Granite remains a popular choice, but quartz is another beautiful and extremely durable option, Frederick says. (But he warns that hot items placed on quartz counters can cool down quickly. One of his colleagues had to microwave a Thanksgiving dinner because she set hot dishes on her quartz counters.)
"Countertops are the first thing people see when they walk into a kitchen," says Frederick. "Then they look at cabinets and floors."
If you can't replace the entire cabinet, you can shave about 70 percent off the cost by replacing the cabinet doors and hardware, such as knobs and pulls, according to contractors and designers.
A good cleaning and polishing can also make a noticeable difference on cabinets, says Frederick, who has seen Scott's Liquid Gold Wood Cleaner & Preservative "work miracles."
If you do nothing else, painting the kitchen will help freshen the look, says Carrington, who helps owners prepare their houses for sale by arranging or providing furniture and accessories.
Carrington favors a creamy, buttery yellow for the kitchen. "It reflects light, which you want in the kitchen," she says.
In general, if you're selling your house or condo - or plan to in the next few years - you're better off staying neutral with colors and patterns in the kitchen.
"You may love those butterfly tiles," says Mary Lynne Mullican, a real estate agent with Hill & Company Realtors and a former interior decorator, "but chances are a potential buyer won't."
A few simple updates in the kitchen of a Cross Keys condo distinguished it from the others being considered by Noelle DiBiase, an associate creative director at a small advertising firm, who bought the condo in November.
"So many of the others had the original linoleum," says DiBiase, whose new condo has updated appliances, Spanish terra-cotta colored tiles and lighting beneath her cabinets.
The kitchen also has plenty of counter and cabinet space, which was among the main selling points for DiBiase.
"Anytime you have a party or friends over, where does everyone gather?" DiBiase says. "The kitchen."
Laura Barnhardt is a former reporter for The Baltimore Sun.
