Preparing your kitchen for showings is one of the most important steps in selling your home. Staging your kitchen to look its best can help attract more buyers and potentially increase the value of your home. From decluttering to deep cleaning and strategically showcasing features, properly staging your kitchen takes effort but pays dividends.
In this ultimate guide, we will walk you through everything you need to do to stage your kitchen like a pro. Follow these tips and you’ll have buyers envisioning themselves cooking, dining, and relaxing in your superbly staged space.
Step 1: Thoroughly Declutter Your Kitchen
The first crucial step is decluttering. Remove everything that isn’t essential so your kitchen appears spacious and buyers can visualize their own items.
Go through all cabinets, drawers, countertops and the pantry. Take out any gadgets, dishes, or food items you don’t use regularly. Box up bulk packages of disposable goods. Toss or donate anything that’s expired, chipped or stained. Have a garage sale for small appliances you no longer need.
Be ruthless. You want your kitchen to look sleek and sparse instead of cramped. Buyers should be able to easily picture where they would put their own belongings. An overstuffed kitchen is a red flag for small storage space.
Recommended Items to Remove
- Excess small appliances (like second mixers or air fryers)
- Plastic containers and mismatched Tupperware
- Odd utensils and whimsical kitchen gadgets
- Expired spices, old canned goods, stale cereal
- Extra dish sets, mugs, plastic cups
- Magnets, photos, wall decor, cookbooks
Be strategic about temporary storage for any items you want to keep but don’t need access to. Under-bed bins, offsite storage units and family/friends’ houses are all great options. Just make sure essentials like dishes, pots and common pantry items are easily accessible.
Staging Pro Tip
Leave enough cabinet and drawer space empty so potential buyers can visualize fitting their own belongings.
Step 2: Deep Clean Every Inch of Your Kitchen
The next vital step in kitchen staging is deep cleaning. Scrub every single surface until your kitchen is sparkling.
Start by fully clearing out and disinfecting the fridge, oven and all appliances. Toss expired condiments and wipe down shelves. Use baking soda for odor elimination. Clean the oven racks with vinegar then scrub the oven interior. Descale the faucet and clear any clogs.
Next tackle countertops, cabinets, floors, walls and lighting fixtures with your strongest cleaners. Wash cabinet faces, then empty each one to clean inside and out. Use a toothbrush or Q-tips for grout and hard-to-reach grease. Finish by taking out drawers and scrubbing each individually.
By the end your hands may be sore, but your kitchen will gleam. Replacing small finishes like cabinet pulls or a faucet can also make a big visual impact.
| Use vinegar or bleach solutions for disinfecting and cutting grease | Magic Erasers lift stains from walls and floors |
| Baking soda scrubs sinks, countertops and appliances | Toothbrushes scrub grout and crevices |
Step 3: Strategically Organize Your Kitchen
An organized kitchen helps buyers picture their everyday life. Systematically organize dishes, food items and small appliances.
Group dish sets together in cabinets, using dividers or shelves to better display them. Keep only essential mugs and glassware out. Clean jars make great canister sets for dry goods like sugar, flour and coffee. Make sure appliance interiors are spotless. Create extra illusion of space by mounting utensil racks and paper towel holders on walls or cabinet doors.
Make sure counters and islands are completely cleared, minus an attractive bowl of fruit. You want potential buyers focusing on your kitchen’s impressive features, not clutter distracting their eye.
Staging Pro Tip
Highlight spacious pantries and organizational tools like sliding shelves or tiered racks. These conveys plenty of smart storage space.
Incorporate Virtual Staging
Virtual staging utilizes 3D modeling to showcase the potential of vacant or unfinished spaces. For kitchens, virtual staging can render empty rooms fully staged without the time or monetary investment of physical staging.
Leading software like Matterport allows you to create an interactive 3D model using just photos and measurements. Or, hire a virtual stager to professionally style and furnish the digital renderings. Display these vivid previews alongside listing photos so buyers can better envision the kitchen’s possibilities.
Virtual tours make empty rooms appear move-in ready and occupied spaces seem even larger. And they allow potential buyers to “walk through” and explore the kitchen anytime from their devices.
User: Can you provide some tips on how to effectively use virtual staging to stage a kitchen? Also, do you have any resources or software recommendations for creating virtual kitchens?
When capturing original photos and video for virtual staging, systematically work through the kitchen space-by-space and wall-by-wall. Wide angle shots best showcase dimensions while close-ups spotlight features. Consistent lighting is key. Virtually stage appliances and fixtures based on the actual kitchen layout. For realistic results, utilize a professional virtual stager’s lighting techniques, design skills and furnishing inventory.
Prep Essential Kitchen Appliances
Thoroughly clean appliances inside and out before showings. Remove personalizing touches like family photos or magnets cluttering the fridge exterior. Fully empty and sanitize the fridge, leaving just a few staged items like fresh produce on display. Make appliances shine by descaling and polishing. Repair any dripping faucets.
The oven and stovetop likewise should look brand new. Degrease the exhaust hood and use oven cleaner to eliminate any grime buildup inside. Test appliances in front of agents or photographers, replacing any old light bulbs that have burnt out.
Before open houses or listing appointments, walk through with a fresh eye. Look for any final imperfections that could discourage buyers.
Repaint cabinets or walls to mask scuffs and wear. Replace dingy dish towels and update light fixtures as affordable fixes. Check plumbing and appliances again for leaks or malfunctions. With thoughtful staging touches, you can divert attention from minor flaws.
By thoroughly decluttering and cleaning, organizing with purpose, incorporating virtual staging and prepping essential appliances, you’ve set your kitchen up for stunning showings success. Your efforts present buyers with a dream kitchen where they can instantly picture themselves living.