Sacramento Real Estate Blog

(Of course I know you’re not just going to sell the kitchen!)

This is part of a series on “selling” various aspects of a home. We know that in the current real estate market, it is even more important not just to add value to your home as a home seller but also to showcase it. While lowering the price is the single most effective way to get more foot traffic through your home when it is on the market, it is also important to show the home buyer just how much more you are offering than, say, the bank-owned home on your block.

The recent dearth of good inventory of REOs might just be your ticket to a move out of your house! Just recently we are beginning to see a tentative interest in owner-occupied homes again. Ask any Realtor® and you’ll hear that kitchens are the most important part of the sale of a home. They can make buyers fall in love and pick a more expensive but better home over a less expensive but plain one. So how do you shine your kitchen and really “sell” it to the buyer? Read on!

1. Think Gourmet

Even though we know we’re not the best cooks in the world (barring some of us at some parties that we can’t stop talking about!) we like to imagine that we are. If your kitchen inspires the word “gourmet” you’re halfway into your new home. All home buyers like the thought of a well thought out, open kitchen where they can whip up a meal in minutes while entertaining ten of their closest friends. Believe me, it’s a fantasy like a sunken tub. Even though all the kitchen ever sees is a take-out every single night of the week, homebuyers still like to own the gourmet kitchen. And their fantasies! So why not give it to them?

If you have appliances that you can boast about, make it a point to showcase them. If you have under cabinet lighting, leave it on during a showing. Little tweaks in lighting can set just the right mood. You don’t have to go and spend thousands of dollars to create a gourmet kitchen; just setting the right things on the countertops like an espresso maker can give a buyer a nudge in the right direction. Think about setting a mood, creating an ambience of luxury. It will go a long way in the mind of the homebuyer and make them more likely to remember your entire home in that very different light.

2. Spit Shine Everything!

This one is a bit of a pet peeve. Homes must be clean and the cleanest area has to be the kitchen. If you are still living in the home I understand how hard this can be. But it is not impossible. You are brave to have your home on the market at this time so it’s even more important to be brave when it comes to work. Clean the area after cooking or eating. If a kitchen looks dirty, home buyers have a visceral reaction to the listing and decide immediately that they will not buy it. They might not even know it, but when they’re with their agents deciding which home to put an offer on the dirty kitchen goes first. Trust me on this one.

Same goes for smells of food and cooking trapped inside the home. Take it from me: you do not want to cook fish in your home ever when the house is on the market. Ever means ever. Go out for sushi if you have to. But don’t dare cook fish. This is especially true in the winter months when houses remain closed for long amounts of time. Steer clear of the fish, clean the kitchen well and air it out after using it. That’s the safest thing you can do!

3. Say “no” to Clutter

I have never seen sales fall faster flatter on their faces than when there is too much in a home where there should be very little. Confusing? Not really. See, in the same way that you wouldn’t put a huge bed in the middle of a tiny bedroom so that you have to walk sideways or even on the bed to get around in the room; in the same way you can’t have all the appliances you have collected since you were in college on your countertops. The countertops need room. Think of it as breathing room.

I was watching a show on HGTV once where the Realtors® talk about a one appliance rule. They say you have one appliance out when the home is on the market. While that might be a bit extreme, I think it’s a good rule of thumb: when it doubt, leave it out. Don’t clutter your counters. Room is important to home buyers. If they see too much junk they’re not going to think, “Wow - look at all this house can hold.” They’re going to think, “Where does our stuff go now?” We are not all blessed with the creative imagination, especially not when we’re shopping for a home. Join the dots for them. Leave out the clutter.

4. Don’t Forget the Nose

We went over this somewhat in terms cooking fish and other smells that can linger in your home. And while we are on the subject, let me reiterate the importance of getting rid of garbage every single day. Well, let’s make that before anyone comes over as well. So maybe two to three times a day. When we live in our homes, we forget that they have smells. But they do. And you don’t notice until you come in from the outside. The best thing you can do is keep the windows open at all times or use a good exhaust fan.

In our family I’m the one with the nose. And I can smell something from miles away. It doesn’t help that we have a child under one year old as well, so suffice it to say if our home ever goes on the market, it’s going to be quite an ordeal keeping the house from smelling - well, rotten. Remember some people have a better sense of smell than you do, so get one of those plug in scents in the kitchen, air out the home and definitely get rid of the garbage before it starts to smell! You might not smell anything but in this case it’s better to the safe that sorry!

5. Details are Everything

Small touches can make a big difference. Ever hear the term less is more? It’s true, but only partially. Less is more if the less is well chosen and well placed. In the kitchen, this could apply to a fruit basket sitting perfectly on a counter top. (Make sure it’s real fruit, by the way. No one likes the idea of a plastic grape!) Using specific items that are well chosen you can draw the attention of a potential home buyer to specific features of your kitchen.

Here are some simple examples: Have a wine chiller? Why not place a nice bottle of wine out with two glasses close to it? A dining table in a nook can be made into a statement with some bright flowers in the center. Remember the details and you will leave the home buyer longing to be part of the life your home promises them. Never forget you are not just selling a home but also the idea and fantasy of living in that home. And details are your best friends.

It is said that kitchens and bathrooms can sell homes. I think every room is just as important as the other. Come back for more great ideas on decorating and staging your home for sale!