Selling house - what's more important?

It depends on how worn out the windows are. If there 1940's style windows replace them. If the windows are functional update your kitchen.

If I were you, I'd try to sell the house as is and deduct the cost of the renovations you know the house needs. Doing either the kitchen or the windows can be a big waste of money for you. I have seen many a beautiful kitchen demolished by new buyers wanting something in their own style. And windows are rarely a big selling point.

Price is the key these days to selling anything, even the most beautiful home. So if you can sell for much less with no improvement, do it. The house will move much more quickly than pricing it higher because you fixed something and now want more money.

I guess it would depend on the current condition of both.

I sense from your question that the kitchen is pretty bad. Maybe you should go online to find homes for sale in your neighborhood to see what your competition is. What do their kitchens look like?

Buyers always look at the kitchen first and since that's where we spend the most time, an ugly kitchen is more of a deal breaker. Folks may not even notice the windows, and if they do, it would be less of an issue if the kitchen is beautiful.

Homes that are move in ready are more appealing than fixxer uppers because people have to visualize themselves living there. With an old tired kitchen, all they see is how much work they have to do.

You don't have to spend a lot of money to improve your kitchen design. If you're concerned about recouping your investment, I would recommend painting kitchen cabinets, since this can be much cheaper and less messy than ripping everything out and starting over.

With a fresh coat of paint on the walls and cabinets, and maybe new counter tops or flooring, the space can look totally different.

Make sure to shop everything around since there are great deals to be had, but don't get emotional and put in all the things you wish you had done for yourselves unless your home is in a very high end neighborhood and buyers would expect it. Just do the minimum necessary to make it look nice.