Reluctant movers - A fall in mortgage lending is a good time to invest in a new kitchen.

Oct. 22, 2010 - PRLog -- The end of summer this year showed a 14% fall in mortgage lending, so naturally home owners cautious of taking the leap into the housing market are opting to stay put and make the best of what they have. Improve, rather than move, seams the key to financial security.

Any estate agent will confirm that kitchens sell houses and refurbishing your kitchen is the most popular form of home improvement, and one that will protect the value to your property when the time comes to sell up.  Luxury kitchens add instant appeal to your property but getting the right balance of investment and quality can be tricky. Pay too much and you may struggle to recoup your investment but pay too little and the quality may deter from any future purchaser.

Kitchen designs have moved at lightening speed to keep up with consumer demand and on the whole you get what you pay for. The key to sublime kitchen design is demanding high standards that are within budget. Not an easy task.

Flick through interior glossy magazine and it would be all too easy to assume that top quality kitchens are out of reach for most of us.

   “We need to dispel the myth that prestigious kitchens should have an equally    prestigious price tag. Great design and small price tags are possible.” 

says Wayne Dance from InHouse Inspired Room Design, UK agent for Italian Aster Cucine and German manufacturer Schüller. 

Clever consumers have already worked out that the place to look is Europe, where designers have long held the view that kitchens are about passion, detail and designs that serve the needs of the people. 

“The trick to sourcing affordable prestigious kitchens is too look at where manufacturers are spending money” says Dance.

“Luxury branded showrooms have to recoup costs and it is invariably included in the final price tag. Sourcing the highest quality from European manufacturers such as Schüller and Aster Cucine from Independent retailers, can significantly reduce cost to the consumer and offer so much more for their money”

Surprisingly, independent retailers can be more price competitive than large DIY Stores and high street kitchen chains. The additional benefit of experienced designers and fitters ensure aesthetics and standards that cannot be achieved by mass produced ranges.

For those that have decided to sit the credit crunch out and invest in their current property, it is crucial to invest wisely. Cutting costs in quality doesn’t just put future property sale at risk, it takes the pleasure out of time spent at home.  

   “A house that sells easily is one in which people can imagine themselves living in.    Cutting cost in quality in a bid to secure a future sale will always be a mistake    because the purchaser will instantly visualize a refit”  

Says Warren Jones, Managing Director of Sires Property, Bath.

   “Good quality is critical in increasing worth. The best advice to invest in a kitchen    that will enhance your chances of a future sale is to choose as if you have no plans    to move.”



Schüller Kitchens and Aster Cucine are available from a network of over 100 established retailers through InHouse. Visit http://www.inhouseuk.net  for details or T: +44 (0)1661 842304

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Aster Cucine is one of the most unique and luxurious Italian kitchen cabinet manufacturers in Italy. Established in 1983, Aster today is a young and dynamic company, always ready to interpret new trends in the market.

Contemporary kitchens for the heart of the home is the philosophy behind Schüller, one of the five largest international kitchen manufacturers in Germany. With over 50 years experience in kitchen design and still a family run business, meeting the needs for the kitchen as the heart of the home, continues to be at the forefront of all Schuller design.

Schüller Kitchens and Aster Cucine are available from a network of over 100 established retailers through InHouse. Visit http://www.inhouseuk.net for details or T: +44 (0)1661 842304