Everyone has pretty much nailed this, if you remodel your kitchen with moderate taste then you could expect 80%+ return on investment.

It typically will take 9-24 weeks from design to order to install for a kitchen to be completed. That should be taken into account if you are planning on selling soon. And, several people already mentioned about pricing yourself out of a market.

New Kitchen Trends:
Storage, having a pre-design notion of where things should go. (ie: pots & pans in cooling area, knife block in prep area)
Maple & Cherry are still the most popular wood choices, and maple will have even more painted finish options.
Granite, is now a most have for everyone. With the economic downturn the cost of granite has fallen, and buyers are almost expecting homes to have slab granite now days.

If your going to put money into your home, Kitchens and Bathrooms traditionally, garner the best return for your money. Each market is different but typically the return can be 90% or higher for an updated Kitchen. Best of luck!

It depends on when you are planning to sell.. If you are looking to sell now, well, price the house less then the value of the new kitchen and sell the house.

If you plan on living there for a few years, put the new kitchen in and enjoy it. When the time comes to sell, it will be done and I would expect you to recoupe most of your investment on the sale.

Big ticket items like Kitchens and Baths are prime selling points when listing your home for sale and getting it sold, less for the potential buyer to fuss about when making an offer.

In this market in most cases you get back what you put in. The biggest advanatage is with an increase in homes for sale, a buyer will choose a newly redone home over one that needs alot of updating. For true value it depends on the size of house and type of upgrades you put in. You wouldnt want to over do it on a starter home and then you wouldnt want to skimp on a luxury home.

J.

We feel it depends on the kitchen, the home, and the location of the home. A desirable home in a great location should bring you a higher return on the money spent.

A new kitchen will improve the saleability of the home.

Here's a true sinerio....a local couple had decided to sell their home in Florida. Feeling they would be able to ask a higher price for the home with some updates, invested $60,000 in renovations that included the kitchen, bathrooms, etc. When the home finally sold the sellers did not realize the sale price they wanted...but the biggest blow to them was the new buyer deciding to gut the home and redo it to their taste. was the $60,000 well spent?

Our point is that you may be further ahead by lowering your price and not doing the renovations......a question you can best respond to.

Good luck
The Eckler Team

The answer is: unless you’re getting specific negative feedback there is no way to know. Unless a potential buyer has hired a buyer’s agent, all realtors represent the seller. A problem is that many realtors do not behave that way. For reasons one can only speculate about, realtor to realtor communication is of little value today, if it occurs at all. Follow-up calls by a listing realtor elicit little actionable information.

Telling a seller that their kitchen is “dated” or “tired” does not help the seller know what to do.

The idea that you can use comps to assess your property’s value is “dated” and “tired.” Comparable house values work best in an active market with similar housing. If there is little turnover in your neighborhood then comps are of little value.

But to your question, find the open houses for properties that you think match your price or are a little more expensive. Bring a camera and take pictures of their kitchens; take lots of pictures. Sit down with your friends and review them for things that you all agree are worth adopting.

Lastly, beware of making your kitchen such a focus of change that buyers will view it as lipstick, a change made just to help sell the house. If the new kitchen is inconsistent with the rest of your house it will be money wasted. A buyer who sees all new appliances in the kitchen may think that you may not have maintained any of the other parts of the house that aren’t as visible.

Mr. Lauver - the true value of a Kitchen (or any home for that matter) is what the buyer is willing to pay for it. One thing is for sure- if your kitchen is outdated, the buyer will take that into account NO MATTER what price it is listed for, and deduct what he/she wants to spend for a new kitchen. It is this REALTOR®'s opinion that if your kitchen is in bad shape, spend the money (if you have it) to at least update flooring, appliances, and countertops - remove ALL WALLPAPER. Many times cabinets can be refaced or passable. With these upgrades, a "new kitchen" can be advertised and may justify the asking price. You will know soon enough with the feedback that comes in from the buyers. Listen to that feedback very carefully, and don't take offense- it's simply the buyers' way of saying how well the home is priced. Please let me know if I can help you with any of your other real estate questions.

Good Luck!
Lynn Dachisen, REALTOR® Sales Associate, ABR, SRES, CRS member, CLHMS
Keller Williams Mid-Town Direct Realty
dachisen@optonline.net

Hi J.

I'm a Realtor and a home stager. Kitchens typically bring the most return on investment when considering a remodel, you'll hear different figures anywhere from 80% to a dollar for dollar value but you need to be sure your market will support that investment. There are many factors that go into a sale and I agree with Paul that you have to look at the sold comps in the area to see how much value you can really get for improvments. For example, If your home is already the largest four bedroom in your town adding a new kitchen may not help you sell for more money, as you will already be priced at the top of your market. However, if there is room to improve, then a Realtor can help you determine how much room you have to build equity in the current market by doing a comparitive market analysis. Feel free to contact me with any additional questions about improving your home for a sale.

Best wishes,
Darlene White, Realtor & Accredited Staging Professional http://www.crystalspringsbuilders.com http://www.simplicityhomestaging.com

It depends on the condition and how modern the old one was. If you are replacing a good kitchen because you didn't like the color of the old one it might add negative value if your taste sucks.

On the other hand, if your old kitchen was "dated", and you tastefully upgrade you will likely see a positive return.
No one will know without seeing your house and knowing something about comparable sales for your area.
Of course if you put a $40,000 kitchen in a house worth $180,000 your are doing it for your own benefit - not the return.

Paul Howard

Itdepends a lot on the kitchen and the value of the house. Kitchens are very good investments and usually get somewhere from 80% to 90% of their value back. Tha means if you put $30k into the kitchen it will get you $24k to $27 k worth of added value. Of course if you put more you will get more. Hope this is helpful.

David M Sweeney
Broker of Record
Keller Wiliams Cornerstone Realty
908-963-0428 Cell (best #)
866-771-2300
david@dmsweeney.com
http://www.dmsweeney.com