Selling your home? Make sure you update the kitchen

Published on: 29/07/2010Updating the kitchen could be one way of increasing the saleability of a property.

This is according to Emma Riley Sutton of Helium Home & Garden, who recommends investing new kitchen worktops and appliances to make the house more attractive to potential buyers.

"Add those updates to your home that buyers want and need," she says, adding: "Bring your counters into this century with granite, slate or tile."

The kitchen should also be thoroughly decluttered and feature "soft, neutral wall colours", she comments.

A recent study by Halifax found that British homeowners are spending more on new kitchens than they were last year.

On average, consumers spend £6,609 on implementing a new kitchen design, up from £6,300 in 2009, according to the bank.

Another survey carried out by LV= early this year indicated that estate agents believe updating the kitchen can add 2.5 per cent to the value of a property.