Upgrading a rental house does not need to be actually expensive or a headache. There are particularly inexpensive or free tactics to take a so-so rental property and boost its appeal to prospective tenants. By adding some straightforward touches, swapping out multiple hardware or fixtures, and doing a little money-saving resurfacing, you can make your single-family rental property one that quality tenants will want to rent. Really, with just five no-sweat upgrades, you can totally boost your Prosper property’s appeal.
Changing Hardware and Fixtures
Replacing small hardware items, for example, doorknobs and light fixtures are at the top of the list among small upgrades that can have a sizeable impact. Over time, hardware and light fixtures can tarnish or look dated. When this happens, a rental home’s interior can leave a negative impression on prospective renters. Just updating old light fixtures in key rooms, setting up a ceiling fan in a bedroom, or adding matching doorknobs, locks, and other hardware can elicit visual appeal that is much greater than the costs. Hardware and light fixtures don’t need to be fancy or cost intensive; a pretty simple fixture that looks clean and modern will typically do the trick.
Touching Up the Paint
While repainting a rental home’s interior is one important way to accomplish that fresh, clean look tenants are crazy about, it is possible to gain a similar effect by doing small touch-ups. According to the level of wear and tear, the total interior may not need a full paint job in-between every tenant. This being so in your rental property, painting an accent, the trim, or a few walls can take the look of freshly painted walls without spending too much time or money.
Resurface the Countertops
The look of a rental home’s countertops can fundamentally impact the property’s overall appeal. Maybe more than other features, an excellent countertop can lend a kitchen or bathroom a custom look and an upgraded feel. Good thing, installing granite or other expensive options is not necessary to secure this same result. There are vastly different countertop resurfacing kits available that can render your old countertops an instant facelift without the designer price tag.
Don’t Forget the Details
Interior decorators are aware that adding many small touches to a home can make a big difference. Prosper property managers can follow that example. Adding up new cabinet handles and drawer pulls to a bland kitchen can add beauty and function, rapidly upgrading otherwise tired old cabinets.
Updated and matching faceplates are other details that can bring about a home interior feeling more beautifully put together. Cracked or mismatched faceplates can affect a room’s feel and visual appeal. You can make each room in your rental house so much more alluring by only replacing each faceplate with new, matching ones.
Aside from these, consider adding some tech-friendly touches! For relatively little money, you can prepare smart updates to your rental home that tenants will admire. For example, switch specific regular outlets in key areas to outlets that have USB ports. You can even turn a GFCI outlet into a charging hub. Or, think about getting a video doorbell, smart light bulbs or plugs, or a Wi-Fi-enabled garage door. The money you spend on these updates will greatly add value to your property and make it far easier to attract quality tenants.
Landscape for Free
A rental home’s landscaping is a pertinent part of the property’s curb appeal and can even be one of the primary reasons a tenant chooses your property over another. A clean, low-maintenance yard is very fine for rental homes, but tenants enjoy trees, flowers, and other beautifying elements. To add a few low-cost colors and green to your rental yard, investigate your local utility or city website. Numerous cities give away free trees or other plants to property owners. Likewise, take into consideration checking the “Free Stuff” section of your local classifieds. In these ads, people most often advertise things they no longer need – for example, shrubs and trees – to anyone that wants to come and get them. So, you can upgrade your property’s landscaping for no higher cost than a little elbow grease and a shovel.
In Conclusion
Small upgrades can definitely equal big returns so far as it concerns standing out in the rental market. With just a little time and quite a few reasonable purchases, you can upgrade your Prosper rental property and your ability to interest the kind of tenants you actually look for.
Tired of doing it yourself? Why not give Real Property Management Optimum a call? It doesn’t matter if you are the possessor of one rental home or several; our goal is to protect and maximize your real estate investment. Backed by over 30 years of nationwide experience, our property managers are here to help rental homeowners boost rental income while reducing expenses and inefficiencies. Contact us online or call us at 320-289-4649 today.
Originally published on January 17, 2020
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