Your kitchen’s pantry deserves a day all to itself. And knowing real estate in Acworth GA, even a big kitchen needs an organized pantry to impress potential buyers. We want your pantry to look huge and, yes, inviting. If your house is all about making small spaces work, get creative with your pantry.
Some houses have big walk-in pantries, while others have a single door linen closet size pantry. Still other houses have a bank of cupboards that are used for food storage. You may even split your pantry between food items and other necessary kitchenware, even brooms and mops. Whatever your kitchen offers, the buyer wants to see the potential. You have two objectives here, so you really need to dig in up to your elbows with this task. Get ready for a full day.
Your Assignment
If you have more than one kitchen pantry, just pick one to start with. Get out your sturdy boxes, bins, and your garbage can. Open your pantry and start by taking everything off the shelves. Do this methodically, taking one item off the shelf, decide if it’s edible, then either put it in a box to keep or throw it out. In this process you may run into food items that you will never eat, but that are perfectly fine. Label one box for charity and put those items in there.
Once you have sorted your food items into boxes, fill a bucket with clean water and gentle soap. Wipe down all the shelves, walls, and the doors. Now, with a dry or slightly damp clean cloth, pick each item you are keeping out of the box, wipe it off, and set it in the pantry. But, keep in mind your end result.
Imagine you are creating a display at the local supermarket. Group like items together and leave space between the groups. Line up all the cans so that the labels face the same way. If you have some attractive containers, fill those with your pasta rather than having half filled bags with twist ties. Smaller items should be grouped in nice baskets or decorative containers. And make sure there are absolutely no food items on the floor. That immediately tells your potential buyer that you don’t have enough room on the shelves. Don’t let your pantry spill over into your kitchen anywhere.
Remember, you are trying to make your pantry look roomy. It should appear there is plenty of room to fill when a new owner moves in. Putting everything in neat rows, consolidating small items, and having everything shiny clean will help give the buyer a ‘fresh’ look at your kitchen’s pantry.
If you have an area in your kitchen that you store cleaning or paper items in, be sure to separate that from the food. Think about investing in a hanging system for the broom and mop, and storage systems for paper products like aluminum foil, plastic wrap, spare plastic bags, or other necessities.
And don’t forget those appliances that you won’t be using any time soon. Get that pasta maker, ice cream machine, and bread maker out of the pantry and into a box to be stored. Remember, if your pantry looks crowded, it tells the buyer there isn’t enough room! You want your pantry to have lots and lots of air space.
Your pantry can be pretty, too. If you have a walk-in pantry, for instance, think about hanging artwork on the back wall. Your pantry shelves can be pretty, too. Purchase five or six bottles of sparkling water. Buy some pretty oils and vinegars (but only if you would actually use them.) Think of your pantry as a little jewel box to show off your delicious food. You want your pantry to be remembered; not just for how clean it is, but for something intangible, perhaps. You want a buyer to walk into every other house thinking, “This is okay, but that one pantry we saw was so cute and so roomy.” That’s your pantry they’ll be talking about, but only if you do the work.
Your kitchen’s appearance starts from the inside out. The things a buyer will remember about your kitchen begins with a feeling – a feeling of space and quality. If your pantry stands out in these ways, that potential buyer will be haunted by it, and that’s what you want.
This was a big task, I know. But, as you see the house shape up, you’ll gain momentum each day.
Next Steps
This article is one day of our 30 Days to Staging Your Home For Sale book, which we offer to our listing clients. If you are ready to list your house for sale, we would be happy to help.