will make your kitchen more appealing to prospective buyers.
Make Your Kitchen Functional. Clear the counters as much as possible—completely clear is the best option. Put cooking appliances you don’t often use in storage. Keep drawers clean and organized with only the utensils you need and get a head start on packing by putting everything you want to bring with you in boxes. And while you’re at it, throw away any useless items you come across. Make your move even easier by donating items you never use to a local charity.
Clean It. Go through the fridge and cabinets and throw out all those ingredients you haven’t touched in years. Clean the fridge thoroughly and organize it, and clean all the appliances as well. You may want to consider replacing low-cost items such as toasters, coffee makers and microwaves to give the kitchen a fresh, new look. For cabinets, dust or vacuum up any crumbs that have gathered. Throw away what you don’t need and make sure cabinets are neat and tidy. If you have cabinets that are stuffed with plates, mugs or cooking utensils, either get rid of some stuff or put it in storage for the time being.
You’ll also want to clean the floors thoroughly, in addition to cleaning behind the fridge and stove.
Be sure to check the curtains in your kitchen as well. When’s the last time you cleaned them? Buying new curtains is a very affordable way to spruce up a room. And make sure the windows are spotless.
Consider Renovating. If you have outdated cabinets and counters, buyers will almost certainly take some money off your asking price. The good thing about remodeling a kitchen as a seller is that you can design it for sale. Without spending a lot of money, you can buy new light fixtures, new faucets and handles and even replace these things yourself. If you don’t want to spend money on new cabinets, think about replacing the doors, or at least painting the cabinets. Just be sure that whatever you spend is worth it.
Staging the Kitchen. When prospective buyers come to look at the house, set the table tastefully as if for a meal with a centerpiece and settings. Bake cookies so that visitors are greeted with a pleasant, homey smell. Open curtains and turn on the lights so that people can see the best of what your kitchen has to offer.
For more tips to improve your kitchen, contact our office today.
Reprinted with permission from RISMedia. ©2014. All rights reserved.
Debbie Woolard Group
(757) 288-0194
www.DebbieWoolard.com
Excellent Service – Excellent Results
Buyers Agent/Sellers Agent
Our focus is helping people find and exchange dream homes. We are seeking buyers and sellers that desire concierge level service including great communication, extraordinary representation and a continuing relationship for years to come.
You and your referrals will be provided with a great team of professionals to help with each step of the process. We are committed and passionate about negotiating the best possible terms and serving our clients at the highest level. Our goal is to create memorable real estate experiences where our clients become raving fans.
Our clients benefit by having a Certified Negotiation Expert on their side. This provides them with better results, a smoother process and greater satisfaction.
Whether a person is looking to buy or sell a starter home or a multi-million dollar estate, Debbie Woolard produces great results for her clients. She gives clients what they expect and deserve, an experienced realtor skilled in marketing and negotiations.
With Debbie Woolard, you will receive personal service as well as exceptional professionalism. She is well qualified for her work with her strong background of sales and marketing. Having been born here and continuously living in the area, she is familiar with the entire Hampton Roads region.
She has earned the professional designations of Certified Negotiation Expert, Certified Residential Specialist, and e-Pro. In addition she is also a Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource with extensive training in short sales and foreclosures. This uniquely positions her to help those in danger of losing their home to foreclosure. It has also proven to be beneficial to the buyers that are seeking to purchase a short sale or foreclosure.
She is well qualified to help professionals, business owners, military personnel and other clients with their real estate needs. She has been selected to work with both the Military Team and Relocation Team. She is consistently producing outstanding results in real estate.
Her first year in real estate she was awarded Listing Rookie of the Year as well as Sales Rookie of the Year. Her sales and loyal following of satisfied clients have grown each year she has been in business. She is in the top 1% of the agents in the area based on sales volume. Her practice continues to flourish thanks to clients recommending her to friends, family members and business associates.
Her clients state that her actions and attitude are best described with the word “integrity”.
Realtors with the Debbie Woolard Group service Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk, Hampton, Newport News & Portsmouth with specialist in seller representation, buyer representation, military relocation, first time home buyers, short sales and real estate investment.