valerie_stack54

Selling Home - Kitchen question

Valerie
6 years ago
Hello, I am trying to sell my home in Western New York. It’s been on the market just over two months and I am getting a bit hopeless. I am thinking of ways to freshen things up more and taking new photos. I was wondering if maybe we should paint our cabinets a cream color (to match one of the backsplash tiles) or a really dark brown. We’ve had feedback from only two viewers that said they liked the kitchen but never really specified anything. So, the kitchen is small. We’ve built our own island that is almost 6’ long and it’s mobile so we can push against the wall for parties. The cabinets are oak. The counters are new within last two years as are all appliances.
So should we paint these cabinets?
yes -creamy off white
leave as is
yes - dark brown

Comments (39)

  • Belahn
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    If you change them, inevitably, whoever buys it will want to change them again! Someone will buy your house, just be patient. I would not put any work or money into that kitchen because it looks fine as is for resale, and changing things is all a matter of personal taste. Perhaps there is something else people aren't liking. With my last house, it was on the market for over 2 months because everyone wanted grass, and I had xeriscaped (in the desert!! they wanted grass) Someone finally liked it enough to buy it though. How do your bathrooms look? Kitchens and bathrooms are important.

  • Valerie
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    Thank you for the feedback! Both bathrooms were just updated (one of them was a total overhaul including new vanity, toilet, and shower). We don’t have a garage and I think that puts a lot of people off since we get a decent amount of snow here every year. I’m trying to be very patient; just gets you down a bit when it just sits. Thanks again!
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  • PRO
    Verona Home Design
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    Please don't paint your cabinets! Wood cabinets look much fancier then paint which sorta looks cheap. If you aren't getting feed back of people not liking your kitchen I would leave it alone. Just be patient :)

  • jck910
    6 years ago

    I agree it would be a waste to spend money on this kitchen. The layout is weird. There isn't a work triangle and the door opens into the work space. I would work with a good realtor to discuss the problems

  • PRO
    Color Zen
    6 years ago

    I would throw a cool runner on the floor and paint the walls crisp white- leave the cabinets for now :)


  • gtcircus
    6 years ago
    You could go over them with a walnut stain to make them richer, but your trim and door appear to be the same color as the cabinets and that may open a can of worms. I would do a couple of things to update the space: (1) replace the pulls to something more transitional (2) replace the appliances with stainless. Those white behemoths stick out like a sore thumb. (3) make sure you have bright LED bulbs in (4) install LED tape lights under the cabinets. (5) install real granite counters.
  • gtcircus
    6 years ago
    Also update the lighting and is the microwave on a stand? Post more photos of the room and is this room where you are getting the negative comments?
  • Bree
    6 years ago

    Instead of painting the cabinets, a nice solution (and cost effective) could be to paint the window and door trim and the door white. This would brighten up the space a ton and not break the bank.

  • Bloomingbug
    6 years ago

    I've lived in upstate NY; given the long, snowy winters I would not consider a house that did not have a garage. This would be far more important to me than the color of the kitchen cabinets.

  • K Laurence
    6 years ago

    I would think about painting the walls & that’s all. It sounds like your lack of a garage is the issue, may linger longer on the market for that reason. I wouldn’t consider buying a house without a garage, but that’s just me since I actually park my cars in the garage, but it might not be an issue for some people. Good luck.... every house sells eventually.

  • chloebud
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    It would be a mistake to put a lot of money into it. Based on experience, buyers are likely to change much of what you do, such as replace the cabinets. What does your realtor say about the kitchen? Are two months on the market common where you are? What does the realtor say?

    I agree with K Laurence regarding the garage issue.

  • gtcircus
    6 years ago
    The cart photo forgot to attach.
  • Jill Spriggs
    6 years ago

    Looks pretty good to me. You do need to declutter, though. Get the stuff off the fridge, onlly a couple of things in the baskets. Believe it or not, there's contact paper that looks like stainless steel. As long as you don't advertise the appliances as being stainless steel, it might help people look past the white.

