Fast Ways to Update Your Kitchen, Increase Value
While there are many different variables that contribute to selling a home, during the course of my real estate career, I have witnessed one constant: the kitchen.
Today, the kitchen has become more of a multi-functional space than ever before, where cooking happens alongside bill paying and homework, not to mention the kitchen’s role as social hub for family and friends. That’s why it’s more important than ever to buyers and sellers alike that this key room be fresh and inviting.
While home improvement experts report that kitchen remodels provide anywhere from an 80-100% return on investment, based on my years of experience working with homeowners, I have found that just by updating certain aspects, the entire look and feel of the kitchen can be refreshed and modernized—and your home’s value increased in the process.
As design expert Melissa Birdsong, vice president for Trend, Design & Brand at Lowe’s Companies, Inc. (www.lowes.com), says, if the kitchen is outdated and tired, the whole house can feel that way; a few simple updates can make all the difference in getting the green light on the buying decision. So whether you want to update your kitchen for your own lifestyle enhancement or to help move it off the market, try these tips from Birdsong:
1. Color and light are the easiest, most cost-efficient elements to add personality and ambience to the kitchen. Use your vegetable bin and spice cabinet for inspiration! A scheme of natural greens, yellows, mustards and russets washed with dimmable overhead and under-cabinet lighting can add energy as well as create a level of calm.
2. If the existing cabinets are sturdy but the finish is sending out a distress signal, a well-executed paint job can turn it around. Mismatched appliances and worn flooring are other leading visual cues, so if the budget permits, replace them.
3. Last but not least, add sparkle and a new point of view to the kitchen by replacing the metals palette–cabinet hardware, faucet, lighting and outlet covers. A few thoughtfully chosen, simple finish updates can seal the deal.
As a Member of the Top 5 in Real Estate Network(R), I have access to more great ideas for improving your kitchen as well as all areas of your home…both for your own lifestyle enjoyment and to increase your home’s value. Please contact me to discuss other ways to improve your home’s value and please forward this email to your social network who may also find it helpful.
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Ed Butler
(Licensed In Virginia)
RE/MAX Gateway
Three Offices For Your Convenience
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4090-B Lafayette Center Drive
Chantilly, VA 20151
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7521 Virginia Oaks Drive
Gainesville, VA 20155
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10135 Colvin Run Road
Great Falls, VA 22066
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When It’s SOLD, The Butler Did It! |
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Oct. 30 (Bloomberg) — The U.S. Senate won’t vote until next week at the earliest on proposals to extend both an $8,000 tax credit for first-time homebuyers and unemployment benefits for the nation’s jobless. The administration endorses an extension.
WASHINGTON — Senators agreed Wednesday to extend a popular tax credit for first-time homebuyers and to offer a reduced credit to some repeat buyers.
On November 17th, 2009 dozens of the most respected educators in the real estate industry converge to host the first of its kind, Virtual Real Estate BarCamp.
Real estate and banking industry trade groups urged the Obama administration on Monday to press to extend and expand a tax credit for first-time home buyers that they said is instrumental to stabilizing the fragile housing market.
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