Few potential renters will want to move into a fixer-upper. More often than not, renters seek out a move-in-ready home with clean floors and a beautiful curbside appeal.
Renters expect to move into a home they need only to decorate and make their own — for the life of the lease, anyhow. While a free rental application is appealing, it might not be enough to lure potential renters without the proper curbside appeal. When it comes to large repairs and structural damage, these necessary maintenance tasks are vital for getting tenants into your rental property.
Here are some of the top home fixes to perform before advertising your rental property.
The roof
The roof is one of the most obvious features on a home. It’s often the first thing that potential renters will see when they walk up to the front door. Curling shingles, moldy tiles, or a bending gutter can be enough to dissuade any renter, even if the inside of the home is perfect.
Replacing the roof on your building will help improve its appeal to renters, and it can even give you a great return on investment. Spending $10,000 to install a new roof might just tip the scales in your favor. At the very least, performing a thorough cleaning of the shingles to rid them of mold and fungus will look better to potential renters. Ridding your home of unsightly features is a great first step to improving your home’s curb appeal.
Flooring
The flooring of your home can make or break a potential rental. People want to see the same floor extending throughout the house. Even more, they want to see a fresh floor without any dings, dents, or urine stains from when you were training your new puppy.
Hardwood floors have become a particularly hot commodity after the flood of carpeting in the 1960s. Homeowners are tearing up old carpet to discover hardwood gems underneath or install new hardwoods to replace the old. Though oak is among the most popular, vinyl flooring can mimic the appearance of hardwood without the high costs. There are a few different ways that you can achieve great-looking floors without spending a fortune in the process.
Plumbing
Checking the water pressure is an essential feature to test before trying to rent a home. Savvy tenants also check for leaks, cracks in the home’s foundation, and any bumps in the yard that foretell potential disasters in plumbing.
Relying on an Edmond plumber to inspect your rental property is a great option before you seek renters. Many older homes haven’t had a plumbing inspection in years. Potential tenants will love to see the promise of new plumbing on a rental ad or listing. This could be a major component in standing out among the rest of the houses on the rental market, especially if you live in a historic area that’s known for its older homes. Plumbing repairs can get pricey, but this kind of project has a high return on investment.
If only the work stopped once the big repairs were made. As with any house, a rental property needs regular maintenance. You’ll need to check filters, fix cracked caulking, flush the water heater, clean the gutters, and much more. Remember that performing these fixes regularly will nearly always save you money in the long run.
Making these three necessary home repairs — and then maintaining other areas as needed — can truly make or break the rental of your home. Consider investing in these large repairs when you want your rental property filled with the best tenants.
