All appliances date themselves eventually. Today’s stainless steel could be tomorrow’s avocado laminate…dated appliances are one of the most common staging conundrums in real estate.
So, how can you stage your home for sale with outdated appliances in your kitchen?
Update Other Elements
Dated appliances are trouble because they date the whole house. One of the best staging tricks for working with dated appliances is to update everything else in the room, from the old school cabinet knobs to the outdated lighting fixtures. The more modern the rest of the area feels, the newer the whole home will feel to buyers.
Clean, Clean, and Clean Again
No one wants “used” appliances. Do everything you can to make your fridge, stove, dishwasher, oven, and microwave look sparkling clean and new, even if that means buying some specialty cleaning products and employing a little elbow grease. Don’t forget to move the appliances to clean behind and beside them; you may not notice the tiny crumbs in the fridge nook, but potential buyers sure do.
Declutter the Space
Clutter is a reminder to buyers that someone has already lived a life in the home they’re thinking of buying. It can be an unsettling feeling! Dated appliances only further reminds them of this, so do what you can to erase all other personalizing items from the room. That means taking down years-old silk plants from the top of the cabinets and removing your cookbook collection from the countertops, then putting away that dish towel while you’re at it.
Spring for New Appliances
New appliances can give you some serious ROI on your home sale. They’re actually one of the easiest major components of your home to replace and most major appliance dealers will actually haul out your old stuff, too. If you can, consider buying a new appliance package around a major holiday, when many retailers tend to offer huge sales on big orders. New appliances don’t just make your home look cleaner and newer, they can be used as a marketing tool in and of themselves. Buyers love being the first ones to use something!
Staging doesn’t just make your home look pretty…it’s an economic tool. Proper staging offers a serious return on investment, and it’s the absolute best way to overcome some of the most common real estate issues on the market.
You don’t have to spend a fortune to get your house ready to sell. Creative Home Stagers can help you work with what you have, and we have several staging options designed around every budget. Staging is not out of your reach.
Contact us today for a comprehensive quote and to find out how people are staging in your neighborhood!