Today, let’s play “Your First Impression.”

I’m going to show you one picture and ask your opinion. Then I’ll share with you how Staging your house for sale can make a big difference in how you live, and how you market your home.

Ready to play? Here goes:

Picture this. You’re in the market to buy a house. Maybe you’re looking for your first home, or maybe you’re ‘buying up’ to a larger home. You have an idea as to how you’d like your kitchen to look. You’ve made the appointments, and your realtor has just unlocked the door to this home. You move through the main hallway and into the kitchen. Take a moment.  Now here’s the kitchen. What is your first impression?

Now, I’m your realtor.  So I can share with you what my buyers have said:

“There’s no counter space.”

“This kitchen is too small.”

“The kitchen is filthy and needs to be cleaned.”

“That light fixture is so dated!”

“What were they thinking with all this blue? This kitchen needs to be gutted and redone.”

The kitchen in your house may not look exactly like this one, but it could be pretty darn close. Whether you’re selling your home or not, kitchens are still considered the ‘heart’ of a home. When remodeled, kitchens are the #1 room for returning 100% of your investment. Friends and family always seem to navigate towards the kitchen … it’s the ‘hub’ and the ‘heart’.

Unfortunately, very few families eat meals together, and many eat in the kitchen standing up. Over time, the counter tops become a dumping ground for mail, plates not put away, and half-finished projects. Many house sellers tell me that buyers need to understand they live there… but I can assure you that buyers don’t care! They want to visualize themselves having coffee in this new kitchen, or picture themselves preparing a meal. And that’s not really possible here, because in this kitchen, even the chairs have stuff on them. There’s nowhere to sit down.

Staging your home (for sale, or for you) is about decluttering. In your kitchen, that means removing all but two items from the counter tops. The two items could be your coffee pot and the dish drainer, or your microwave and the coffee pot … you get the idea. But only two items should remain. OK, stop groaning, because I know you don’t use your toaster oven everyday.

Organizing your cupboards, drawers, and food pantry is the next best tool to make your kitchen not only feel more spacious, but also assist you in meal preparation and clean up during the time your home is on the market. Do you think buyers don’t open the drawers and cupboards? Think again. Ditto for peeking inside the fridge and oven and microwave. No one likes to see your leftovers as a science experiment.

Need help, but don’t know where to start? Get an empty box. Set your timer for 15 minutes. Now take everything (and I mean everything) off of the counter tops. That includes all of the dishtowels. Also toss in all of the refrigerator magnets, photos, and artwork. Keep going until the timer goes off. Set the timer again for 15 minutes. Place two items you use every day back on the counter.  Place the items you do not use in the box.

You should still be left with several items that you don’t know what to do with. Do not put them back on the counter. You already know what to do. Give the items away, or donate them to a friend or an organization that’s holding garage sale. Do not pack them and take them with you to the next house, because they will eventually take up all of the new counter space as well.

These two tips cost absolutely no money, and will go a long way in showcasing your kitchen’s best features. Need help? Call me or send an email to me, and let’s get started on staging your home!

All best,

Ginger

PS/ I am a guest presenter in a Kill Kitchen Klutter 6-week workshop that my friend Shelley is hosting over at One Roast Vegetable.  If you’d like to really attack your kitchen, with the support of a fun group, AND you’d like to hear what I have to say about tips and tricks to stage your kitchen for beauty, you might want to sign up for the Kill Kitchen Klutter workshop :)