calling anyone who has been viewing property recently...

[GypsyMay]

can you tell me about kitchens which made you feel positive about a property and those that were a turn off.

I need to tart up my kitchen before putting the house up for sale and need to know what to focus on, colours, appliances, ?

I'm thinking I need to:

• clean!
• repaint
• declutter
• fix broken lights
• choose new blinds and light shades (or would people not care?)
• replace manky old microwave with snazzy new one
• install dishwasher (or not bother?)
• get a few smart looking accessories

Well, we might have been a little eccentric, but we were looking for somewhere where we could re-do the kitchen without guilt. So we wanted an elderly kitchen, but one which was still in good enough nick to use for a year or so. I think all we cared about was that it was clean, light, and seemed to be large enough. Having said that, the owner had made a big effort to overcome the problems with the elderly kitchen, and it was spotlessly clean and there was almost nothing on the worktops. Mainly, though, she sold it very well - she said that although it wasn't the sort of room most people wanted, it was actually extremely practical for a keen chef who entertained a lot. She basically said that no, it wasn't a family kitchen, but that if you wanted to do a dinner party, it was perfect. And it was not unlike the sorts of kitchens DH and I grew up in, so we were happy with it.

I'm not too bothered by an old ish kitchen as I would prefer to replace and choose my own anyway - others may disagree!
The place we're buying has an old kitchen (possibly 15 years old) but it was very very clean - dirt and mess would put me off above all else as it gives such a bad first impression

It looks great if you visit a house with a lovely new kitchen but I always wonder what sort of premium I'm being asked to pay for it

Lighting and a lick of paint always help I think plus a clean new blind

I'd only bother with a new dishwasher if you've currently got a big hole between the units

The kitchen was very important to me when choosing a house. I would either want a lovely expensive one (and I would expect to pay for that in the asking price) or I would want one that I know needs totally redoing, but is livable and clean in the short term and that everything in it works (and again I would expect that to be reflected in the asking price - that it is lower as the kitchen needs redoing)

i agree with grendelsmum - we wanted a kitchen in good nick that we could live with for a few years but then could redesign to our exact spec, rather than a gorgeous new designer one which cost a fortune but was not too our taste - as then we'd feel terrible about the waste of ripping it out. This is our house for life though so we want a perfect kitchen eventually - when we were buying a starter place for just a few years, it being pretty new was more important.

so having said that, the things we were looking for were

1. clean - i.e. no manky grouting or ground in dirt

2. in reasonable nick - doors not hanging off or broken, paint not obviously splattered with grease or food

3. don't bother adding appliances, although knowing there is plumbing for dishwasher/washing machine is really helpful

4. declutter essential as then it looks there is plenty of room in cupboards for stuff

Thanks all,

Clean seems to be the consensus!

Regarding the dishwasher, we currently have one stood in the corner not plumbed in, because I put a washer/dryer in the slot. The washing machine was previously in the cellar but I got fed up with that. If I just got rid of the dishwasher would anyone be bothered that there wasn't one? It is a decent sized room so no question that someone re-doing the kitchen could have one.

Agree totally with Megonthemoon. Re: the dishwasher having the potential to put one in is the most important bit. When we are viewing a kitchen we are looking to see if there is plumbing for a washing machine/tumbledryer/dishwasher as unless they are integrated the sellers may well be taking the white goods with them when they go.

I think that MegOnTheMoon is right, and it perhaps depends on the size of the house - if someone is going to buy it for a long-term family house, they are perhaps more likely to want to re-do the kitchen, whereas someone living there for a few years is more likely to keep it as it is. I'd just let people know that they have the choice of either having a dishwasher or a washing machine in the kitchen.

if it were me, i might actually be tempted to move the washing machine back down to the cellar and spruce that up a bit to make that a laundry! they won't know that it became a bit tedious going up and down the steps - they'll just see it as space for a dishwasher ion the kitchen and then a whole separate launcdry elsewhere which I reckon could be a selling point

Megonthemoon,

That's exactly how we saw it when we moved in. Laundry out of the kitchen along with the noise of the machines. It's actually a pain going downstairs though, and its difficult moving the machines.

Yes, I think that a separate laundry would be a good idea. For a small family / family with no / older children (i.e. not doing two loads a day!), I don't think that a downstairs laundry is a huge pain - my parents had one, and it wasn't a problem that I can remember.

We've just bought a house and the kitchen, to be honest, is not to my taste. It's strong colours - red tiling, yellow walls etc. I did think more neutral colours would have helped them sell in an area where 'wow factor' kitchens (sorry, I loathe that phrase more than life itself, but you know what I mean) are everywhere. I also thought the filthy, broken-looking fridge and dirty cupboards were a BIG mistake.

But, despite that, I still kind of love the kitchen. Partly because it is flooded with light with views of the garden. Mainly because it was big enough to contain a big wooden table and every time I see that table I think, "This is a family kitchen". (Sounds silly but I've spent my life in small London flats and have never once had a table in the kitchen!)

So yes, give it a clean and a declutter, but beyond that just make it look warm and inviting.

Clean, no clutter, perhaps a lick of paint in a neutral colour?

I'd put the dishwasher back and the washing machine in the cellar. My washing machine is downstairs and it's not a problem at all. I quite like that I have a junk laundry room

Cat, spot on, I rather pay less and put my own choice of kitchen. Just clean, fix broken bits and give a quick coat of paint to walls. buy accessories you can take away.

How much would people budget for a kitchen then? Just a normal, standard not extravagant kitchen?

Ooh I'm just about to do my kitchen up, this is really useful!

Agree with others... I've just bought a house with a crappy kitchen. In a few years, I will do it up how I want it done. Until then, it is good enough. The most important thing to me was, is there space to store all my rubbish, and is there somewhere I can put a dishwasher. If the house was too small for a dishwasher it would make the house a definite no for me. Couldn't live without my dishwasher .

Other than that, I think a nice bathroom was more important to me, because I know that is the one room I never get around to doing, and I am totally fed up of having a grey / avocado bathroom!