By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR(R) Magazine
Photo Credit: HomeThangs.com
Kitchens are a popular spot that home shoppers judge in a home. So what are the trends in the kitchen for 2013? HomeThangs.com, a home improvement superstore, offers up some of the following kitchen design predictions for the New Year:
1. Modern style: Kitchens are getting more modern in style, boasting simplified lines and offering up big, open spaces perfect for entertaining.
2. Tucked-away appliances: Appliances designed to blend in with the rest of the kitchen, like with the same wood of the cabinets, are becoming more popular. Also, some appliances, like undercounter or mini refrigerators or trash compactors, are being tucked away into a kitchen island.
3. Lots of lights: Great lighting in the kitchen is becoming more important, with lighting being layered with a mixture of task lighting and ambient lighting. Under-cabinet LED lights are becoming more commonplace.
4. Supersized kitchen islands: “2013 kitchen design trends are moving away from dining rooms and toward eating, drinking, and interacting in the kitchen itself, and a large kitchen island complete with bar stools is the perfect way to make this happen,” according to HomeThangs.com. this helps to create “a nice open-air feeling – especially if one can be used to bridge kitchen and living areas, another major 2013 kitchen design trend.” Continue reading »
By Stephen Jones, DIYTools.co.uk
People generally love a beautiful new kitchen. With state of the art appliances, they feel as though they are master chefs in the comfort of their own homes. However, many people also remodel their kitchens to improve the resale value of their homes. Perhaps they plan to sell in the near future, or they just want to be prepared for down the road. In any case, be sure to follow these do’s and don’ts of kitchen remodeling.
Don’t Go Crazy with the Refinance!
One idea home owners might have is to refinance their home with a cash-out option and then use that money to rebuild the kitchen. However, this might wind up just letting them break even. Continue reading »
Kitchens are blending more into the rest of home interiors. A recent blog post from Home Design Find highlights some of the recent trends popping up in more kitchens this year:
1. Unmatched cabinets: Cabinet colors and materials are being mixed, such as darker colors for the base cabinets and lighter colors being used for upper cabinets to “provide a sense of openness,” according to the blog.
2. Downsized kitchen islands: While bigger used to be better with kitchen islands, more home owners are finding they can make do with a smaller kitchen island that doesn’t take up as much space.
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
A “minor” kitchen remodel will cost home owners, on average, $21,695, according to the Cost vs. Value survey, an annual report by Remodeling magazine, in cooperation with REALTOR® Magazine, that reveals the top remodeling projects offering the highest returns at resale. Home owners stand to recoup about 72 percent (or $15,790) of that investment from a kitchen remodel when it’s time to sell too.
So the kitchen can offer some big payback at times of resale, but for the average home owner, $21,000 nowadays may be too much for their budget. So what should you do when a dated kitchen is still in desperate need of some TLC? Continue reading »
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Remodeling a kitchen, bathroom, or other room to increase a home’s value can be a good idea, but home owners need to be careful when undergoing a remodeling task to ensure they don’t fall for some of the common traps. CNNMoney.com recently highlighted a few such common mistakes:
1. Being too trendy. The home will look out-of-date a lot faster if you just reach for today’s trends, according to design experts. As such, you might want to bypass such trends as glass tiles, wire-hung track lighting, and vessel sinks, says Curt Schultz, a real estate professional and architect in Pasadena, Calif. Instead, opt for classic choices that compliment the home’s original style, he says.
2. Going overboard in the kitchen. Kitchens can help sell houses but that doesn’t give you a green-light to spend big bucks in giving it a total redo. You still want to be practical, or you likely won’t recoup the cost of all your upgrades when selling. The kitchen usually makes up 5 percent to 15 percent of a home’s value so limit your kitchen remodeling budget to that range, says John Bredemeyer with the Appraisal Institute. And don’t gut the kitchen if it’s already in good shape, he adds.
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
A new study reveals that the kitchen is the “germiest” place in a home–not the bathroom, as most people would assume. That’s right, the place where you are cooking and eating food is where levels of coliform bacteria (a bacteria that includes Salmonella and E.coli) and Staph bacteria is the most prevalent, even more so than items in a bathroom.
A study by NSF International, a public health and safety organization, uncovers the top 10 germ hot-spots and dangers in a home based on a swab analysis of 30 everyday household items in 22 different homes.
You might want to take a double-look at that kitchen sponge you use to clean dishes and countertops. That actually was the leading culprit of germs in the kitchen.
“Sponges pick up bacteria during the cleaning process and are typically not properly–or regularly–sanitized before their next use,” says Rob Donofrio, director of Microbiology at NSF International and lead researcher for the study. “Additionally, sponges are often wet and left in damp areas in or near the sink, providing optimal conditions for germ growth. They also have many nooks and crannies which can be great places for germs to multiply.”
The second overall germiest place in a home is …. the bathroom, particularly the toothbrush holder. Why the toothbrush holder and, say, not the toilet?
