The kitchen. The heart of the home. The gathering space. Bellies get full in this room and conversations occur. Smells of fresh bread, cookies, and Thanksgiving preparations are centered around this room. If I could put emphasis on any part of the house and it’s selling importance, it would be staging your kitchen.
Whether you are a chef or not, the kitchen is the vital part of the home. Hence, this part of the home needs special attention when it comes to being staged. Buyers will explore this room with great thoroughness, so as a seller, you need to pay special attention when staging your kitchen.
The first thing you need to do is look at your kitchen through the eyes of a buyer. As a buyer, are you walking into your kitchen trying to see the best small appliances to buy or would you rather see counter space? I have seen counters lined with crock-pots, mixers, toasters, small ovens, coffee makers, blenders, juicers and all of this in a single kitchen!
This is a negative set-up for 2 reasons. First being, you are sabotaging all of your counter top space. People want to see there is enough space to work and cook. Second, you are boldly saying, we have no cabinet storage and what we do have isn’t enough to store anything larger than a bowl. Staging your kitchen needs to be treated differently than one you’re living in. It’s an inconvenience to store all of those small appliances out of sight, but trust me, the more cleared counter top space, the more appealing it is to the buyer.
Next, consider your décor theme and if it needs to be toned down. Buyers can have a hard time staying focused. When I enter a house, I like to look at everything on display. I like to see what is special to the owner, study their taste and get to know them simply by studying their home. It’s the decorator in me, I can’t help it. The less “items” you have to distract the buyer with, the better. I went into a home that had a gourmet kitchen with great appliances and granite. However, the décor, although nice, was over the top and very specific to the owner. The “stuff” took all of my attention, rather than the bones of this beautiful kitchen being my main focus.
Finally, clean the kitchen! Pay attention to the areas you assume no one will see because those will be the areas a buyer will notice! Make sure edges of the sink are scrubbed, cabinets are wiped down, large appliances are sparkling and the microwave/oven are wiped clean.
Our kitchens are meant to encourage visitors to stay (the ones we want) and memories to be made. Staging your kitchen allows a buyer to see themselves cooking and their family enjoying this main part of the home.
Audrey Whiteley, CSE®
works for Balance & Harmony 360², as a Certified Staging Expert in the HOME division. The home environment affects your health, productivity, and happiness. She works with individuals who need to freshen-up outdated décor, “show” a room’s potential, or help homeowners create a lifestyle. Audrey makes the most of your surroundings whether you are staging for a quick sale, building a home, or want to elicit a more productive and peaceful setting in which to live.
Audrey Can Help Create:
- Ideas or Design Boards
- Room Layouts and Arrangements
- Organization Solutions
- Home Staging DIY Reports
- Pre-Move Prep Strategies and Moving Plans
- Purchasing and Hands-On Staging
- Project Management from Start to Finish
Check out more about Balance & Harmony 360² at:
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