Kitchens are still a selling point
The kitchens are still important to a buyer. However, data is showing that major kitchen remodels in St. Louis MO in 2010-2011 have a return just a little over 70% in midrange properties and over 76% return on minor kitchen remodels. According to Remodelling Cost vs Value 2010-2011, the average cost for a major kitchen remodel was over $62000 and $23000 for a minor remodel (St. Louis). Here are some makeovers that are in the under $23000 category that could make a difference between a sale or sitting on the market and also give a return on the investment.
Maria's Smart Kitchen Facelift in The Kitchn. This inexpensive minor remodel required some elbow grease from the owner but it sure made a difference.
Maria "modified the existing upper cabinets to fit in a working range hood, modified the lower cabinets to get rid of the 4-inch gap on either side of the oven, replaced the floor with a vinyl tile, built new cabinets around the fridge, installed a bi-fold door for the pantry, installed a dishwasher, new oven and hood range, new kitchen faucet, new counters, painted the walls and cabinets and my favourite aesthetic piece — the kitchen backsplash."
Daniel and Max were in need of additional counters and storage and came up with a solution that was accomplished in a couple of days with a sleek, utilitarian, do-it-yourself and inexpensive. It is inspirational for those of us on a budget. Here is their story and the step by step process. 
Daniel says "It holds a ton, gives us five (FIVE!!!) extra feet of counter space that we didn’t have before (we had been operating off four feet, which makes for some tricky cooking)...
In one of the houses we sold this year, the kitchen cabinets were the 70's white formica with oak trim (sorry we had to borrow the before picture from another house):
The sellers painted the oak trim on the white formica cabinets, changed the back splash and the counter to granite and transformed a dated kitchen to this look with a modest outlay of cash (new knobs/handles, painted trim, new counter).
These kitchen facelifts give hope that a transformation can be done on a budget. In addition to the value added to the price, sometimes the new look is the difference between selling or not selling.
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