How to Make Your Rental Property Stand Out

Making your rental property stand out to prospective renters can be as easy as a few quick fixes! I’ll share with you some of my favorite tips for attracting prospective tenants, without breaking the bank with a full reno.

A Little Elbow Grease

A deep clean goes a loooooooooonnnnnnggggg way to making your rental property stand out. If you can’t afford or don’t have time to make any changes, spend a few hours cleaning your property from top to bottom, and you’ll attract more buyers. A sparkling clean rental property with an older appliance will be a whole lot more desirable than one a grimy new refrigerator.

Updated Hardware

Is your kitchen or bathroom hardware out of date or rusty? Replace them!

I know you may not think prospective tenants are going to notice that rust on the shiny brass bathroom knobs–but I promise you. They are. You don’t want to give off the impression that you’re ok with a little rust as a landlord. Your new tenants are either going to think “Well, if she’s ok with this, what else is she not goin to fix?” Or, they’re going to think “Great. He doesn’t care about this place, so why should I?” and trash it.

Never replaced hardware before? No problem! It’s super easy. All you need to replace your cabinet hardware is a screwdriver. Just unscrew the old hardware, and screw in the new ones.

And, you don’t need to get $10 knobs–you can get some great options for $3-$5/piece! You can give your room a completely new feel for just a few bucks.

Adding a Smart Device (or 2!)

And, don’t forget about smart devices! Today’s world is filled with new tech devices, and tenants expect their homes will be too. Smart devices will definitely make your rental property stand out amongst all the competition in your area.

A smart thermostat is a great add to any space. The convenience of being able to control your home’s temperature from your phone is huge. And, it can help your tenants save money on their utility bills!

My favorite smart device to add to a rental property is a smart lock. A smart lock is a huge convenience add to your tenants. They can program a code to enter their home, instead of having to have a key out all the time.

And bonus! A smart lock makes repairs so much more convenient for you! You can just send your trusted handyman a code to enter the property and not worry about meeting to unlock the doors. 

Tip: All these smart devices can easily be factory reset. So, when your tenants move out, you can easily reset your smart devices, so their apps and lock codes don’t work and your home is ready for new tenants!

Fresh Paint

In my opinion, a fresh coat of paint is the most cost effective fix you can do to make your rental property stand out to prospective renters.

Paint all the walls a nice light neutral in a scrubbable, stain resistant finish–my current favorite colors are Sherwin Williams Repose Gray or Frosty White.

You’ll give the space a more uniform look with the same color throughout, and a lighter color is easier to photograph for marketing and easier for your prospective tenants to picture their furnishings in.

Have dark trim or moldings? Consider painting those white too. We painted all the woodwork around our basement stairs white before listing our townhome, and it made a huge difference in how big the space feels.

Send Me Your Tips!

For my renter friends out there, help my landlord friends out! What are some wishlist items for you when looking for a new place (outside of size and location) that make a rental property stand out? Comment below, and I’ll update this post periodically to help out our landlord friends!

Have Questions? Looking for Rental Property Tips?

Check out our post Getting Your Home Rental Ready!

If you have any questions or comments, feel free to post in the comments below! Or, you can always send a direct message to us at our Contact Us page.

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Last but not least, please review our Disclaimer before completing any project we describe here.