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Original poster

New kitchen to sell or not - it's really bad

117 replies

irishmist · 07/01/2022 13:04

Worried that our kitchen is so bad we need to.
We hope to put our house on the market in March but debating whether it's worth installing a new but cheap kitchen to sell.
DH thinks it's not worth it but I'm worried our awful kitchen will put viewers off - laminate peeling off etc - grim.
We did other work in the house - it's the only room that lets the house down, I thinkHmm
I haven't tidied the kitchen so please ignore mess.

New kitchen to sell or not - it's really bad
New kitchen to sell or not - it's really bad
OP posts:
PoshWatchShitShoes · 08/01/2022 09:05

I'd paint it and remove the wooden pelmet across the windows. That dates it greatly

Herecomesthesun70 · 08/01/2022 10:05

I agree with the comments of clearing all the surfaces. Only have out your kettle etc.
random question why is the milk out in the sun?

croon979 · 08/01/2022 10:09

Kitchen is fine. Anything you can do to make it lighter and brighter could assist with sale in my view but I wouldn’t replace it to sell

Original poster
irishmist · 08/01/2022 11:09

@Herecomesthesun70 - I just had a coffee & took the pix in a cry for help.
@PoshWatchshitshoes - the pelmets are part of the surround - all one piece and can't be removed.

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I'm going to sugar soap it today & fix the hinges. We have time before it goes on the market.

OP posts:
Herecomesthesun70 · 08/01/2022 11:30

[quote irishmist]@Herecomesthesun70 - I just had a coffee & took the pix in a cry for help.
@PoshWatchshitshoes - the pelmets are part of the surround - all one piece and can't be removed.

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions. I'm going to sugar soap it today & fix the hinges. We have time before it goes on the market.[/quote]
Good luck with the sale.
If it's any help I painted our doors with paint from B&Q just cupboard paint. Cheap as chips and did all of it. Made a massive difference for less than £40

Ariela · 08/01/2022 11:32

@TheHoptimist

Loose the 199Os blinds- nothing says 1996 like a scalloped blind. Declutter
I'd change the blinds for a lighter colour., and realign all the doors so it at least looks straight - there's usually a screw to adjust. If you can't get them to align properly and stay thee , see if you can force them to stay in place just for the photos by shutting onto Blue Tack to hold a drooping door up in line.
NewMessageFrom · 08/01/2022 11:41

What is wrong with it? Looks fine to me

RidingMyBike · 08/01/2022 14:28

I'd much rather put my own kitchen in to my taste than buy somewhere with a kitchen that wasn't very me but was brand new!

We're looking to buy at the moment and have been put off a couple of houses on the market with very new kitchens as we hated them but wouldn't have been able to justify the cost of replacing a kitchen like that. It's different if it's a kitchen that clearly needs work and priced accordingly.

StrifeOfBath · 08/01/2022 14:46

LOL, some of us live with perfectly serviceable kitchens like this for years and years. I am quite shocked at the massive sums of money spent by MNers on kitchens and bathrooms as soon as something seems a little bit dated.

I am another who would rather spend money on what suits me.

And if you want to sell, get in with it. You could be waiting months for the labour / trades to be available, and experience terrible delays if the team or your household get COVID.

SeaToSki · 08/01/2022 14:53

If the screws in the hinges wont hold (which often happens in kitchen cabinets because they yet yanked and the holes get overly big) unscrew the screw, shove a wooden match end in the hole and then rescrew. If the hole has got really big you might need two. The match stick gives some extra wood for the screw to bite into. You can cut the end off flush with the front of the jamb.

JanuaryBluehoo · 08/01/2022 17:46

Just paint it a pretty light colour.

islandsopen · 08/01/2022 17:54

If you cant remove the pelmets yourself I would get a handy person who can take it down.

Thecazelets · 08/01/2022 18:51

As pp have said, just ensure it is as light as possible, and clean and functional. It’s a nice size. Ignore suggestions to fudge it by painting the tiles etc. As a buyer I’d be much more put off by bodge jobs of that nature than slightly dated units.

Hollyhead · 08/01/2022 18:53

It's not really really bad, it's fine, and I would hate paying for a kitchen that had been put in to sell if I didn't like it - it would actually put me off buying because the waste would eat away at me.

