Selling Your Home - Don't Try These Kitchen Trends

Kitchen renovations are expensive, so plan your upgrades carefully.

Kitchen upgrades give homeowners one of the best returns on investment, but some ideas are better left on Pinterest. You want your house to look its best when you're ready to list it for sale. And sometimes that means upgrading systems and give a few areas a makeover. Just be sure that your upgrades have more universal appeal. That way, you'll pique more interest instead of turning off a portion of your target market.

Here are some upgrades that might be great if you planned to live in your home long term. But they're a bit too trendy for a broader buyer appeal.

The Reclaimed Wood Craze

Reclaimed wood can be a smart design element. It's eco-sound in many cases, since it reuses an existing material. And because a lot of reclaimed wood has a long prior life, it probably has a lot of character. But if you're thinking about an upgrade to include reclaimed wood, it's probably not the best choice.

Although it's used, reclaimed wood is rarely cheap. More often it's expensive, and you might not get your money back on the sale. And if you use it throughout your kitchen, you'll set a theme that every buyer might not like.

Reclaimed wood works in small doses. If you're committed to using it, Realtor.com® recommends sticking to table and counter tops or other horizontal surfaces.

To a certain segment of buyers, this is a fabulous kitchen. To others, it's too edgy.

Overly Industrial Kitchens

Stainless steel is still a popular material that appeals to a fairly wide range of buyers. But industrial kitchens with stainless throughout are beginning to look a bit dated. They can also look cold.

Industrial is on its way out, designer Jeanne Rapone tells Realtor.com®. Like any other fad, it will be passé before too long. And that's an expensive commitment to have made.

One place where industrial works is in an urban loft. But even then, easy does it.

Open Kitchen Shelving

Open shelving can look great. You can have it in slim, sleek materials or thick and hefty wood beams, and right now it still looks interesting. But switching from cabinets to shelves is a bad idea that could cost you.

Further, removing cabinet doors in an effort to get the shelving look can come off as cheap. If you have cabinets, keep them.

Open shelving can look beautiful, says Rapone, but only if it's done using high quality, beautiful materials. And for what that costs, you could reface your cabinets or install new ones that more people will appreciate.

You want to make every effort to improve your home before a sale, so it's important to put the focus on where it does the most good. Step back and analyze what you like. Does it look more like a trend, or a classic interior? If it's new and different, it's a trend. If it's lovely, even though it might be a little bit bland, it's probably classic. Forbes says that distinction can make all the difference in resale value.

Save trendy ideas for items that the new owner can replace easily and inexpensively if he wants to. A light fixture can add a modern look, and it doesn't cost thousands. A kitchen full of copper and other expensive metals, on the other hand, might be too much for a buyer to swallow.

Selling your home can be a confusing endeavor. And while house flipping television shows make it look easy, the truth is that it can often be a challenge. Most of the design decisions on TV are made by professionals who know the market and the directions that interior design is likely to go in the future.

If you're interested in selling your home, you'll first want to know what it's worth. At eppraisal, we can provide you with a free property valuation in a few short steps. With that information in hand, the next step is partnering with a real estate professional. Although you can sell your home on your own, it's always smart to work with a pro. They know the industry and understand what's needed to make your house as appealing as it can be.