The kitchen is considered to be the heart of the home. Home owners will often spend a majority of their budgets designing and executing their ideal kitchen. It is a make or break item in the house when it comes to closing the deal, so showing a great kitchen is a big step towards selling your home. If you are the seller, it is not necessary to pay large amounts of money to make your kitchen desirable. With these staging tips and tricks, you can make your kitchen one that will sell.
Before you start the staging process, there are some things to think about regarding your space and the best way to present the kitchen. Use these questions to then better stage your space.
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What are the key elements to highlight in the space?
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Is the space both welcoming and functional?
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What are the spaces biggest downfalls?
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What functions of the space are the best features?
1. First and foremost make it sparkle. Having a clean and well kept kitchen is a huge key to giving the impression of high quality materials and well maintained appliances. Even if the kitchen is on the older side, scrubbing the kitchen from top to bottom will make a huge difference. Here are some tips and reminders for cleaning the kitchen before a showing:
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Scrub the baseboards and vacuum up all the dust bunnies in the corners
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Clean all fixtures, including any knobs, pulls or faucets, dust the ceiling fans or vents, replace any bulbs that may have burned out
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Check to make sure nothing in your kitchen is releasing a bad odour. This includes taking out the garbage the day of your showing to prevent any future odours
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Clean up any dirty dishes from your sink as well as remove anything from the dishwasher. Buyers will take a look in all of your appliances
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Wipe down the fronts of all your cabinet
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Clean the inside and outside of your fridge. Remove any photos, papers and magnets from the face and both sides
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Give your stove and oven a good clean. If you have it in your budget, get your oven and stove top professionally cleaned, it will look brand new
2. It's time to declutter and edit your kitchen down to the basics. This means taking away personal elements, meaning photographs and the many knick knacks that may be laying around. Try to keep decor clean and simple, this is achieved through clean countertops, and a lack of clutter. Its better to clear everything off and then start building back slowly.
3. Now its time to start staging the kitchen to sell.
Some more tips for staging your kitchen...
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Stick to a colour scheme. Use the colours already present in your kitchen (countertops, cabinets, wall colour) and then add one or two accent colours through your decor. Materials such as wood and stone also add an abundance of texture and interest without coming across as overwhelming.
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Use revenant decor to create vignettes in the kitchen. Stick to just one or two, but having a bowl of fruit, a cookie jar, or a table setting can go a long way to giving a potential buyer a better idea of living in the space.
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Make sure all the needs of a kitchen are met! Does your island have stools or chairs around it where applicable? Do you have a spot for an island but no island? Are all areas of the kitchen well lit? Find solutions to these problems if they are relevant to your home.
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Stick to simple and clean decor. You don't want the kitchen to appear over crowded or messy. The less you have in the space the larger it will feel.
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Add flowers or small plants to liven up the space and add some colour.
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Ensure that all drawers, appliances, pantries and cupboards are clean on the inside and outside. Potential buyers will most likely want to look in ever space to see how it could function for them.
*Most products shown above are available to be purchased through Amanda's House of Elegance
