Adding This Feature To Your Kitchen Can Increase Your Home Value

The kitchen can play a major role in how potential buyers judge a home. Zillow's 2024 Consumer Housing Trends Report found that 57% of buyers considered having their preferred style of kitchen as a priority in the homes they purchase. For those looking to add resale value to their property, a kitchen island is one stylish and practical feature that could do the trick.

Kitchen islands are generally considered among the kitchen upgrades that could boost your home's resale value, alongside adding a new backsplash and installing new countertops. If you already have one, updating it also counts as a great way to make your kitchen look more expensive. According to the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), 74% of home buyers rated a central island as either desirable or a must-have.

While there are many expensive home upgrades that aren't worth your money, a kitchen island can be a relatively affordable renovation. Basic rolling-cart islands start around $100, and base-cabinet builds run anywhere from roughly $350 to $4,000, per HomeAdvisor. More elaborate islands featuring sinks or cooktops or requiring a custom build can exceed $10,000 in cost, and may come with other expenses should they need professional installation. However, projects in this price range still fall well under the Journal of Light Construction's 2025 average minor kitchen remodel cost of $28,458, and the publication projects that upgrades in this range have an average return on investment of 113%. So, it's possible to get more than your money's worth from adding a kitchen island to your home.

According to a 2024 NAHB survey (via the National Association of Realtors), central islands in kitchens were among the features builders reported they were most likely to include in new homes in 2024. So, if industry professionals are increasingly adding them to new builds, adding one to your own property could help it stand against other modern homes on the market. For existing homes, Houzz's 2025 U.S. Kitchen Trends Study found that 58% of renovating homeowners either added an island or upgraded an existing one during a kitchen remodel. With many houses featuring this addition, trying to sell yours without one could lower its appeal to a wide array of buyers.

Apart from being an all-around attractive option, kitchen islands also seem to resonate strongly with home buyers with more money to spend. A Redfin 2024 survey of roughly 300 luxury-focused agents found that kitchen islands were some of the most commonly requested amenities among luxury buyers, with 85% of agents saying it was "very common" for luxury buyers to ask for one. Therefore, if you're a homeowner with a house on the more premium side, it might even be more beneficial to prioritize such an upgrade. Additionally, embracing the widespread appeal of kitchen islands could potentially help your home sell more quickly, potentially limiting the chances you'd need to drop your list price if it's been on the market too long.