Don’t Neglect The Most Important Room When Prepping Your Home To Sell

There’s no doubt that the appearance of your house is crucial when it comes to showing it off to potential homebuyers. And, while it’s imperative to have the entire house neat, clean, andsmelling nice, there is one room, in particular, that deserves specialattention. Surprisingly enough, it’s not the living room.

Actually,according to many real estate pros, it’s the kitchen. Manyrealtors agree that a spotless, tidy-looking kitchen with absolutely nosigns of clutter is a huge drawing card for many home searchers. It is especially appealing to families who plan to spend a great deal of time cooking and dining in there home. The overall appearance of the kitchen, and the impression it confers tobuyers, is of prime significance when buyers weigh the pros and cons ofa potential residence.

Above all, many real estate insidersnote, the importance the seller must place on eliminating clutter inthe kitchen is paramount in conveying a sense of organization andmore-than-ample storage space. You should give buyers the impression that there is plenty of room to store all of their things. In that regard, you should be expecting that buyers will open all ofthe drawers and cabinets during their visit. And, if they lookcluttered and disorganized in any way, it will likely send an immediatenegative message to them – in short, a complete turn-off – even if theyfind everything else about the kitchen perfect.

In particular, try to focus on the following:

Athorough scrubbing of the entire kitchen will be in order. Don’tneglect the walls, refrigerator top, cabinet tops, and other hard toreach areas, as well as appliances – interior and exterior.
Initiallyremove everything from the drawers, cabinets, pantry/closet to give theinteriors a good cleaning – pay special attention to removing anyspots, stains, or odors.
Remove, and store awayjunk, personal items, and utensils from the drawers and cabinets, whichyou rarely or never use. For the drawers containing often-usedutensils, organize them as neatly as possible.
Cabinets containing dishes, glasses, cups, etc. also should be organized neatly.
Remove(at least temporarily) any small appliances from the countertops – thiscan create a sense of extra space in the buyer’s mind – a real turn-on.
Thearea underneath the sink is also vital. Besides being spick andspan, any water spots, or signs of past water damage or leaks should beeliminated. If there is any structural damage – for example,rotted wood as a result of water damage – it should definitely berepaired first.
Air out the room (that goes for the entirehouse) shortly before potential buyers are scheduled to arrive, butclose the windows immediately before they enter your home – this willprovide the room with an aura of inviting freshness. Also, anycurtains or blinds should be opened to allow the maximum amount oflight into the room, but leave the artificial lights off -- naturallighting provides its own unique charm – something many buyers look for.
Asfor the walls – even if the best of cleanings won’t take off all thoseyears of grease, grime, or Junior’s best imitation of Pablo Picasso, itwould be wise to apply a coat of neutral-color paint.
Petsare a no-no – get rid of all signs of them, especially theodors Of course, that doesn’t mean you have to turn little“Fluffy” loose into the woods once and for all. Just make surethey won’t be inside the house when buyers are present. – after all,not everyone will be a fellow-pet lover.
No dishes shouldbe visible in the sink, or anywhere else for that matter – clean ordirty. Also – don’t leave anything in the dishwasher – manybuyers will open and inspect its interior.
Remember, forthe cabinets and drawers with things remaining inside, less is better,so, if you must leave items inside them, do so very sparingly.

Itmay seem like a lot of tedious effort, but be aware that there havebeen more than a few instances when a home for sale was rejected basedon Miss Jones or Mrs. Smith’s conclusion that there just wasn’t enoughkitchen space to display here beloved Cuisinart food processor orprized rooster napkin holders.