Upgrading a rental house does not need to be freaky expensive or hard. There is a heap of affordable or free ways to take a so-so rental property and boost its appeal to prospective tenants. By adding a handful of simple touches, swapping out plenty of hardware or fixtures, and doing a little cost-saving resurfacing, you can make your single-family rental property one that quality tenants will be eager to rent. Basically, with just five straightforward upgrades, you can indeed greatly boost your Kalamazoo property’s appeal.
Changing Hardware and Fixtures
Replacing small hardware items, an illustration, doorknobs, and light fixtures is at the top of the list among small upgrades that can have a remarkable impact. Over time, hardware and light fixtures can tarnish or look dated. When this appears, a rental home’s interior can negatively impact prospective renters. Merely updating old light fixtures in key rooms, settling a ceiling fan in a bedroom, or affixing matching doorknobs, locks, and other hardware can incite visual appeal that is much greater than the costs. Hardware and light fixtures don’t need to be fancy or quite expensive; a rather ordinary fixture that looks clean and modern will normally do the trick.
Touching Up the Paint
While repainting a rental home’s interior is one way to achieve that fresh, clean look tenants are happy with, it is possible to obtain a similar effect by doing small touch-ups. Depending on the level of wear and tear, the complete interior may not need a full paint job in-between every tenant. This being the case in your rental property, painting an accent, the trim, or a few walls can achieve 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 accordingly impact the property’s overall appeal. More than other features, an attractive countertop can lend a kitchen or bathroom a custom look and an upgraded feel. But fortunately, installing granite or other expensive options is not necessary to get this same result. There are diverse countertop resurfacing kits available that can give your old countertops an instant facelift without the designer price tag.
Don’t Forget the Details
Interior decorators understand that adding just a handful of small touches to a home can make a big difference. Kalamazoo property managers can follow that example. Adding new cabinet handles and drawer pulls to a bland kitchen can add beauty and function, immediately upgrading otherwise tired old cabinets.
Updated and matching faceplates are other details that can help make a home interior feel more put together. Cracked or mismatched faceplates can affect a room’s feel and visual appeal. You can make each room in your rental house rather attractive by simply replacing each faceplate with new, matching ones.
And of course, always keep in mind to add a handful of tech-friendly touches! For relatively little money, you can bring smart updates to your rental home that tenants will want. For example, switch some regular outlets in key areas to outlets with USB ports. You can even turn a GFCI outlet into a charging hub. Or, try getting a video doorbell, smart light bulbs or plugs, or a Wi-Fi-enabled garage door. The money you spend on these updates will add value to your property and make it much easier to attract quality tenants.
Landscape for Free
A rental home’s landscaping is an essential part of the property’s curb appeal and can even be one of the principal causes a tenant chooses your property over another. A clean, low-maintenance yard is proper for rental homes, but tenants enjoy trees, flowers, and other beautifying elements. To add a handful of low-cost colors and green to your rental yard, go look at your local utility or city website. Multiple cities give away free trees or other plants to property owners. Also, take into account checking the “Free Stuff” section of your local classifieds. In these ads, people usually advertise things they no longer need – as an illustration, shrubs, and trees – to anyone well-disposed to come and get them. In so doing, you can upgrade your property’s landscaping for no higher cost than a little elbow grease and a shovel.
In Conclusion
Small upgrades can certainly equal big returns as regards standing out in the rental market. With just a little time and a handful of bargain purchases, you can upgrade your Kalamazoo rental property and your ability to pull in the kind of tenants you intend to work with.
Tired of doing it yourself? Why not give Real Property Management Investment Solutions a call? It doesn’t matter if you have 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 generate rental income while trimming down expenses and inefficiencies. Contact us online or call us at 616-419-4578 today.
Originally published on January 17, 2020
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