Before: This kitchen needed to be staged.

As promised, here are some tips on specific rooms to help you if you are selling your home.

The Kitchen

*  Declutter – Remove all items from your  kitchen countertops so you can start with a clean slate.  Remove papers and magnets from your fridge.

* Clean, Clean, Clean – Don’t forget the oven and the refridgerator (the inside and on top).  Buyers may open both.  Clean the baseboards and under the front edge of the appliances.  Buy a toothbrush and clean around the faucet with soap and water.  Finish everything up with Windex for a clean shine.  Dry out your sink before showings.

*Add items – Carefully place just a few items on the countertops, such as a coffee maker (clean it first) and maybe a knife block.  Add a bowl of  fresh fruit on the countertop.  Lemons are inexpensive and last a while.  Apples work well also.

*Buy neutral towels, (chocolate, black, taupe or tan).  Red also works well if you have that color throughout the home.  Go with the colors in your decor throughout the home.

*Buy a new kitchen rug to really add some warmth.  Buy bigger than you think you would normally buy.  I have seen many people put a little 2 X 3 rug in a kitchen and it looks too small.  Most Kitchens can handle a 3 X 5 or 4 X 6 rug.  Don’t be afraid to pull a small hand knotted (oriental type) rug into the kitchen if you already have one.  Add a plant or two.  Real is best, but if you don’t tend to water them, go with artificial.

*Add a cookbook on a stand.  Some coffee cups work great on a tray by the coffee maker.  These things help buyers envision themselves in your home.

Remember, when staging a kitchen please keep it simple.  Don’t add too much clutter for the sake of decorating.  Less is better in a kitchen.

After staging...clutter free with a pop of color.

If you have any questions, email me at cynthia@simplistate.com.   As always, if you list your home with  me, I will professionally stage it for FREE.

This entry was posted on Monday, January 25th, 2010 at 9:54 pm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.