Once you’ve decided that you’re going to rent your home and hire a property manager, the next step is to determine what you need to do to get your home “rent ready”. We have outlined a few of the main areas to focus on:
Paint
We always suggest keeping the paint in your homes interior a fairly neutral color and consistent throughout the house. Home with neutral colors tend to rent quicker. It’s also going to be easier for your future tenants to match the paint when it comes time to do touch up painting. Behr Paints color “Canvas Luggage” is a great example the perfect neutral for a rental home, http://www.behr.com/consumer/ColorDetailView/N300-2.
Yard
Having a low maintenance yard is key for a rental home. Hardy plants that don’t need a lot of watering or care tend to fair the best. We always ask Owners to make sure landscaping has been recently maintained prior to it being leased. It ensures that future tenants can start out on the right foot with the yard. Below are some great examples of low maintenance yards that are perfect for renters:
http://www.conniehogarth.org/562/low-maintenance-front-yard-landscape-ideas/
http://thegardeninspirations.biz/small-front-yard-landscaping-ideas-low-maintenance/
Flooring
Flooring advice is somewhat similar to advice with paint. Neutral flooring is always the idea and ideally a dark floor that will help hide dirt and stains. As a Property Manager we always prefer tile floors for durability, but if carpet is going to be used then choosing a durable carpet is a necessity. We recommend a cut pile nylon carpet that is darker with a “speckling” that will help hide those unfortunate stains that are bound to happen. A good example of this is Shaw’s product https://shawfloors.com/flooring/carpet/details/luxury-at-best-ccs30/llama.