ISaidDontLickTheBin · 08/01/2022 19:38

All the EAs that valued our house said don't do any painting apart from the front door before going on the market! We sold a house with a much worse kitchen than yours OP and still got over the asking price.

Agree with pp who said you'll be waiting months for any trades right now so if you want to sell, just do it now.

FlouncingBabooshka · 08/01/2022 20:12

it’s nowhere near as bad as you suggested OP! When we were looking for a house I would have been delighted to find one with a kitchen like this. It’s perfectly usable until the buyer has a chance to redo it and the bones of the room are great. Really good size, lovely light and room for a decent sized table. What made my heart sink when looking at properties was a brand new or nearly new kitchen in a style I didn’t like. The ideal scenario for me would be a kitchen I could justify ripping out and enough in the budget to fit a new one.

And getting a kitchen fitted is inconvenient (at best!). Why give yourself weeks of aggravation for something that won’t benefit you? If you’re going to go through weeks of living off microwave meals and washing up in the bath you may as well save the experience - and expense - for your new house and get yourself a kitchen you’ll love.

Good luck with the move!

Bluntness100 · 08/01/2022 21:53

The ideal scenario for me would be a kitchen I could justify ripping out and enough in the budget to fit a new one

Really? Not a kitchen you actually liked? Wow. You must love getting work done,

Bluntness100 · 08/01/2022 21:57

@StrifeOfBath

LOL, some of us live with perfectly serviceable kitchens like this for years and years. I am quite shocked at the massive sums of money spent by MNers on kitchens and bathrooms as soon as something seems a little bit dated.

I am another who would rather spend money on what suits me.

And if you want to sell, get in with it. You could be waiting months for the labour / trades to be available, and experience terrible delays if the team or your household get COVID.

I’m not sure many folks change their kitchen as soon as it becomes a bit dated to be honest and the ops is much more than a bit dated, let’s be honest.
saleorbouy · 08/01/2022 22:11

Don't bother just price accordingly. A relative of mine put in a new bathroom prior to going on the market only to find it all in a skip 1 month after completion. Save the time and hassle and let the new owner but their own in that's their style, taste and budget.

Bluntness100 · 08/01/2022 22:44

When we bought this house the kitchen was over thirty years old, and we have replaced. I suspect the ops is much older than thirty years old, maybe forty or fifty, it looks seventies or eighties to me. The agent did say to me at the time a lot of people were put off and said the kitchen was old and needed done, and they were correct. There is no doubt a very old kitchen will put some folks off, not everyone is up for replacing, either financially or in terms of the work involved.

SallyLockheart · 09/01/2022 08:23

I’d leave it basically as it is. A prospective purchaser can see it’s a decent sized kitchen with good light. Tidy clean and uncluttered with hinges tightened as above should be enough.

Bus293 · 09/01/2022 08:59

@echt

As said, clean it within an inch of its life. Declutter.

As importantly, make sure all devices you leave behind, e.g. stove/oven/dishwasher actually work.

Done.

Presumably they work since OP is using them? But she’s under no obligation to leave them working. All EA details include a disclaimer that they don’t guarantee that anything is working.
Bus293 · 09/01/2022 09:00

And I don’t think you need to do anything beyond basic tidying OP which you’ve said you’ll do already.

stuntbubbles · 09/01/2022 09:15

Really? Not a kitchen you actually liked? Wow. You must love getting work done,
The odds of finding a house that fits all wants and needs, in the right budget, and with the perfect kitchen – both aesthetically and to suit cooking style and equipment – are basically zero. Generally the two options are: shite kitchen to replace, or horrid shiny new fitted-to-sell kitchen. And within those two options are price points that allow you to do h thee work or not. I don’t love getting work done but I’d rather fit a perfect-to-me kitchen than have someone else’s brand-new taste.

It’s a great room, OP, and I’d be VERY happy seeing that kitchen in a listing – livable with for a long time, while also offering plenty of deVol daydream opportunity (when realistically I’m on an IKEA budget Grin).

user1471538283 · 09/01/2022 09:24

What a lovely room! Leave the kitchen as it is. It is a little dated and you say it is showing signs of wear but it looks perfectly serviceable to me.

As long as the price reflects it will need a new kitchen you are good to go!