Creating a Desirable Rental Property

When prepping a property for renters, you want it to look nice, be easy to maintain, and most important- be cost effective. Just like your next Vegas Vacation Date.

The subject rental property was purchased in November of 2016 and the only thing we did to improve it was... well... nothing. So besides erasing the evidence that 320 lbs of dogs and the Toddler Tornado lived there for 8 months, I had to do something to create a desirable rental. The easiest way to do this is by curb appeal. Whether selling or renting your home, the intended audience has usually made up their minds within the first 90 seconds of viewing the property so it is important to come on strong.

Now, I am very lazy when it comes to lawn care- I would have outsourced it, but am also very frugal. So the before picture is after oh... 8 months of neglect.

Much like my married approach to shaving my legs, my goal was to do the bare minimum to make it look good.

Step 1: Remove Weeds... Obviously

Step 2: Kill all the Bugs and Future Weeds ( Please note many *insects* were harmed and killed in this step and I regret nothing besides not using a stronger insect killer)

Step 3: Weed Paper Do not waste your time and money by covering the entire area with weed paper. Only cover the areas where the weeds were actually growing, or the border next to the grass. Also do not waste your time with those pins that secure the weed paper to the ground... They are pointless.

Step 4: Add the Toppings.Now since this is a rental- I wanted the cheapest, lowest maintenance product out there. As I was also stuck loading all of the bags into my Acura with a baby in a bjorn and a toddler running into traffic/ in time out , I also did not want to lift bags of rocks- so I opted for mulch. It is important in the state of TN to get a mulch that will repel termites as opposed to invite them into your house. Termite damage is serious in this neck of the woods so be careful about pest control prevention measures. The best product is cedar wood chips; insects do not enjoy cedar- it is actually a natural repellant. Cedar chips are also way cheaper and safer than the mulch that is laced with insect repellant.

Step 5: Have your Husband/ Toddler take care of the clean up.

This is a joke...Husband was on a work-mandated-vacay to the desert and the #ToddlerTornado hasn't figured out how to push a wheelbarrow...yet. So like all projects, I left the mess out for a solid amount of time before rushing to clean it up during a rain storm.

Nap Time didn't last long enough so this guy supervised... and also almost got hit by the Toddler Tornado with a shovel.

Thanks to the curb appeal, but also probably the location, pricing and amenities, the house was rented to some awesome tenants the second day on the market. Having curb appeal gets your foot in the door, but more importantly it sets the tone for level of care. Creating a rental property that has clearly been cared for draws in a respectable tenant audience who will in turn, be more likely to preserve and maintain that level of care.