Kitchens are a focal point of a home. A recent internet survey mentioned that updates to a kitchen can increase the sale of your home by 12%. If you are thinking of selling your home, you need to take a very critical look at your kitchen and what it may need, especially if your home is older and hasn’t had a facelift in years.
Our Anne Winch Ottawa Real Estate and Staging Team has some suggestions on how to renovate your kitchen three different ways, according to your needs and budget.
Small renovation:
If you have a newer home and just need to freshen the kitchen up a bit here are some easy renovations that can be surprisingly low cost and easy to do.
- New faucet (no need for designer models here…just pick a beautiful functional faucet)
- New countertop (there are some really nice surfaces for the kitchen that will wow your kitchen without breaking the bank)
- New lighting (perhaps a pendant lighting over the sink)
- Change the stools at your breakfast bar (easy fix is to reupholster the stools in a new colour)
- Add some new accents: kitchen rug, translucent blind, etc.
Medium renovation:
If you need to modernize your kitchen a bit but still have a fairly new kitchen (within the past 10-12 years), you might just need to add a bit of pizzazz. You may not need to do a complete renovation so here are some suggestions for you:
- Reface your cupboard or have them professionally painted
- Update your cupboard hardware and faucet
- Update your flooring and counters (stone tile, engineered hardwood or luxury vinyl) – this renovation can completely change the look of your kitchen for a relatively low cost
- Change your paint colour
- Add additional lighting under the cupboards
Large scale renovation:
If your kitchen looks worn out no little fixes will do the trick here, you might just have to bite the bullet and go for a larger renovation. If you don’t think you can do a total renovation and your kitchen needs it, you might find that you may have to lower the price of your home. Buyers often don’t want to do a complete kitchen renovation. Here are some ideas on what will improve the look of your kitchen and give you a return on investment also.
- Remove a wall – open up the kitchen into an adjoining room (this will give a huge impact on your home)
- If you cannot remove walls – add a beautiful backsplash that goes up to the ceiling (near a window if you can) that will make your eyes move upward and will make your kitchen appear larger (pick a modern subway or fish-scale tile that will really modernize the look)
- Update your appliances – match with the same brand – looks more expensive
- Go for new cabinets that have lighting or drawer organizers
- Don’t forget new flooring and countertops – make sure you keep these in neutral tones that accent your kitchen
If you are remodeling your home with resale in mind you have to keep in mind what appeals to most buyers and not necessarily what you think they would like. If you are going for a larger renovation never compromise on the architectural look of your home. Make sure you keep the cabinetry, floors, countertops in neutral simple colours. Don’t go for colours or styles that are too flamboyant or loud.
We hope that these tips for kitchen renovations will help you tackle your next project. If you are going for a larger renovation, it is always a good idea to check with a designer to help you get the look you want. If you are thinking of selling your home and you are not sure what you need to do, give us a call and we can help you with what buyers are looking for in homes.
We are just a phone call away and in the long run, we may be able to give some suggestions that will save you time and money. Our Anne Winch Ottawa Real Estate and Staging Team also provides free home staging to get the look you want to get your home staged and sold in no time. Let us help you get the look that buyers love!