e’ve all heard the news reports about the dire state of the American real estate market, but just because the economy is down doesn’t mean that selling your home is impossible. Whether you’ve been trying to sell your home for months or you’ve been thinking about putting your house on the market, a kitchen remodel is a fail-safe way to add value to your home and decrease selling time.
Now, just to be clear, we’re not talking about a complete top-to-bottom kitchen remodel. According to the Wall Street Journal, a full kitchen remodel (with appliances) cost over $54,000 in 2006, and sellers only recouped 80% of that cost! A small scale renovation is more cost effective and doesn’t drain as much capital from your pocket. The same Wall Street Journal article pointed out, “Less drastic jobs, such as changing out countertops and refinishing existing cabinets, bring better returns…”
The appearance of your kitchen is crucial to hunting property for sale in missouri your home. Out of your entire house, the kitchen is likely the only single room that can make or break a sale. As California real estate agent Sherry Lee Cox stated in an article on the Real Estate Network, “Buyers are usually passionate about the kitchen in any home they are considering buying.” So, especially if you have worn linoleum or tired-looking Formica countertops, it makes sense to refresh your kitchen a bit if you’re trying to sell.
There are a number of small changes you can make to bring out the best in your kitchen, from replacing an old porcelain sink to adding cheerful new curtains. The two best improvements you can make are replacing the flooring and installing new countertops; not only are these remodeling jobs relatively affordable, they also give you the most bang for your buck. That’s because in the last five or ten years, market standards for kitchens have shifted away from synthetic materials like vinyl flooring and laminate counters to hardwood floors and stone countertops. For your home to be competitive in the housing market, your kitchen needs to live up to these standards.
Remember, it’s best not to go overboard when you’re making small improvements as an investment. In order to recoup as much of your initial outlay as possible, you need to keep spending in check. Focus on the areas of your kitchen that would most benefit from an update and shop around for budget-priced materials. For example, imported granite countertops are gorgeous, but so are the less-expensive engineered quartz counters.
The most desirable kitchens today feature hardwood flooring and solid surface stone countertops. Depending on your budget, it’s best to remodel both areas of your kitchen in order to keep the overall look coherent; replacing your laminate counters with granite slabs only does so much good if your floor is still 20-year-old vinyl! The good news is that with all of the different stone countertop and wood flooring materials available today you’re sure to be able to find quality products that fit within your price range.