Update Your Kitchen Without Breaking the Bank

Kitchens remain a huge selling point for most / homes today.  Maintaining and updating your kitchen should be one of your top priorities when it comes time to sell it.  That doesn't necessarily mean spending thousands of dollars completely overhauling your kitchen, though.  Not many homeowners have that kind of money to spend.  You can update your kitchen without breaking the bank by adhering to the following simple guidelines.

A Little Elbow Grease - I can't stress enough how important it is to clean your / kitchen.  I'm not talking about the surface stuff that most people do every day.  I mean moving the refrigerator, lifting the top off the stove to get to the crumbs underneath, cleaning the baseboards and scrubbing your range's hood (where grease spatters).  Wipe down the backsplash, walls, cabinets and front of your appliances so that they are positively gleaming.

Add/Change Hardware - You can completely change the look of a / kitchen by adding or changing out the knobs and pulls on the cabinets and drawers.  Save even more money by buying them in bulk at your local home improvement center.

A Horse of a Different Color - Freshen up the room with a nice coat of paint.  Using lighter colors will help brighten up the kitchen as well.  At only around $15-$20 per gallon, this can be done in a weekend for very little money.  Add molding to your cabinets before you paint for an interesting accent piece.

Try One or Two Higher End Updates - Replace the old faucet with a high end model.  Add a customized hood over the stove.  Replace old appliances with newer, more energy efficient models.  Change/add a backsplash to just your oven area.  This looks great and makes for easy clean up of cooking messes.  Spending extra money in a couple of strategic places allows you to save money in others while still making your / kitchen look very chic to potential buyers.

When it comes time to sell your / home, your kitchen can make or break a deal.  But, you don't have to break the bank to update your kitchen.  A few simple, inexpensive changes can turn your tried-and-true kitchen into a true showpiece.  Let me know when you're ready to sell your / home.

Originally posted on my Northern Virginia real estate blog here: http://northernvirginiahomes.net/2011/12/08/update-your-kitchen-without-breaking-the-bank/.