By Charles D’Alessandro | Leave a Comment

Take a look at your kitchen. Is it dated? Are you looking to sell your Brooklyn home? If your kitchen is “way out there”, you may have a hard time selling.

Your kitchen is the focal point of your Brooklyn home. Buyers today are looking for a home with a kitchen that is easy to use, easy to clean and easy to look at. If your kitchen is dated, you many need to invest in a kitchen remodel. Even a minor remodel can recoup most of the cost when you sell. Just remember, consider what will appeal to a future homebuyer. Ultimately, the work you put into a remodel is work you are doing for yourself, but at some point, somebody else will live in the house. Don’t remodel in a way you may regret later. Don’t do something so edgy that you  end up asking yourself, “What on earth was I thinking?”

Here are the top 10 kitchen trends:

1. Chef’s stoves – Even if the buyer doesn’t cook, they want the stove look cool.

2. Eco-friendly features – Appliances and materials in the kitchen are important to a buyer.

3. Granite and quartz countertops – Granite tops the list.

4. Tile backsplashes – Most buyers prefer tile over marble, stone slab or other materials.

5. Floors – Hardwood flooring is hands-down the top choice for flooring.

6. Stainless steel – Well over half of homebuyers today want stainless steel appliances in their kitchens.

7. Islands – Islands aren’t really a must, but they are popular with homebuyers.

8. Transitional style – This is a style combination of traditional and contemporary styles.

9. White cabinets – Almost 75 percent of homebuyers want white or off white cabinets.

10. Gray color schemes – Shades of gray in the kitchen go well with white cabinets.

By Charles D’Alessandro | Leave a Comment

When buying or selling a home, a kitchen is the number one place a potential buyer will focus their attention, and you as the seller should, too. Since bathrooms come in at a close second, let’s take a look at how bathroom updates add value to your Brooklyn home.  Learn what your bathroom’s key measurements are along with the sizes of common fixtures and begin discovering the many advantages compact spaces offer. Your bathrooms will turn into inspired occasions to fashion beautiful and useful rooms that will increase the value of your home.

Steven Corley Randel, Architect, Click the link or image above to view photos of the following bathroom update ideas.

Add pedestal, floating or braced sinks to make your small space feel larger.

Extend the vanity countertop over the toilet tank. Will the fixtures fit comfortably under an extended countertop? The tank needs to be low enough, and you must be able to remove the lid without difficulty.

Store bathroom items efficiently and comfortably in a custom-designed medicine cabinet that stretches over the vanity and over the toilet. A tall, narrow strip of lighting could be built into the cabinet. A light fixture placed on each side of mirror would be ideal to provide even lighting while getting ready for the day.

Line up all bathroom fixtures on a single wall. This cost-effective layout saves on the cost of plumbing installation and allows hot water to be distributed efficiently, especially when the wall with the fixtures is near or directly above the water heater in the basement.

Install a clear glass shower door to create a larger feel to the compact space of a bathroom.

If you prefer a shower only, install a glass wall with a curb that is 3 to 4 inches high, 4 to 6 inches wide. Or define the shower area by a glass wall and shower floor that is flush with the bathroom floor for a sleek and very updated look.

Install a ready-made medicine cabinet and build trim around it. Add small shelves to store personal items in baskets that will fit in or on the small shelves to maintain a clean and organized look.

Mount towel bars or hooks between 36 and 42 inches above the floor, 48 or 50 inches if you are taller or use extra-large bath towels/sheets. The top of the mirror should align with the top of the tile in the shower which should align with top of the window if your bathroom space has a window.

A clear space of 24 inches in front of a toilet is required by current U.S. codes. Be sure to allow for this dimension – more than the minimum if possible is even better. In older homes it is not uncommon to come across arrangements that don’t meet minimum standards. But if you are renovating, make sure you have ample space provided for the measurements of the toilet. If you choose an elongated toilet over a standard-size toilet, another 2 to 3 inches will need to be allowed for the extra length of this choice.

In extremely tight spaces, place the sink at the end of the tub with the toilet next to the tub. Nooks added above the toilet will provide storage. Everything will need to be waterproofed in this compact layout. The use of mosaic tile outside of the shower to keep everything waterproof is a good idea in tight baths and will add subtle contrast, too.

For your compact space you may need to consider installing an oval-shaped sink and cabinet tucked into a hollowed niche in a wall. The toilet could be placed next to the shower, still providing enough space to get in and out of the glass doors of the shower.

As you can see, the beautiful possibilities to make the most of your bathroom spaces and add value to your Brooklyn home are almost limitless.

Want more ideas on how bathroom updates add value to your Brooklyn home?  Subscribe to Brooklyn Real Estate Blog for more home improvement tips.

Give Charles D’Alessandro Your Brooklyn real estate agent with Fillmore Real Estate a call at 718/253-9600 ext. 206 or email  [email protected].

Resource: http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/26567086?utm_source=Houzz&utm_campaign=u517&utm_medium=email&utm_c