Show the rest of the kitchen. Is this the sink area? A new backsplash would look good. The appliances are definitely part of the issue. Find another location for your towels & replace the mirror with art.

Here are two more photos of the kitchen. The object reflecting light over the stove is a picture, not a mirror.

Get rid of the green. Can the cabinets be painted? If so, Paint wall and cabinets off white - it's the latest thing. If they can't be painted then paint the walls and back splash to match the cabinet color.

appliances should all be the same color.

Thanks for the photos. Its pretty clear that you need to get a black refrigerator at a minimum. Price out all new stainless steel appliances. What is the flooring? Is it vinyl? If so consider replacing it.

The cabinets likely look more pinkish due to the wall color. I would get matching appliances and change the wall color. What does your realtor say about appliance finish?

I would definitely paint the cabinets (white or grey) and get a black refrigerator.

The cabinets are the main problem. More than the mismatched easily replaceable & less expensive appliances. (Hence buyers reluctance). Normally against painting kitchen cabinets, it's rarely done well, (by non-professionals, anyway) but these washed oak pickled pine colors are incredibly blah. And dated, but not in the charming nostalgic way. (The 90's are calling - they want their kitchen back!). The color is difficult to work with & replacement is costly, so painting them white, cream/antique white, or a soft pale Gustavian gray, would be a huge improvement & better sell. And work well with the black granite counters. But it must be professionally done. Otherwise they risk being ruined or sloppily done. It's a special job that requires several steps, time & patience. Or, have them refaced. A good in between option. My last home had pinky peach pine cabinets & my future home too. I understand your buyer's feelings. Think about replacing the one appliance after painting. You'll see then which one needs to go. Or, leave it up to the potential home buyer to decide. No sense spending the money on a new fridge/oven only to have them toss it out. (But do go gently used, if you do decide to replace. Will save you $)

And lastly, you might wanna replace your handles on your cabinets with more modern, stainless steel ones

where is your home? Do you have a real estate helping with the sale? I do not feel you need to replace appliances especially if there are in good condition...and in working order. However; Staging your home for sale would be a great idea and your real estate agent should offer this as an option...you can do this for very little costs and if done by professionals the home will create enough desire that the kitchen will not be as big of a problem as it seems. there is one thing I would do...looking at the kitchen picture...and that is to PAINT the drywall a ,more neutral color...one that goes with the cabinets.

|I think the green walls are a big turn off. Try painting the kitchen and then take a 2nd look.

You don't want to spend any more than you have to if you are selling. Personally I would get a stainless fridge and leave the other appliances alone. The new can get the rest. Paint out the green with neutral off white. Remove mirror and towels and any clutter.

Oh, I see now there is already zero clutter!

Leave cabinets. Get gently used stainless ( front only) refrigerator and hardware. Put subway tile ( or travertine )as backsplash over stove.

Try that for a month. If still no buyers, might be time to reduce price if you want to move.

I think it's a nice kitchen....good luck!

And paint walls cream color....neutral!!

I'm sorry it's taking so long to sell, that's frustrating and hard on a family! I agree with the others the green is opposite of the pink in the cabinets.. so if you paint the walls maybe decorators white cc-20 or Thunder AF-685 that will help make them less pink. Take a step back like suggested and then if needed painting the cabinets white or dark grey, they would look amazing but it is a big job :))

This was an honey oak kitchen a client painted in order to sell, I featured it in Saskatoon Fine lifestyles Magazine, to date it was one of the most popular articles! The house sold in weeks..

I agree. All of the appliances should be the same color. The fridge stands out in a bad way. Also, I would get rid of the green even though, I personally like it and put a backsplash.

The cabinets are not a problem for me. I agree with the others who said to paint the walls and match the appliances. Since you are selling, let the next homeowner update the kitchen instead of slapping paint on the cabinets to make the sale.

Paint the cabinets an off white.. try white dove.

Good luck:)

How about an off white wall with an undertone of your cabinets going more toward a grayish: Ben Moore Pale Oak. Buy a black fridge and change the hardware to black.

Thank you all. You have helped me a great deal. Tomorrow I meet with a new realtor and will definitely get a new refrigerator and have the cabinets and the walls painted. I hoped that a decorating allowance would do it, but in this price range I will have to bite the bullet and make the changes myself. Again thank you. Linda

Are you sure that it's the kitchen that's putting people off?

What's the average selling time for houses in your area?