  • Judy Mishkin
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    garageless in november in western ny? it needs to be priced comparable to other garageless homes. it has to be such a good deal that people will forget its going to snow any time soon. is there room to build a garage? then price it the cost of a garage less than a comparable home, and someone will buy and build it. no place to build one? well thats a bigger price drop.

    we live outside of boston, and have no garage. our house was 800K vs 975K with garage. when we go to sell, we'll get less money. thats all that it is. not location location location but price price price.

  • apple_pie_order
    6 years ago

    The problem is probably that buyers expect a garage if similarly priced houses have them, nothing to do with the kitchen. Do you think your asking price fairly reflects the lack of a garage? Would you be willing to pay an architect to come up with plans or sketches for a 2-car garage that you could make available to show what could be done?

    I see from the listing that the photos are far from professional-looking. Put your best foot forward: hire a stager to come in and help you present your house in a much better way, then get a professional photographer out who will make it look great on the internet.


  • Jill Spriggs
    6 years ago

    My daughter lives in New Orleans and down there most houses don't have garages. But especially this time of year, the thought of carrying bags of groceries from your car to your home in the sleet, is not appealing and a kitchen full of SS appliances is not going to change that. I hope most homes in the neighborhood don't have garages, because that will make your job easier.


  • grewa002
    6 years ago

    Declutter, remove all pics from the fridge, all the baskets from the island, and lower your price. It still may not help though.

    We live in Western Massachusetts, and a neighbor is trying to sell a gorgeous, fully upgraded house with only 1 garage , and has been unable for 5 months now.

    She has a fully remodeled kitchen with a gorgeous pantry, all remodeled bathrooms, and the price is more than 100K below comparable other houses in the neighborhood, but the others have 2 garages...

  • PRO
    Pam Chapman Architect
    6 years ago

    Remove the table beside the refrigerator, take everything off the refrigerator, and remove the items under the island. Is the refrigerator staying with the house? If not, do you need a nice new counter depth frig at your new location?

    Since the rest of your house is wood trim, I would not paint the cabinets.

  • Judy Mishkin
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    here's the thing... i can actually forget i dont have a garage. my house feels so perfect, i really don't notice the lack. (honestly!) thats where a clear eyed realtor comes in handy, who won't let you talk UP the listing price.

    there is nothing tragically wrong with your kitchen. its not to everyone's taste perhaps but no kitchen is. you could spend a bundle for all white cabinets and someone will come along and prefer dark. declutter or stage for the shallow buyers and drop the price for those that want a garage.

  • Valerie
    Original Author
    6 years ago
    Thank you everyone for the feedback. We have decluttered so we will definitely get some new photos this weekend.
    And yeah, selling a garage-less home when it’s about to snow is rough. Just have to wait for the right buyer I guess.
    Thanks again everyone! Have a nice weekend!
  • Judy Mishkin
    6 years ago

    you too, valerie.


  • gtcircus
    6 years ago
    Grewa for that big a price difference you could build a new garage or purchase a pre-built fabricated detached garage that is nice for under $35,000
  • apple_pie_order
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    In my area, good professional real estate photographers charge less than $200 for photos for a regular house. YMWV. Some include drone photos which are especially useful for rural properties. Don't use the same person who took the current photos.

  • grewa002
    6 years ago
    Bellburgmaggie, it depends on the town codes, and how much lawn you have.
    The neighbor I am talking about used to have a two car garage, but after she split with her husband, she did not need the second garage, and expanded the kitchen. She thought this was her forever home, but her professional circumstances changed suddenly.
  • beth09
    6 years ago

    Have you asked your realtor what the average sell time is? When we sold our last home ourselves, we were told sell time was around 4 months. It was just about that to the day when our buyers showed up. :)

  • katinparadise
    6 years ago

    Good that you decluttered. Things left out on carts, etc. give the impression that you are lacking storage. I lived in Western New York for 26 years and sold new construction homes. Virtually no one is looking for houses in September and October-school has started and people with families who wanted to buy have done so in the summer so they can be settled by the time it starts. Then folks start thinking about the holidays and things start to die down. Mid January is when things start to pick up again for construction, but March or April is when they pick up for existing homes. Unless you HAVE to sell it immediately, I would consider taking it off the market until late winter/early spring so the listing doesn't become stale. It's not a hot market to begin with and you don't want potential buyers to think there's something wrong with the house because it's been on the market for so long. There are lots of older homes that don't have garages so it's not necessarily something people insist upon, depending on the area.

