A well-designed kitchen remodel can make or break the sale of your house, while an upgraded, functional kitchen can make your home irresistible to buyers. Depending on the features you choose and how much you spend, a kitchen makeover is one of the best remodeling investments you can make – many homeowners see well over an 80% return. Whether your priority is to design a beautiful new kitchen for yourself, or one that will appeal to potential buyers, here’s why it’s a worthy and smart investment.
Remodeling Your Kitchen for Resale
How likely are you to get the money back on a kitchen remodel when you sell your house? What a buyer might be willing to pay depends on many factors, including the layout and materials you choose. That’s why many kitchen remodels intended to help sell a home use materials that appeal to the widest number of potential buyers.
It helps if you know which improvements typically get the best return. According to Remodeling Magazine’s annual analysis of cost versus value, a minimal kitchen upgrade in Northern VA – painting, refinishing surfaces, and upgrading one or two appliances – will often return more than a full remodel.
- Start by talking with a local real estate agent about what people in your area are looking for in kitchens. Research what realtors are using as kitchen selling points on their websites and flyers. Ask about things like stainless steel, color palettes, and which floorplans buyers want.
- Keep things simple for resale. A neutral color scheme doesn’t have to mean white, but try to stay natural and subdued. Both big items like countertops and smaller details like fixtures should blend with whatever style the new homeowners have.
- Some people decide to go cheap for a resale remodel, but that’s not always your best bet. Yes, new homeowners will most likely make some changes, but knowing the kitchen doesn’t need work right away can be a big selling point. Just don’t indulge in high-end items like exotic woods or chef-style appliances.
- If your kitchen is currently a contained space, but buyers are looking for open floor plans, it can be worth it to knock down a wall or two.
- Buyers love modern conveniences like pull-out pantries, under-cabinet lighting, and appliance garages, but stay away from anything that could become obsolete as technology evolves. Swapping out one or two appliances for energy-efficient ones is also a good idea.
- Granite countertops are a must – everyone loves them. For resale purposes, though, it isn’t necessary to go for the most high-end slab.
Remodeling Your Kitchen for You
Some homeowners are more than willing to invest more than they might hope to recoup because they plan on staying in their home for a long time. If that’s your outlook, too, then what matters is designing a space that best suits your family’s lifestyle and making smart investments in quality materials. It still helps to know where your money is best invested and which changes will boost your home’s value.
There are plenty of reasons to remodel your kitchen: to gain better use of the space, boost its aesthetic value, improve its overall function, or finally tailor it to your own personal style. One of the top reasons people remodel their kitchen is to improve its flow. Here are five upgrades that are nearly always worth the money you put into them:
- Modern, energy-efficient appliances like super quiet dishwashers and microwave drawers.
- Upgraded cabinets that include pull-out pantries, soft-close doors, and premium hinges.
- Improved lighting that enhances the kitchen’s look and provides much needed light to work by. Overhead, task, and undercabinet lighting together with more natural light through skylights or larger windows is ideal.
- New flooring can change the entire look and feel of your kitchen. Today, more people are choosing the warmth of wood or wood-look floors.
- If the kitchen is the hub of the home, the kitchen island is where most of day-to-day life occurs. Consider a bigger island that accommodates 6 to 8 people. Perfect for homework, quick family dinners, or for entertaing!
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Are you ready to move forward with your Northern VA kitchen remodeling project? Contact us today to schedule a conversation – we look forward to meeting you!
