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Greetings!
We would like to help you
sell your listings faster and for more money.
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WHAT HOME BUYERS WANT:
Large Kitchens with Islands
In this month's newsletter, we are taking a deeper look at home buyer preferences which were highlighted in a recent study by Avid Ratings so that you can learn how to easily and affordably integrate some of these important features in your  listings. Item #1 on the list of what buyers want to see in a new home is Large Kitchens and Kitchen Islands.
Don't fret if you're selling your home and don't have the budget to do a major kitchen remodel. Much of the time, it's not necessary. You can spruce up your kitchen and make it feel more spacious by taking cues from the pro's:
What you will see in a well staged kitchen:
- A bowl of fresh fruit or a vase of fresh flowers.
- A cookbook opened to a page featuring a beautiful and delicious looking meal.
- 1 or 2 other decorative accessories on the counter-tops (depending on counter top space - remember, less is more!)
- Neat and tidy cabinets and pantry. (Yes, prospects will look behind closed doors!)
- Updated appliances & hardware.
- Sparkling clean surfaces.
- Updated cabinets: freshly painted with new hardware works just great!
- A kitchen island. Don't have one? Check out some affordable kitchen solutions we found in the second part of this newsletter!
What you won't see in a well staged kitchen:
- Lots of fake ivy, plants and accessories above the cabinets (too many accessories translates to visual clutter in the buyer's eyes and can be too distracting).
- A few well-placed accessories are ok, just don't go overboard!
- A multitude of cooking appliances taking up valuable space on the counter-tops: coffee makers, toasters, blenders, food processors, etc. need to be packed away.
- Dirty, worn or dated countertops.
- Magnets, notes, coupons, lists or kids art on the fridge!
- Wallpaper or bold paint colors.
Remember, it's important to remind your clients that living in a staged home is a bit of an inconvenience, however, the pay-off is big and your sellers won't have to do it for long if they put their best foot forward as far as presentation & pricing goes. Of course, having an experienced Realtor to help price and market the property are key in selling a home in today's market.
Affordable Kitchen Island Solutions
Don't fret if you seller doesn't have a kitchen island - there are many great solutions out there, and we've included a few right here:
See: Target.com
Priced at $239.99
See: Target.com
Priced at $499.99
 
See: JCPenney.com See: JCPenney.com Sale Price of $199.00 Priced at $249.99 The best part of these solutions? The temporary islands are portable and your clients can take them to their next home! When selecting a temporary kitchen island, it's important to make sure you have enough space to walk around and through the kitchen (at least 3 feet of space between the island and cabinets or walls). If you have a galley kitchen or simply don't have the space for even a temporary island, then just make sure you've followed all of our other suggestions for staging the kitchen for sale. It's most important that the kitchen feel spacious, organized & clean. The kitchen is, after all, the heart of most homes! Stay tuned for our next newsletter in this series, where we'll take a look at Item #2 on our list of What Home Buyers Want and How You Can Make It Happen: Energy Efficient Features.
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