  • User
    6 years ago

    Lower the price.

  • Porter Edun
    6 years ago

    Number one just looking at the last photo you might take everything off of the fridge and from the top of the fridge, declutter and remove most of what you have on the wood topped wire rack next to the fridge and use the top only as your coffee bar.

    People come in to a home with a lot all over and feel overwhelmed. Imagine walking in to a home and seeing it for the first time, "how can I decorate this home" vs. being overwhelmed with a lot of things all over the place. Not intending to sound harsh, but make it a clean slate with minimal things for decor.

    Yes, I agree about the garage which I do agree with . Try to go with a cohesive simplified interior slate for potential buyers.

    Good luck!


  • PRO
    Sabrina Alfin Interiors
    6 years ago

    If you can pay for a stager, do it. Staging really makes a world of difference, and sometimes the real estate agent will pick up this cost if they're making a sizeable commission. The key to selling a home is making the potential buyer put themselves in your space; if the space is too personal to the seller, it's hard for people to get past that. It needs to be simple and almost impersonal, like you're walking into a model home. Remember not to take this as a ding against your personal style, but it's YOUR personal style, not the buyers'. If the goal is to sell it, put your pride aside and let a professional get you the most value for your home.

  • Nancy Walton
    6 years ago

    This is why I prefer to look at empty houses: I can more easily picture my own furniture in the space.

  • PRO
    Debbi Washburn
    6 years ago

    What is the realtor saying ? They are the ones who are in front of the clients... The weather will certainly stall a sale - no one wants to move in winter..... Get their feedback and use this time to really take a hard look at the home and de-personalize it - even get a very honest friend to give you some feed back. You could also consider going to other open houses for homes like yours and see what people are saying or what they look like on the inside.

    Good luck!

  • gtcircus
    6 years ago
    Keep us posted on how it goes. I know when I sold my last home I decluttered for about 2 months and I mean I would have only a couple of shirts and pants in a closet so it looked empty (translates into lots of storage). You are better off getting a storage unit and taking everything out you don't use everyday. That is what I did and when you opened the linen closet the towels were brand new, the pantry had minimal stuff (again looked empty with lots of space). All that work = a sale in 3 days. I also had it professionally staged.
  • Amber Rup
    6 years ago
    I think it would look awesome dark but then you would have to paint all the trim and around the window either dark or white and that is alot of work. I agree to leave as is
  • Wendy Warren
    6 years ago
    As a Realtor and ex interior designer, if you have only had 2showings, your price is too high.Ifanything your handmade island dwarfs the room. Pushitagainst the wall and get some floor space!everything is brown on brown.Idont know your area could you do a white quartz countertop?
  • Wendy Warren
    6 years ago
    Youmight try a light tile back splash also. I notice the island is a faux granite formica.Possibly replace witheplace wit white formica and cut it down to 48" long! It does not need tobe 6 feet long! Your handiwork makes the whole kitchen Small.
  • Momof5x
    6 years ago
    last modified: 6 years ago

    I wouldn't do anything major, perhaps adding a large vase of flowers on the table or a large jar of fruit and other bright accessories will brighten it up. On another note, for sure stainless steel appliances would make this kitchen really stand out. Again, though you don't want to spend more really, but I would wait and see if other buyers come first.

    You could even leave a few photos on the table of what it could look like with stainless steel appliances or any other addition, then your buyers could see the potentials.

  • gustaruygers
    6 years ago
    Yes, declutter but in my humble opinion it's the floor that is disturbing. Looks dark and dingy( sorry) and very fussy. Something lighter in color and not so much variation.