How to Stage your Kitchen to Sell

In last week’s blog post we shared some helpful tips and advice on how to stage your bathroom to sell, so this week we are focusing on the heart of the home: the kitchen. Potential buyers will look closely at your bathroom and kitchen as they are known to be costly rooms to improve. The role of the kitchen in most homes has changed; it’s no longer just a place to cook in, it’s a space to entertain, to eat in, and to share a cup of coffee or glass of wine with your friends and family. In order for potential buyers to fall in love with your kitchen, there are several staging tips that you can follow. Think of them as the ‘OCD’ rules for staging your home.

Organise

Before you begin, like most rooms in your home you will need to organise your things so that everything has its proper place. Your kitchen is usually full of storage spaces; however, this isn’t an excuse to ram things that you no longer use into a cupboard and then pack them away ready for your move. Potential buyers are sure to open your cupboard doors, and even your fridge! There are hundreds of kitchen storage hacks floating around the internet; these might come in useful when organising your kitchen items and help to free up valuable space. Clearing your surfaces will also help buyers to see the potential in your home, as they may begin to imagine where they would place their kitchen appliances, accessories, and even their table and chairs.

Clean

Once everything is tidily away you can give your kitchen a deep clean. This might not be a task that you look forward to, but once it has been cleaned thoroughly you can then continue to keep on top of it for future viewings. As well as inside cupboards don’t forget about your appliances. Your fridge and dishwasher may, unbeknownst to you, give off a smell, so use fresheners to fight off any unwanted odours. You may have been ignoring your oven, but now is the time to give it a good clean – or, bring in the professionals who will leave it sparkling and really impress potential buyers. We appreciate that you may still need to live in your home while it’s up for sale, so we suggest making sure your surfaces are wiped down after use in case of any last minute viewings!

Details

To ensure your kitchen is ready for potential buyers you need to look at some of the smaller details. These include small DIY jobs, home staging accessories, and homely scents. If your units need a little TLC, just give them a lick of paint and check that all of your handles are secure. You may want to think about adding some key accessories to your space. A well-placed vase, fruit bowl or chopping board will make your kitchen look lived-in whilst adding to its overall appeal. Unless you want to live on salads while you sell your house you will still need to cook, this will obviously leave various smells in your kitchen, but they can easily be removed. Open a window and try not to overdo it with strong fragrances – simple neutral scents are best to use in every room so that your potential buyers are not overwhelmed as they enter.

For more advice or help on selling or letting a property talk to your local Anthony Pepe branch. If you’re not quite ready to sell but are curious as to how much your home is worth, find out for free by using our instant online valuation tool.