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If It's Time to Sell, Focus on Your Kitchen

    When it's time to put your home on the market, many real estate experts recommend that you focus on the kitchen first. For many potential buyers, especially the wives, the kitchen is the most important room in the home. The condition and appearance of the kitchen has the power to make or break an offer.

    So, if you want your home to sell quickly at a fair price, do everything you can to enhance it before you start showing the home to buyers. Remember however as you approach this task that the money you spend is a cost of selling. Don't do a complete remodel ling unless the kitchen really needs it. A good Realtor, like Judie Berger, Sarasota real estate expert, or Brian Ward who focuses on Bradenton FL real estate can give you advice on the extent of remodeling that you should invest in.

    You want you kitchen to look large, light and roomy. Clear the counters of all clutter. Take everything you can out of drawers and shelves and move it into storage. Remove all those magnets from the refrigerator and if the refrig looks scratched, give it a fresh coat of porcelain paint. What you want them to see is a warm, open and inviting space, not your old pots, pans and toaster.

    Consider fresh paint. Paint is the most profitable improvement. A fresh coat of light, neutral colored paint on your kitchen walls will make them look spotless and new. Exactly the look you want.

    Pay particular attention to the sink. If your faucet looks old and dated, replace it with a new one. It will go a long way towards improving the look of the whole kitchen, for very little money.

    If your counter tops look old and tired, you should consider new ones. Today you can buy corian or even granite counter tops at reasonable prices. Talk to your local Home Depot or Lowe's hardware store. Remember to stick with neutral colors, nothing too flashy.

    Check the stove and oven. The oven should be spotless. If the stove is a glass-top model, scrub it until there is no residue at all on it. A sparkling range looks great. A dirty one leaves the prospect wondering if the rest of the house is any better maintained. Don't let them even "go there".

    Freshen up the cabinets. Replacing cabinets is expensive and seldom makes a good investment. But you can paint them, or put new, modern looking pulls on them for very little money. A fresh rub-down with a good cleaner-polish will give them a fresh look.

    Look at your kitchen windows on a sunny day. You would be amazed at how many people forget to wash the window over the sink or the sliding glass doors next to the dining area. This is especially true if the window has an outstanding view like the homes in a Sarasota Waterfront community or a Sarasota golf course community.  If the window trim looks dull, a fresh coat of paint there will add sizzle to the view.

    Finally, a trick that works amazingly well according to Andree Huffine, a Lakewood Ranch real estate specialist.  Just before prospective buyers come, bake a fresh batch of cookies in your oven. And, yes, leave the cookies out for them to sample.

    For more information on selling a home in Florida, you might also want to check out the Real Estate of Florida Blog where there are frequently good suggestions.

     Prospective home buyers will quickly notice any shortcomings in your kitchen, so do everything you can to freshen it up and give it a modern, open, spacious and "inviting" look.