How to Stage Your Kitchen in One Hour

Your kitchen is maybe the single most important room in your home when it comes to selling your house. As the old saying goes, it’s “the heart of the home,” and buyers will get hung up on your kitchen’s deficiencies more than anything else in the property. The good news is, you only need an hour to stage your kitchen in its best light.

Here’s how to spend an hour staging your kitchen to see results when your house is for sale:

Clean Everything
You probably think your kitchen is pretty clean! After all, you spend hours every week wiping and sweeping it, right? Unfortunately, you’ve probably become blind to some of its not-so-squeaky spots. Take time to really, truly clean the kitchen – from the vent hood to the top of the cabinets to that space between the fridge and the counters – buyers will notice. From then on, clean as you cook and do a good wipe-down every week your home is on the market to sustain it.

Clear the Countertops
Yes, that KitchenAid mixer is useful, but it’s taking up half your countertop space! While your home is on the market you want as little on your countertops as possible. That means removing the jar of utensils next to the stove, the toaster oven, and even your dishtowel that hangs from the handle of the dishwasher. Imagine your kitchen as if no one ever uses it…that’s what you want buyers to see.

Pack Up Some Stuff
This is particularly important in your pantry. You may think buyers won’t open your cabinets and drawers, but they might! You don’t want them to seem crammed full of stuff you don’t otherwise have room for; it will make them worry your kitchen isn’t big enough. Aim for about 1/3 of the space in your cabinets and pantry to be “open” space, implying to buyers you’ve got room to spare.

Hardware Reboot
If your kitchen is dated, some new hardware can go a long way. Switching out shiny brass cabinet knobs for more modern burnished bronze will help take attention away from the things buyers don’t like about it. You want them to see the space and the possibilities when they walk into your kitchen, not wonder whether your cabinet pulls haven’t been changed since the 70s.

Other quick tips for jazzing up your kitchen:

• Get rid of any rugs or non-slip pads to reveal the space in your kitchen. They don’t just cover up floors, they attract crumbs!
• Got an extra $500 to spend? Having under-cabinet lighting installed can make a huge difference in a dark kitchen.
• Wipe the backsplash. It’s easy to miss spots or drips on the backsplash that can only be seen at certain angles. Buyers will inevitably catch them.
• Light a candle, particularly if you cook a lot. Try to avoid cooking heavily-scented foods while you’re on the market. You want buyers to see the room, not wonder what you had for dinner!