Saturday, February 13, 2010
by Carol Best | Luxury Real Estate and Homes in IL
National Association of Home Builders-NAHB Las Vegas, NV - February 10, 2010
KEY MESSAGE @ THE SHOW WAS: If you want someome to buy your house, sell them the kitchen! This message was repeated time and again at the International Builders Show that featured hundreds of seminars on all aspects of housing, including how to deck out your kitchen for maximum resale value.
KITCHEN DESIGN TRENDS TRANSLATE TO DOLLAR SIGNS!
1) Color, pattern, finishes. Blue is the new "green" for 2010 soft blues to a consumer relate to clean water, clean air, clean earth. Blue is calming and in this down economy, we all want to be calm. Younger consumers like gray with a touch of pumpkin-orange as an accent color. Wallpaper is coming back in large-color prints but just on an accent wall [not all four walls]. Cabinet choices have turned from a maple phase to painted white.
2) Homes are getting smaller & kitchens are getting better. The newly built singlel-family home shrank in 2009. Downsizing continues and buyer priorities are: price, energy, and organization. High on the list is kitchen space where the entire family can dine. They want table space vs. chairs at a counter.
Walk-in pantries, a family foyer at the BACK of the house by the garage, with space for backpacks, coats, boots and maybe a desk for crafts or homework. Do this and you'll hit a home run!
3) Common Cents - watch your costs! Green buyers value energy-efficient appliances, insulation and smaller windows.
4) Multiple cooks & different generations. Grandparents helping in the kitchen and the little ones want to learn too - be sure there is adequate lighting. Consider countertops, shelves, appliances at various heights. If a grandparent is in a wheel chair, they can't reach the microwave over the stove.
5) Granite counters become a personal choice, but consider soapstone or a quartz composite if you don't want to look like the rest.
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