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I painted an ugly avocado green fridge once. It was easy. Just prep well- clean with water and ammonia, use a paint specifically made for refrigerators. Done deal. It looked really nice, too. Surprisingly so. Might be worth trying if it helps sell the house more easily. Good luck!
If someone is seriously interested in your house (and those are the people who matter) I doubt very much that a refrigerator will make the difference. I have a house on the market; granted, its not in a so-called "hot" market where such trivial things matter, and so far no one who has walked through has made more than a casual glance at my refrigerator. They care more about the house's location and all the structural aspects, that the appliances all work, not something that can easily be changed.
For a starter home, I actually think a mismatched appliance could be an issue. There's a good chance that buyers will be stretching their budget (whatever price point, most people end up finding things that are just a little bit above their price point that look better than what's actually in their budget! lol!) and may not be able to afford to replace it even if they would be unhappy with it.
Just how expensive is an expensive used stainless fridge? I do think you'll likely get back that money, at the very least in terms of a quicker sale even in a hotter market. This isn't just about white vs. stainless but most people prefer to have matching colored appliances whatever the color is
When we listed 5 years ago, I asked the realtor if there was one thing we could do before showing the house, and he said we could get rid of the wallpaper in our kitchen. Ultimately we had to say no. I was afraid doing what he recommended would delay the listing too much. He understood.
Your realtor will get over your white fridge.
You say your realtor is young. Perhaps you need to find a more experienced realtor.
Our dear poster is freaking out about very common home staging and preparation suggestions, on this thread, and another about furniture. I'm not sure why everyone thinks the realtor needs to be fired. Realtors commonly give advice about improvements that might be made to help the place sell faster and for more money.
Some buyers are looking for whatever HGTV says is in right now. If that's stainless steel appliances, then that's what they want. If you have mismatched appliances, it may show up in a discounted offer. A stainless steel fridge might cost you $300 used off Craigslist, $1,000 new at Home Depot. Do you think a buyer will discount their offer more, or less than that? That's the issue.
Either way, it's probably not a deal breaker. It is a reason for a buyer to not give top dollar. You don't want too many of those.
I wouldn't stress it in a hot market. My area is on FIRE, and if I was selling there would be no staging or anything. Hell, they'd have to take all the crap I don't want because they'd be LUCKY to get this place. Yours may not be that hot, but it's still not a thing, imo.
I didn't like the white fridge in here when I bought until salesmen, whose job it was to sell me a new one, said you have an older one that works great? Keep it. Newer ones do not come close to matching the longevity of the older ones. So, I kept it and he was right. It lasted 12 more years and was better than my new one.
PS my neighbor wasted money on new carpet and a few other things. The buyers immediately ripped it all out and put their preferred flooring and other things in place. Maybe jack up the price a bit and then offer an allowance for a SS fridge or that amount in a discount?
IME realtors don't make a ton of costly suggestions unless they think they are necessary. What color are your other appliances? Are you moving out before putting it on the market, or will you still be living in it?
any buyers that are not living in that HGTV fantasy land, will understand that the house they buy, will not be turn key, place furniture and start living.
here in NYC, you can see a 2 room dump, for a million, and buyers wouldnt give a rats ass about a white fridge.....
another poster stated, if someone likes the house, a white fridge is not going to make a difference, and it shouldnt
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