You can put many aspects of owning and managing rentals, such as rent collection, on autopilot. But not everything.
Property maintenance and upkeep can eat into your revenue and cause stress, and occasionally, make you wish you weren’t a landlord. The good news: there are easy and affordable ways to keep up your property and increase your cash flow at the same time.
I bought my first house when I was 22, and I’ve enjoyed success (with a couple of failures) by investing in real estate. Along the way, I discovered these affordable upgrades for rental properties.
1. Replace Cabinet Doors
Most people consider replacing worn-out cabinets entirely. But you can replace just the cabinet doors with high-quality, solid wood doors, as well as the hinges and knobs. Then you can paint the doors.
Jen from The Thrifty Home documents her re-painting experience, and she shares before and after pictures of her kitchen.
Tip: Don’t try to use Ikea cabinet doors on non-Ikea cabinet frames.
Potential Cost: $1,000 – $3,000
2. Add a Fresh Coat of Paint
The improvement with the highest ROI is a bucket of paint.
Painting has the highest return on investment for any rehab budget. However, you can enjoy an even higher return on investment by buying paint in bulk.
A lot of investors buy badly mixed paint that paint stores and hardware stores sell at a steep discount. The problem with buying these kinds of paint, when you’re working on a large-scale, is if you have to do any touch-up work, it’s a nightmare to match paint.
I highly recommend you negotiate a discount for a large bulk order of paint. You should be able to get another discount by opening a company account where you buy paint.
Potential Cost: $100 – $1,000
3. Replace Doors
Doors tend to get damaged at rental properties. Most investors either ignore this damage or cover it up with some touch-up paint. However, new doors dramatically increase the visual appeal of a rental unit, and they aren’t that expensive.
I get my doors at my local hardware store and don’t pay any more than $80 a piece for them. You should also check with a local building supply company, which may have extra doors at a deep discount.
With a little help, you can install a new door without changing the frame.
Potential Cost: $500 – $5,000
4. Pressure Wash
People will spend tens of thousands of dollars on renovations, but won’t pay to properly clean the outside of a house. Pressure washing a property makes a big difference in how a home looks.
I usually pay about $250 to have a house pressure washed. Or you can do it yourself. It’s easy to pressure wash a house with a long wand.
Potential Cost: $100 – $300
5. Landscape
Landscaping can directly reduce your vacancy rate. If you’re willing to a do a little work yourself, landscaping materials can be inexpensive. Whenever I have a hard time renting out a property, I buy some flowers to put outside.
Within a week, I have the property rented. This could be due to other factors, but the cost for flowers is less than $40. So now I make it a practice to have nice flowers when weather permits.
Potential Cost: $100 – $500
6. Install Wood Flooring
Choosing carpet for a rental property is a rookie mistake. Carpet is NEVER a good option. Carpet gets stains and looks dingy after minimal wear (especially with cheap carpet). In my experience, carpet in my rental properties needs to be replaced every five years.
Wood flooring is more affordable than most people realize. Shop around, and you may be able to buy flooring for about the same price as an expensive piece of carpet. The best part about wood flooring?
- Tenants love wood flooring.
This will help your property standout compared to other rental properties they are considering. - Wood flooring rarely needs to be replaced.
This is a huge cost advantage for you. And wood flooring is fairly easy to fix when necessary.
Tip: Light-colored hardwood doesn’t show scratches as much as dark hardwood floors.
Potential Cost: $3,000 – $10,000
7. Add Backsplashes
Backsplashes add value to your properties. They are durable and easy to clean. You need to be careful with the type of backslash you choose, however, because some backsplashes date a property.
Choose a classic look that is timeless, and avoid trendy colors. For example, white subway tiles make a good choice; frosted turquoise, not so much.
Bonus: Offer a Washer/Dryer
This upgrade pushes the boundaries of affordable. However, I’ve experienced a good return on this investment. I routinely add an extra $50 to $80 per month in rent for a stackable washer/dryer.
I buy my washer/dryer combinations from Craigslist for $100-$150. However, you can get a brand-new one from Amazon for around $600. I’ve also bought new kitchen appliances from Appliance Connection, and I’ve been very pleased.
Potential Cost: $150 – $600
Other Ideas
I hope this gives you some ideas on affordable ways to upgrade your rental properties and achieve higher rent! Do you have other tips about reliable upgrades? Share them in the comments!
Credit to Jimmy Moncrief
Jimmy is a multifamily real estate investor and bank credit officer.
