Fitting New kitchen before selling?

toddler9

Hi all , just after general opinion please. We are planning on putting our house on the market in the next month or so.
Today we had an agent come and value the house. I explained we were planning on putting a new kitchen in before we put it on the market. The kitchen at the moment is the original 70s one. Although it is white it is clearly very dated. The room itself is presentable as we replaced the flooring and tiles and painted to freshen it up before we planned to rip the whole thing out (couldn't afford to do it at the beginning)

We bought the house 16 months ago as a project and have done everything else new bathroom, boiler, driveway, plastering, roof, gutters etc etc

The agent thinks we should leave the kitchen as is and just get on the market. He says that there are very few comparable s on the market at the moment, so little competition. The house is in a desirable location very close to an outstanding primary school. Also that the buyer would want to put their own stamp on it anyway and probably do an extension (the vast majority of neighbours have a kitchen diner extension) so it's wasting money. I am not sure. Either you are looking for a whole house project or not? Do you want a house where everything is done except the kitchen?
He thinks we can achieve a good value (more than we thought) as is.
Opinions gratefully received thank you

Pixie5740

I don't think you'll see your money back if you install a new kitchen. A newer kitchen might make the property easier to sell but as there doesn't seem to much competition that probably won't be an issue for you if there aren't many similar properties already for sale in what sounds like a desirable area.

sparky130a

Don't do it. You'll get no value back.

As a former catering monkey i like things where i want them. Not someone else's concept of where things should be.

Maybe spruce up but that'd be it.

lincroft1710

Put in a new kitchen and 50% of your viewers will be thinking - "I don't like that, I prefer....."

As your agent, Pixie and Sparky have said - don't waste your time and money.

moneyistooshorttomention

As a friend of mine put it - "People use kitchens in different ways".

There is a whole spectrum of kitchen users - that goes all the way through from someone that stores ready meals in the freezer and then puts them straight in a microwave. Then there are the ones that do an element of "proper cooking". Then you go onto people like myself - ie that are thinking along the lines of doing everything from scratch - and yep....we mean = bake own bread/make own pasta/etc.

Each of these 3 types of user will have their own ideas about how a kitchen should be.

Then you add in different peoples tastes.

Then you add in that people will go all the way along the spectrum from "blow it/bodge it merchants" to "fairly standard will do" to perfectionists like myself.

You can see that there would be a world of difference between someone who is a bodger living on ready meals and myself with my "cook from scratch" and perfectionism.

In other words - do NOT replace that kitchen.

hazyjo

Agree - DON'T replace.


I have pulled out a couple of new-ish but crap/basic kitchens. They never have enough cupboard space, and the layout is always rubbish.


Consider changing the doors if reasonable enough, or painting them.


Here's a pic of some painted cupboards https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/5d/44/a4/5d44a4ca92add64a85559a7070363941.jpg




https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/de/5e/09/de5e09325c13f04197d098dc54700c6b.jpg


I'd prob paint them. Are they wood? Or coloured with the strip along the bottom of the cupboard doors? My mum had some in a sort of yellow/mustard colour. Not sure what they were thinking lol I suppose it was the '70s.


Jx

toddler9

Thanks everyone!
The cupboards can't be updated in any way. They are very small and white plasticky kind of material with metal running along the top as handles. WorkTop Is like a fake plastic wood!
Appliances are freestanding white things. Overall not appealing haha.
My worry is that buyers won't have the cash for a deposit and a new kitchen? I think if it's a total renovation house it's different. I don't know I'm so torn!

DaftyDuck

It sounds like you might (might, mind) have that rarity; a good estate agent. He's almost certainly right that it's not worth replacing the kitchen, as you will never see a return on the investment in the circumstances you describe. If you do want to tart it up, spend on some fine saucepans, smart kettle and toaster, and clean what's there within an inch of its life.

It might be worth doing if it really is a premium house; 30% "better" than the others on the market, unique, etc. But, that's rare.

PasturesNew

Everybody likes different kitchens.... and most people will despise buying "your dream" as they can't rip it out as that's a waste of money... but they'll hate that it's not THEIR kitchen. They'll feel they spent a lot of money buying something they don't like, but are stuck with it.

hazyjo

I've actually not viewed houses because they have new kitchens in which I hate! I don't mind pulling a cheap one out (niggles the hell out of me - wasted money), but I did see one recently all black and glossy and huge - into the conservatory too. And bathrooms are another thing - some are hideous or badly/cheaply laid out!


So long as you have a functioning kitchen, it's fine. You can paint most things these days so don't let that put you off. If you mean laminate worktops, these are fine/common. I actually prefer them to wood/granite (have had both - hated them). I love being able to get a wet wipe and make it all clean quickly! I chose laminate (like a fake wood!) in my current kitchen Or perhaps it's more like a stick on sort of surface on yours? You could just change that, although it ain't cheap.


Jx

moneyistooshorttomention

My EA (ie when I sold last house) told me not to bother replacing the kitchen.

Add that I have only ever come across one kitchen that I "might" not rip out and replace in all the kitchens I've seen over the years in peoples houses in any context. That kitchen is a handmade from scratch solid wood kitchen in a "not cheap" house that had the kitchen put in some decades ago and it still looks good.

One kitchen - out of gawdknowshowmany kitchens I've seen in friends houses/when viewing/etc.

That makes the odds your buyer will rip the kitchen out very high indeed.

Personally - I'm not too bothered about ripping out a grossly inefficient/tatty old/probably much of it dating back to the 1970s kitchen in current house. I would, however, be rather upset at having paid that bit extra for a house because it had a 21st century/reasonably planned kitchen in it - and then having to rip it out....