One of the most common questions I’m asked as a Tampa home stager is should we repaint our cabinets before we list our home?
We’ve all been there: You tour a home with a great address and inviting floorplan—but those cabinets, YUCK! They glow with an orange or red tint. The floors may even match the cabinetry. Dated oak or maple cabinets, if they could talk, may scream to a potential buyer: “Big renovation project needed! Not move-in ready!”
If you have the resources and time to re paint your cabinets, do it. You will get your investment back. If not, read on.
Dark and dated cabinets are a BIG buyer turnoff. Not to worry, you’ve got options.
As a regular home staging and home design contributor, I penned this article that recently appeared in The National Association of Realtors’ Styled Staged and Sold Blog, read on. To read other articles on home staging visit the NAR website here.
When selling a home cabinets matter.
Light and white remain preferable to buyers, confirms a survey from Home Stratosphere, a home décor blog that surveyed thousands of consumers about their color of choice for kitchen cabinetry. White is by far the most popular cabinet color. Painting cabinets can dramatically improve a room and update the overall impression of a home with a more modern finish. But a seller may not always have the extra funds to take on painting the cabinets prior to listing the home. (Expect a price tag of at least $3,000)
When painting cabinets is not an option, try these five staging tips to transform the look.
1) Just paint the island, or add an island with white or metal.
This small change costs significantly less, is not as disruptive, and can still have a high impact on the room’s look.
2) Neutralize dark or bold colors.
Tone the cabinets down by adding large white accessories, such as hand towels, big bowls, and trays.
3) Change out the lighting.
Try updating a key decorative light fixture. It can make dated cabinets feel more current. Also, swap out the light bulbs for warmer options, such as a soft white (in the 2700K to 3000K range)
4) Show prospects some what-ifs.
Many of the national paint companies offer tools to show how a new paint color can change a room. This includes cabinets. Drop in your photos and digitally repaint them to show prospective buyers the possibilities for when they move in.
5) Have quotes on-hand.
Invite a cabinet repainting company to submit a cost and time estimate of refinishing the cabinets. You can use this as a price negotiation point or provide a new buyer with an allowance to get this change completed before they move in.
If the seller can invest in repainting, this home improvement is definably a game changer. Do remember though, beyond the investment re painting cabinets can take 2-3 weeks and the process requires spraying in the home and removing all doors off site.
The end result is BIG and will transform the home. Here is an example of a homeowner’s kitchen where they invested in the re painting. Home Frosting directed the improvements and staged the home. After our work, the home sold quickly and ironically, the buyers had seen the home before the re painting and only made an offer after the cabinets were re painted.
If you’ve got a listing that needs some love, give Home Frosting a call. We do more than home staging. We provide sellers a turnkey transformational packages to get their home improvement investment back, sell the listing quickly and for the highest price.