“The high bacteria levels on and in the toothbrush holder are likely attributed to two causes. First, toothbrush holders are typically situated near the toilet, especially in smaller bathrooms. Flushing of the toilet causes aerosols, containing fecal bacteria, to land on items near the toilet, thereby potentially contaminating the holder,” Donofrio says. “Additionally, toothbrush holders often are neglected in the cleaning process, providing an ideal breeding ground for germs. Toothbrush holders should be regularly cleaned in the dishwasher.”
Top 10 Germiest Places in a Home
The following are the germiest items in the house, ranked from highest to lowest in germ count:
By Melissa Dittmann Tracey, REALTOR® Magazine
Kitchens are going dark, LED lighting is gaining steam, and trash is getting more attention–all are trends in kitchen designs this year, according to the National Kitchen & Bath Association, which surveyed 100 designers at the end of 2010 to reveal the hottest kitchen trends. (Last week, we highlighted NKBA’s 4 Bathroom Trends to Watch.)
The following is a list of what’s cooking in kitchen trends for 2011, based on NKBA survey results of which kitchen designs are increasing in demand and which are losing favor.
Maple kitchen; Photo credit: Courtesy of KraftMaid Cabinetry
1. Cabinetry
Gaining steam: Maple cabinetry
Losing steam: Cherry cabinetry (Cherry dominated kitchens in early 2010 but was overtaken by maple cabinetry this year)
Kitchen cabinets in Sonoma Maple, Midnight with Bristol Maple, Pebble; Photo credit: Wellborn Cabinet Inc.
2. Kitchen finishes
Gaining steam: Dark natural finishes; light natural and colored painted finishes also remained fairly common, inching up slightly in use.
Losing steam: Medium natural, glazed, and white painted finishes are on the decline and the use of distressed finishes has dropped significantly in the last year.
Photo credit: Miro Dvorscak
3. Color
Gaining steam: Grays, beiges, and bones
Losing steam: Brown tones, whites, and off-whites
Tailor your next blog post to sellers looking for a new wall oven in time for their Super Bowl blowout. Post the free article “Appliance Guide: Wall Ovens” from the REALTOR® Content Resource to your blog so sellers can update their kitchen and churn out warm, gooey pizza at their Super Bowl bash.
That’s not the only free-ready-to-go article at the REALTOR® Content Resource that you can post on Facebook or Twitter, add to your blog or e-newsletter, or print as a handout. Check out the other three articles in the “The Super Bowl-Ready Home” theme, or just do an easy search of the REALTOR® Content Resource by keyword or topic.
By Erica Christoffer, REALTOR® Magazine
Households across the country are moving toward a more casual dining experience.
While ease is a virtue, buyers also want technology-equipped, stylish spaces where their family members can come together.
For all these reasons, dining rooms have lost their appeal. Simply, they’re not flexible enough.
“Dining rooms are definitely on the way out,” said Danielian Associates’ design coordinator Joe Digrado at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando Friday. “Ask your buyer if they really need one. In some markets they do. But many prefer an open, flexible space that will serve various functions.”
Open kitchens facing multi-use dining and social areas with a great room or living room are taking over the traditional dining room. Eat-in kitchens or seating areas at the island also popular with trends supporting a more informal lifestyle.
And when it comes to the kitchen, it’s all about function, function, function. If it doesn’t allow for ease of cooking, then you’re going to lose people, said Digrado. Cooking stations allowing for multiple chefs in the kitchen are becoming more common; as are work areas for laptops and homework, charging station for mobile devices, and casual seating for hanging out. Continue reading »
By Erica Christoffer, REALTOR® Magazine
Accessible design is more than just grab bars; it’s about catering to easier living.
Karen Kassik, residential designer, remodeling design specialist, and president and owner of Home Accessibilities, says that accessible is better for every buyer, from young families to aging-in-place empty-nesters.
“Ninety percent of us have a personal story – either we or someone in our family could benefit from universal design features,” she said during her presentation at the International Builders’ Show in Orlando this week.
Universal design features from the 2011 NextGen Flex Home on display at the the International Builders' Show in Orlando.
It’s all about how your clients live. Wider doorways are more convenient for parents with children in strollers. It’s easier to wash the dog in a roll-in shower. Kitchen counters at a slightly lower height are easier to work at. Accessible outdoor areas without steps to a backyard or porch mean anyone can come over for the next barbeque (plus, less potential for tripping). These features can all be profound selling tools, Kassik said.
A recent study released by MetLife found that the 55+ population increased to 25 percent in 2010. When this group of people considers their next home, they’re going to want something that will sustain their needs for the long-term.
“It’s become about the flexibility of design, knowing people are going to be in these spaces for longer,” said Martin van Koolbergen of Kaplan Gehring McCarroll Architectural Lighting, Inc. Continue reading »
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