Are Your Kitchen And Baths Ready To Show? Kitchens and baths are magnets that can sell potential buyers on your home. When your home is on the market, these areas have to look their best. Even though you may be living in your home while it's for sale, you have to make a mental switch: The home is no longer the center of your family's life, but rather, a property. To make this property truly show its value, you'll need to do some work. By their nature, kitchens and baths are prime targets for clutter, grime, mildew and mold. Think about the kitchen and the buildup of clutter, for instance. What other room do we fill with gadgets the way we do a kitchen? And, hard-working bathrooms may suffer from too much use and too little cleaning. In this issue, we'll give you great tips on how to make these rooms shine.
Stash Or Trash
Clear all small appliances from the kitchen countertops--even the coffee maker. While your home is on the market, consider stepping out for your java each morning or find an easy storage place to move Mr. Coffee before leaving for work. (You may want to purchase an appliance garage--an add-on cabinet that hides all your small appliances from view.) If your microwave oven isn't mounted above your stove top, you may need to store it away as well. Clutter--even if the counters and floors are clean--makes a kitchen look smaller.
Shine On
Once you've cleared out, then clean up. Cabinets collect plenty of grease and grime, but we don't generally see it. Give your cabinets a good cleaning and replace any outdated or worn cabinet knobs. After cleaning, buff and shine the cabinets with a wood treatment; just be sure the polish matches your wood finish.
Next, remove everything from your refrigerator door--everything! Pack up the magnets, calendars, to-do lists, photos of family and friends, and calendars made from photos. Put them in a special box marked "Refrigerator Decorations" so you can find them again after you move.
Don't forget to store away all the stuff from the top of the fridge, as well. Then mop the top down with a wet cloth and mild soap. While you're at it, this would be a good time to clean out the refrigerator. You're going to throw out all the excess food, sauces and miscellaneous items when you move anyway, so why not sooner than later? Skip this step and you could lose the overall effect of a sparkling kitchen when a potential buyer opens the refrigerator door to find mustard and ketchup stains.
Attack The Bath
Bathrooms are also a clutter zone just by the nature of the room. Even if you clean up the bathroom, it can still look "used"--after all, we're talking about the place where you hang your toothbrush. Visit a new model home to see how appealing an immaculate bathroom can be.
Mold and mildew are your first enemy in the bath. Get rid of it with the appropriate cleaners. There are several from which to choose at your nearest supermarket. While your home is on the market, switch from bar soap to a liquid hand soap and body cleanser. There's nothing more "icky" than a bar of soupy soap with the remains of dirty hands on it.
Potpourri or air fresheners are an idea--go all out for these to help make your bathrooms even more pleasant. If your towels have seen fluffier days, replace them with a brand new set just for home showings. Consider throwing out the shower curtain and getting a new one, as well.
If your tub does double duty as a toy box for the kids' bath toys, set up a space in the linen closet or vanity to quickly stash these items when your home is shown. Of course, you may need to throw away some of the items in your linen closet, but that's a good move anyway.
Details, Details
Consider a few of these quick spiff-ups for your bathroom, too: new throw rugs, an updated faucet set, new toilet seat or a new storage rack for your toiletries (but keep that in the linen closet or under the sink). Don't wait to start clearing and cleaning. Your best buyers are the ones who come through the home as soon as it hits the market. Don't let clutter and everyday dirt scare them away.