Expert: Jessica Bryan - 4/19/2009

Question
QUESTION: I am planning on selling my house in the next year. Should I update my white appliances to stainless steel in order to get the most out of my house? I currently need to replace the dishwasher and fridge. Should I redo all appliances with stainless steel?

ANSWER: Dear Michelle;
I think that the answer to your question depends upon the price point of your home and the condition of the home.  If there are lots of other things that 'date' the house and if your appliances don't look too bad, then I would spend the money on a general clean up, neutralizing and staging.  However, if the rest of your home is already in good shape then it is a good idea to get new appliances in the kitchen.  However, if you  don't replace everything and have them all match it is not going to be a valuable to you nor will it get you as much money in the sale.

Homes that are listed at lower prices do not need to have stainless appliances but once you get into higher price ranges people expect to see modern appliances and kitchens that boast all of the newest things.  If you have any question, then you should take some time to visit your 'competition' either in person or online to see what their kitchens look like.  Make sure that you have the competitive edge over comparable homes in your neighborhood.

Jessica Bryan

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: After I am done replacing bathroom light fixtures and all knobs on all cupboards my home will look great. HOWEVER I have white corian countertops, and cannot afford granite. With that in mind, should I do stainless steel to give the kitchen the "wow" factor since my counters are so neutral? I would certainly replace ALL appliances using the same brand. It would be about $3500. Thanks for your quick response to my previous question. Yes, in the neighborhood there are homes that have ss appliances and some that have white. It just depends. My home is worth $260,000.

Answer
Dear Michelle;
Be prepared to spend the money and not get your investment back.  You will not be able to price the home higher just because there are new appliances in stainless.  The benefit will be that your home will look better with the new appliances and be more desirable thus selling faster than a home without those features.  In this market that can make a huge difference whether your home sells at all!  I don't know what your market is like where you live so the best advice I can offer is what I said in my previous remarks: make sure that you lead the competition and look better at the same or a lower price!

One more thing: white Corian is quite dated these days so you will really need to add some decorator touches in the kitchen to make it look new and fresh.  Study some of the decorator kitchens in magazines and copy what they do.  Have flowers, fruit or cookbooks, canisters or other typically decorator features strategically placed.  You might want to consider paying to have the kitchen (if not the entire home) 'staged' so that it really shows well.

~Jessica Bryan