It may look a little dated but what's the rest of the house like - does it tie in?

Spending money on a new fridge may not be necessary at all - anyone who is genuinely interested in your house isn't going to be put off by the colour of your fridge.

The way I see it, you have two options: price the house as an acknowledgement the house need updates, or make the changes (paint cabinets and new appliances) and keep the price where it is. My experience has been if a house is priced correctly, it will move.

It looks like you are doing things right, the house is clean and uncluttered. I hope the meeting with the realtor goes well!

The cabinets do not look bad to me. The two things that stand put to me are the white fridge and the green paint. Paint the wall and replace the fridge. Price the house right, and it will sell.

9 months on the market competing with brand new shiny houses is really tough on a seller. What you can change are the listing price/terms, the decor, and the condition of the house. Houzz people like to comment on the last two.

Are there any unfinished repairs that you can do?

Find some MLS listings of competing properties with lots of photos. Then I suggest that you go through the house with a camera, take photos of all four walls, and sit down to look through it all. Compare it to what you see in the competition. From what I see in the photos, the house is amazingly neat and decluttered, but was decorated a while back. I suggest you talk to a stager about updating the looks. Simple things like painting out the green, replacing the lace curtains with white panels, buying a few new lamps in a current style, and removing things like wreaths and tablecloths would be worth the money in the interests of a quick sale. Make sure the MLS photos get replaced with the new ones, as this is not automatic.

Yes, a new black fridge. Less than $1000, and makes the kitchen look complete instead of half-fixed-up. And change out the purple dishtowels for something fashionably new from Anthropologie or Target.

They say the only reason a house doesn't sell is because it is priced too high. Just something to consider.

If you do decide to paint the kitchen cabinets yourself, look into Benjamin Moore's waterborne alkyd paint. I just painted some bathroom cabinets, beadboard and trim with this paint (coincidentally in white dove!) and was amazed at the ease of application. This paint "acts" like an oil based paint in that brush strokes "lay down" as it dries giving you a smooth finish but it is water clean up. Also this paint dries much quicker than oil based paint and seems quite durable. I used a combination of small foam rollers and good quality angle cut brushes and was able to get good results with a primer coat and one coat of the white dove.

Continuation of my thoughts from above......as two left socks said in a previous post, painting the cabinets is a big job. If you are not a very experienced DIY painter do some research on the Internet about painting kitchen cabinets first. It isn't too hard to do....just takes time, patience and reasonably good painting technique.

Check Sears scratch and dent stores or Habitat for Humanity's Restore if there is one in your area for bargain appliances. Personally I would trade my Stainless steel refrigerator in a heartbeat for something that is not so darned hard to keep clean. Hate the industrial look of it as well! But it is what most people want these days. I painted my cabinets a soft cream and antiqued them to go with the antique trims and molding, and architectural items I have put on the walls, so I rather like your cabinets. If you do paint, be sure to scrub them thoroughly to remove all grease, even if they look clean. And buy a high quality brush!

If you are going to paint your cabinets check and see if there is anyone in the "Spray Paint booth" business who could just do the doors and drawer fronts for you. They do a much better job than doing them by hand. Also have them make extra paint that they will be using so you can paint the facings of the cupboards. You don't have to paint inside.
That way the paint matches exactly.

Well, when you are selling a house you want to make it, look like it is in move- in condition without spending a fortune. You can spend a lot of money on a kitchen.. I agree with the black refrigerator with double doors idea. I would take the measurements of the opening including depth with you to your appliance dealer and see if there is one that fits flush with the depth of the counters. I think, after looking more closely at the kitchen and your remarks, that to match the cabinet color for the walls and back splash area would give you the The biggest bang for the least investment
The white refrigerator looks very random. I know stainless steel is popular but if all the appliances are black it will look organized. I have had an interior design business for 30 years. Neutral sells, if you have wallpapered rooms or brightly colored ones, it will keep your house from selling. Stripping off old wallpaper and giving rooms a fresh coat of off white will do wonders for a tired room. Benjamin Moore has nice whites that cover well, like Atrium White or White Dove. I am not suggesting this for the kitchen. Kitchen should match cabinets.

Would you care to show us other parts of your home - perhaps we could help there.

I don't think the cabinets need painting.

You need new pulls. I'd go polished nickel or a stainless possibly matching sink. Stay modern and sleek.

Change the fridge to black.

