Staging tips for your Katy, TX home’s kitchen

If you are in the process of preparing your Katy, TX home for a sale this summer, you’ve most likely heard the term staging, and you’ve learned what a huge difference it can make in catching the attention of potential buyers! Staging is the process of prepping your home for buyers in a way that makes them want to buy it. As a Katy real estate agent, I am here to offer you my professional advice!

Let’s talk about the kitchen, as this is one of the most popular rooms in the house, and one that buyers pay close attention to. Even if your Katy home doesn’t have a gourmet, glamorous kitchen, you could still make it look appealing to buyers with the right staging.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Clear clutter. This is true for all of the rooms in your house, and it’s definitely true for the kitchen! The typical homeowner stores numerous items on the counter, such as a coffee maker, blender, knife block, bowl of fruit, toaster oven, etc. Remove everything from your counters, the top of your refrigerator and cabinets, and on your refrigerator and table, and only leave one or two appliances and a pop of color, such as an aesthetic bowl of bright green apples or lemons.

• Deep clean. This is true for every room of your house too, but kitchens tend to need extra attention! Don’t just wipe down the counters, scrub every last inch of your kitchen! Clean the grout, faucet, drain, inside the cabinets, inside the oven, everything, until the kitchen looks as spotless as possible. Grease can be tricky to remove, so invest in some heavy-duty cleaners if need be, or research some natural DIY cleaners that are known to work.

• Update lighting. Lighting your kitchen properly can make all the difference on how it appears to buyers! Let as much natural light in as you can, which not only puts your kitchen in a great light, but also shows off your windows, sliding doors and views. If you don’t have under-cabinet lighting, you can add some battery-powered lights for very little money. Update the fixtures over your table or cooking area for a modern look.

• Organize inside. When selling your Katy home, buyers look everywhere. This means that you should even consider staging inside your cabinets, pantry, refrigerator and freezer. As crazy as that may sound, buyers are trying to imagine their own lives there. If they see clutter inside these areas, they might determine that there isn’t enough storage space in your kitchen. Show off your space!

• Set the scene. Once your kitchen is looking spotless, clean and organized, you can set the scene with that bowl of apples or lemons we mentioned earlier. You could also set the table with colorful plates and napkins, or set a visually appealing vase of flowers on the table. Add plants to a windowsill. If you’re really feeling festive, fill the room with the aroma of baked cookies or citrus.

For more kitchen staging tips, check out this Realtor.com article or contact me! As a Katy real estate agent, I would love to answer your questions and help guide you through the entire home-selling process in the Katy real estate market this summer.

Mickie Cioccia
Mickie C and Company Realty
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Yesterday, residents all over the Katy, TX area set their clocks back one hour and enjoyed an extra hour of sleep and a little bit more time to enjoy their weekends. As I was surfing the web last week, I came across this interesting article about the history of Daylight Savings Time and the benefits and pitfalls of implementing it.

Part of the reason that the time change is considered optional in the United States is that so many remain divided about the true benefits of “spring forward” and “fall back.” As a Katy, TX real estate agent, I remind my clients and community about the time changes every year, so it was interesting for me to learn some more about the background of this tradition AND the issues surrounding it.

Apparently, the concept of Daylight Savings Time was created by none other than Mr. “Early to Bed, Early to Rise” himself, Benjamin Franklin. He noticed that there were many days he’d sleep longer when the mornings were darker, and he’d find himself being less productive throughout the day. It wasn’t until World War I, however, that the benefits of daylight savings time were truly realized by the majority of the public, and in 1918, the United States put the system into effect for the states who wanted to use it. The idea was that not only would people make better use of daylight, but that they’d also save on energy use and resources.

The same general principles are used to argue in favor of Daylight Savings Time. In an October 2008 Daylight Savings Time report to Congress, the Department of Energy maintained that “springing forward” and “falling back” DOES, in fact, save energy. In the springtime, people are more inclined to be outside enjoying the nice weather and prolonged daylight in the evenings, and they also use less energy during standard time when it’s lighter in the morning. The tendency of many to be active outside in the springtime is another argument in favor of Daylight Savings, as people spend more time doing activities outdoors to take advantage of the longer days.

There are also those who argue that there are no real benefits to Daylight Savings Time. They believe that it really only messes people up on the day that the time changes, and that people don’t, in fact, save energy because they simply use more energy at night instead of early in the morning, so it’s a wash. The “health benefits” argument is also frequently questioned, as there are assertions that this throws people’s sleep patterns off and disrupts their biological rhythms.

While there are arguments both for and against Daylight Savings Time, the fact is that it has arrived, and I’m sure many of you enjoyed the extra hour this weekend. If you have any questions about buying or selling a home in the Katy, TX area, don’t hesitate to contact me! I’d be happy to help you in any way that I can. It’s my pleasure to put my years in the Katy, TX real estate market to work for you. I hope to hear from you soon!

Mickie Cioccia
Mickie C and Company Realty
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See Katy and Houston, TX Homes for Sale 
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