The Kitchen Sink

There are lots of little things that you can do to the kitchen sink that are quite inexpensive and easy, and which will make an enormous difference in the overall picture.

For one thing, you'll want to be certain that there aren't any leaks at all. Do a good job repairing leaks, to ensure that there won't be any unfortunate surprises while the prospective buyers are viewing your kitchen.

Also you will want to remove stains from the sink and surrounding area. Use a good quality cleaning product, and make the sink and its hardware simply shine and sparkle.

This is almost as effective as replacing it altogether.

The Kitchen Appliances

Even if you are not leaving your appliances behind, they should be well cleaned, and shiny. This includes a thorough cleaning of your:

--Refrigerator --Oven --Dishwasher --Microwave --Toaster --Coffee maker

This is especially important for anything you'll be leaving behind, such as a built-in dishwasher, but everything should be cleaned in order to give an overall impression of a sanitary, well maintained, friendly, and overall pleasant kitchen.

Dirty appliances will inevitably make prospective buyers feel that the rest of the house is dirty as well. Even if everything was immaculate except for the oven door, that one little patch of grunge will be enough to alter the feeling that a potential buyer has about your home.

The truth is that a fantastically large number of the 90 million kitchens in America are aged 50 years or more. This means that they'll need to aim for that classic, but well maintained, and up-to-date appearance, instead of simply "old".

The Kitchen Cupboards

As long as your cupboards are still in good condition, then you will want to avoid committing a large amount of money on cupboard surgery. When it comes to cupboards there are some great little "facelift" efforts that you cane make that will give the appearance of cupboards that are much newer than they are.

These efforts are:

--Replacing rusty, chipped, or out-of-date hardware --Putting fresh, white shelf paper down --Wiping down cupboards to get rid of smudges, fingerprints, and other things that take away from shine. --Putting a fresh coat of paint on cupboards that simply will not be wiped clean.

It is these few cosmetic differences that will convince prospective buyers that you still have good kitchen cupboards that are clean and in satisfactory condition.

The Kitchen Surfaces

Whether you're looking at the kitchen counters, shelving, or table, there shouldn't be any clutter in your kitchen whatsoever. If there is anything that isn't an absolute necessity, get it out of the room altogether.

Think of it as a weight loss for your kitchen. Get rid of floor obstructions, clean out the cabinets, and clear off the countertop and table.

This will open up your kitchen as far as it will go to give it a much cleaner, roomier appearance. Moreover, clutter will take away from the appearance of cleanliness you've worked so hard to achieve.

It can even add years to the appearance of your kitchen, taking away from your efforts to keep it up to date.

The bottom line is: open up your kitchen by removing everything but what you really need.

People want big kitchens. They want room for their own clutter, as well as room to maneuver around. If you can't show them that, then they will not be impressed with that room at all.

When you're trying to sell your house this disappointment will be enough to turn them off the entire house.