7 Things potential buyers don't want to see in your kitchen

Kitchens and bathrooms can be the big dealbreakers for a house purchase. So if you’re selling up, check out this guide to what puts buyers off, and see if there are any changes you can make to your kitchen to get the offers flowing in. Hit the ‘Save’ button above to bookmark this handy guide for future reference.

Messy worktops

Space is what most people want in a kitchen, and the quickest way to make your room look bigger is to clear the worktops. Leave a few essential items on display, then put everything else away in a cupboard, or even in a box in another room. Make sure there’s no washing-up piled on the drainer, either. 

If you’ve got the time, have a proper clear-out to see what you can get rid of, so that when the buyers bite and you sell up and move house, you won’t be tempted to cart any unnecessary kitchen clutter with you.

Poor lighting

If your kitchen can feel a bit gloomy, do all you can to brighten it up. Replace any spotlight bulbs that have given up, both in the ceiling and under cupboards, then clean the windows and take down any light-blocking blinds – it’s amazing how much difference it can make. For a final touch, give the walls a fresh coat of white paint.

Chaotic drawers

Potential buyers may not be able to resist opening the kitchen drawers to have a nose, so get ahead of the game and have a clear-out first. A lack of kitchen storage would be a big no-no for lots of buyers, so try to make sure your drawers aren’t bursting at the seams when they have a peek inside.

Smelly bin

It’s pretty obvious, but you want buyers to be bowled over, not to keel over from the whiff of a stinky bin, so remember to empty it and give it a clean, too. In fact, if yours is looking less than lovely, it may be worth investing in a new, streamlined model that can cope with all your rubbish and recycling needs and will help to give your kitchen that all-important tidy feel.

Overflowing shelves

Open shelves add warmth and personality to a kitchen, but potential buyers probably don’t want to (literally) see what you’ve had for breakfast, so tidy away unsightly food packets and boxes and streamline what’s on display, giving your nicest bits and bobs pride of place. 

Not only will it make the space look bigger, it’ll help to give off that aspirational lifestyle feel that all the property programmes tell us buyers love.

Bold colours

A brightly coloured kitchen is not everyone’s cup of tea, so if you’re worried it might be putting off the punters, think about toning it down with a neutral paint job. Specialist paint is available for kitchen units, or if you don’t want to commit to that, paint the walls a neutral colour instead, and limit the number of brightly coloured accessories on display.

Fancy splashback

The key to selling your home is to make potential buyers imagine themselves living in it. Pattern and colour can be very polarising, so, boring as it may seem, to appeal to the maximum number of people, it can pay to play it safe. 

A neutral splashback has broad appeal, so consider changing (or painting over) yours if it’s highly patterned. Then save your creativity for someone who really appreciates it – you in your new home!