Paint the kitchen. Pull out a lighter color in the counter top. Is there a beige in there?

Luckey85, thank you for the nod. I have to take back what I said about non-professionals doing their own cabinet work - your bathroom paint job is awesome! Gives people hope; some perceived decor distasters are not as bad as you think. There's a fix for everything, with a little effort . Great post :-) .

Wow! There are a lot of different surfaces going on here! I like the granite counter tops on the sink side of the kitchen BUT it does not appear to match the cook-top side. That should be addressed. Since you have a stainless sink, a stainless fridge should go in. It does not have to be top of the line, but avoid going "on the cheap". Don't bother with changing the cabinets, but DO replace your hardware with more streamlined stainless pulls and knobs. DO paint the walls a more neutral color and consider doing the entire wall above your cooktop with a tumbled tile pattern that COMPLEMENTS your floor color. Yes, it will cost you some money...but don't you want to go on to the next chapter of your own life? Sure you do!

I wonder what it would cost to have an automotive shop paint your refrigerator black? Worth checking out if you don't find a reasonable price on a replacement. Maybe someone on Craig's list would trade a black one for yours. You can update your hardware by painting it a pewter color and antiquing it or paint a color that goes with the cabinets. There are some nice kits out there that do wonders these days and you get professional looks. Just take the old ones off, wash them well. Screw in the screws and inset all of the screw in a piece of rigid styrofoam to paint. Check this site out: http://www.wikihow.com/Paint-Metal-Knobs

I would agree with changing the refrigerator to black in a counter depth style is possible. It also would be advantageous to pull the small backsplash in stone and replace with a neutral. I can't quite tell your home's style, but a subway in a bricklay pattern in a neutral cream would lighten and brighten the kitchen and a be classic selection. I would also recommend changing the wall color. The green doesn't help the kitchen look and appears to make the cabinet color look a pinkish tone.

Thank you all for the advice. We are replacing all of the appliances with stainless. All of the counters are black granite--so they do match. We are replacing the sink and faucet with newer models, I am investigating either having the cabinets painted an off-white or cream or looking into a stain--my new realtor is helping me. Why I hesitate to change the wall color is because the green is also in the dining room--I believe the colors were Benjamin Moore Caesar Salad and Celery--the darker below the chair rail and the lighter above. Also, to complicate it the kitchen opens into the great room which is painted with a color called Biscuit--brownish tan. To go to an off white would just not work because the walls abut at the corners. BTW the colors were selected by an interior designer.

Here is a very lovely kitchen, I think, with "pickled" cabinets.

I realize that you are anxious to sell, but please don't let your anxiety cause you to spend more than you should have to, or that will "pay off" in the long run. Have you looked at the sites like Zillow or Trulia? They can show you homes in your area comparable to your own, and you can see what kind of homes are selling-and for how much. What you want is a "decent" kitchen to sell the home-and I don't think you are that far off of one right now. However, to be frank, I would hate to see you spend money to fix a kitchen that someone that might come in and see "painted," but still dated cabinets, and feel that they still will have to remodel the space. Now, I have a different "view" of what makes a cabinet dated, and you cabinets look like a nice, classic shaker style, to me-but I've read some people still will just not like something that's been "rehabbed."
Also, when you buy a new fridge, it would look better if it fit the space and didn't "stick out."
Good luck, and hoping the changes you make will be helpful.

How about painting the kitchen and dining room with the Biscuit brownish tan or the next color up on the Biscuit paint chip? Then it'd be much easier to find an off white for the cabinets if you decide to paint them.

Well - seems like there is lots of advice, so I'll throw mine in. All black appliances are great looking. I would probably do that before purchasing all new. (I'm biased, we took our kitchen down to the studs, put in cherry cabinets and all black appliances.) Glad you're going to paint the cabinets...the room is really very lovely. The green is off-putting primarily because of the cabinets I think. Hard to say. The green would look great with off-white cabinets! Good luck with this.

Ha ha! If you had to put it on the market tomorrow? Change your hardware. Go high end.
White porcelain pulls. Bigger white porcelain knobs and pulls. With black back plates.Giving your cabinets some pull power..it's easy. And trust others. Choose a deep teal pearl finish from BM. Get over Green!!! It belongs in yards never walls or faces. And your turn around is easy...from the queen of "quick cosmetic fixes" not neccearily for faces....good hob-knobbing it!!! BTW? is your refrig magnetized? Big selling point. I hope it is.