Agree - the things I don't like are the valances, wall color, backsplash and stovetop in the island - you might even like them.

Great light and nice open space but wow, that is mighty oaky. It's a pretty shade but just so much... there are a few options:

1. Paint cabinets (enameling done by a professional - cost from $5-10K).

2. Darken floors to give a little contrast.

Either way, remove the valances and greenery up top. Use more modern roman shades. And I would choose a painted dining set as opposed to an oak one.

nice stain color. hate the countertop and backsplash tho. too blue/gray. hate the valances. Hate the wall color. I might paint the desk area a nice color to break up all the 'oaky look'. Oh, new stools/light fixtures. love the windows. w/new counters and splash, that kitchen would be nice.

Having the floors stained darker (versus having the cabinetry painted) and removing the valances are the two main things I would do.

Honestly it's not that bad but if you don't like it then you don't have to buy it.

Keep shopping around at "move in ready" places with updated kitchens and you may become so bored of white kitchens that this looks refreshing!

Wood is very cutting edge at the moment as a backlash against all of the clinical antiseptic hospital operating room white.

Yes they need a bit more oak for cripes sake. Really I dislike oak so I would do all the above and paint those for sure and change the counter and backsplash, but before doing anything I would live with it the way it is and then decide what you can’t live with.The first thing i would do if a redo is in the plan is move the cooktop to an outside wall with proper venting and drop that raised island to counter height

When buying a house, location is the most important criteria. You can change everything else.

I like oak, but this is a bit much. Real estate pictures are so misleading. It's likely much smaller and darker. With any house you wind up buying, it's best to live in it for a while before making any changes.

Sure, you can “change everything else”. It’s only hundreds of thousands of dollars, right?

If you don’t like the basic house, you are not ever going to change that. Not cost effectively anyway. HGTV silly fake shows not withstanding.

Sophie Wheeler, I really expected you to post your lady-with-crystal-ball pic on this one.

I don't know how everyone is responding to the OP when the OP has given no information whatsoever. Is the house in the location she needs so she is willing to spend to do upgrades? Is the house the right price - what money will she have after purchase? Enough for a total kitchen reno, or, enough for just a sprucing-up of new appliances kind of thing, or, maybe just enough to paint? Without knowing this information, or even really what the OP is even asking about, how can we respond?

What I see in that kitchen is a nice proportional space with good windows and light. Me, I would leave the floor as is, take down the cabinetry, island and desk, take down the flower window valences, replace the chandelier, install soft white cabinets to add to the airyness provided by the windows, move the cooktop to a wall, new neutral quartz counters that won't fight with the floor's grain. No structural work other than to add exhaust duct on the wall, which wouldn't be a big project from what we can see. We don't know where you live, but assuming Ikea cabinets (for a baseline), ~$50k. But none of that is strictly necessary if after the house purchase you don't have the funds - except the removal of those flower window valences.

Oak is the up and coming Next Big Thing for kitchens. Hang on a year or two and you will be completely stylish.