Beyond Origins the Discussion

Don’t Have Your Kitchen Fighting Your House Sales Efforts - Tidiness Is The Key

September 7th, 2008

If you want to Sell your house for cash; first impressions have never mattered more. Flaky paintwork, dirty windows, mouldy seals around sinks & where worktops meet walls, mouldy grouting on wall or floor tiles, greasy hobs, dirty smelly waste bins…. etc., etc., can easily lose you the sale. Remember the kitchen is a very important room for families.

Before your viewings start, in fact before you have the House valued; empty the kitchen and try to look at your House as though it’s the first time you’ve looked at it and, above all, be very critical.

First of all, if possible, pick a dry day and empty your kitchen of everything portable, chairs, bins, small appliances, bottles, jars & other containers. Be hard on yourself, and get rid of all clutter.

Now, are all the worktops, floors, windows & doors and their frames sparkling clean? If the paintwork is sound, a good wash is all you require. If the paintwork is cracked or flaking; resist the temptation to simply apply a quick coat of paint over a tatty surface. If you can’t or don’t have time to do the job yourself; you’ll find a decent Handyman in most neighbourhoods who’ll do the job for a very reasonable price. Inspect any wallpaper or emulsion paint the same way. If it’s looking tired or peeling here and there, replace it. Keep to neutral light colours like tinted whites, creams etc., and remember you don’t have to buy expensive stuff. If you have tiled walls, a good wash will be needed followed by a decision on whether to thoroughly clean or replace your grout.

Check all the sealant around sinks, worktops and hobs. If it’s cracked, discoloured or mouldy replace it. It won’t cost much or take long to do.

Have a look at your cupboards and drawers. There’s rarely any need to fit new units, but you may want to think about replacing the handles for some modish new ones, or at the most, replacing the doors & drawer fronts.

If the floor’s carpeted, be critical; if it’s very grubby or in any way smelly consider changing it, again, you needn’t spend a lot, because you’re not after durability. If it’s not too bad a good shampoo may do the job. Many Supermarkets & DIY sheds will lend or hire you a carpet shampooer when you buy the cleaning fluid from them. Otherwise, there are specialist cleaning companies who’ll do this for you. If you have vinyl Floor covering, Give it a good mopping, then decide if it looks fresh & clean enough. If in doubt, replace it with something fairly light with an unobtrusive pattern that won’t offend anyone who doesn’t share your taste. If you have a tiled floor, the maximum you should need is to thoroughly mop it, or, as with the walls, in extremis replace the grout.

Now, you can bring back some of the things you cleared out. After a thorough clean & shine you can bring in the chairs, the rubbish bin and a limited number of essential appliances but Keep worktops as clear as possible. This is very important to give an appearance of space and cleanliness. Put all the bottles, jars, juicers, toasty makers etc out of sight!

If you’ve purchased any new appliances for your new house, like a kettle or toaster, put them out now & throw out the old ones. They’ll add to the modern clean homely feel you’re attempting to present. Unless you have a really big kitchen; resist the temptation to have more than these appliances out otherwise you’ll soon make your kitchen look poky. Keep the worktops clear.

If you have many personal family photos on the refrigerator or notice board, put them away, because they simply remind potential purchasers that this is not their home, and they make it more difficult for the viewers to visualise themselves living there.

Even if you’re considering selling your House to one of those Cash House Buyers, taking these steps will ensure you get the highest possible valuation outcome. You can find specialist Cash House Buyers by searching under terms like “We buy homes”

Entry Filed under: Real Estate