Key Takeaways
- First impressions matter: The exterior of your rental property signals the quality of your management and sets the tone for potential tenants.
- Small updates make a big impact: Simple changes like fresh paint, updated hardware, and well-maintained landscaping can dramatically improve curb appeal.
- Curb appeal drives value: Attractive properties not only command higher rents but also attract and retain quality tenants.
- Attention to detail counts: From lighting and windows to pavements and garage doors, every element contributes to a renter’s emotional connection with the home.
When a potential renter looks at your rental property, they are not just seeing it for themselves.
They also look at it through the eyes of their friends, family, colleagues, and visitors, because for the duration of the time that the person will live in that home, the rental becomes part of their identity.
So, for almost every tenant, the visual appeal of a rental property matters on a deeply emotional level. An attractive home is not just something nice to have; it impacts the renter’s social status. Tenants want to feel a deep sense of personal well-being every time they walk into the property.
The curb appeal of a rental property is not just for tenants; it matters for landlords too. The visual attractiveness of the rental is your most important marketing tool.
What the home looks like in pictures, videos, and real life will determine how potential renters interact with your ads. But that’s not all; the appearance of your rental property also tells a very important story.
It gives outsiders a sneak preview of the quality of your management. When they view your property, right from the outside of the home, would-be tenants are looking for telltale signs of what kind of landlord you are.
The only way you can quell their doubts is by showing them, not telling them.
What does great curb appeal look like for a rental property? What can you do today to make sure your investment property captures eyes and minds both in pictures and in real life?
Here, InterWest Properties offers eight of the most impactful strategies you can deploy right now to improve the curb appeal of your rental property.
8 Ways to Boost the Curb Appeal of Your Rental Property
1. Clean, Declutter, Repair, and Maintain
Start by taking good care of what you already have. It's easy to overlook the condition of your roof when doing routine maintenance and renovations, especially if it is not leaking. But from a distance, the roof is the most prominent part of your building.
Renters and other observers often see it before the rest of the house. Clean your roof, gutters, and downspouts. Make sure the shingles are in good condition and aligned. Fix any visible damage.
2. Update the Hardware and Front Entryway
Little things like doorknobs, house numbers, and mailboxes matter a lot. These inconspicuous elements of your rental’s design have an outsized impact on how visitors rate the property. Install new hardware or improve the look of existing hardware by polishing them.
Once visitors step onto the walkway, the front door of your rental becomes their focal point. Make it welcoming and attractive; repaint the front door in a nice color or install a new one.
3. Add a Fresh Coat of Paint
Painting the exterior of your property will improve its curb appeal dramatically. This is a relatively simple and fairly cheap upgrade. Repainting your rental also gives you a chance to fix defects on the exterior surfaces.
When choosing paint colors for the property, go with a timeless design. Also, keep factors like the building’s architectural design, roof color, neighborhood aesthetics, and the types of surfaces you are working with in mind.
4. Creative, Well-Manicured Landscaping With Diverse Plants
Simply making sure that lawns are properly cut, gardens are cared for, hedges are neatly trimmed, and weeds are removed is more than enough. But if you want to do more, add diverse native plants and ecosystems to the landscaping.
Also, pay attention to the hardscaping elements of your outdoor space. Making the area attractive to natural pollinators by including specific plant species will win the attention of a more affluent category of renters.
5. Adequate, Functional, and Attractive Lighting
Good lighting ought to be about safety, security, and aesthetics. Pathways, driveways, and the front entryway should have sufficient lighting, but that lighting shouldn’t just be functional.
Decorative lighting along walkways, near trees and shrubs, and along the border of the property makes your rental more inviting.
Use lights to highlight key features of the property and illuminate specific areas, such as the porch, at night. Tenants should be comfortable using the outdoor areas well after dark.
6. Clean and Spice Up Your Windows
After cleaning the roof, gutters, and downspouts and repainting the exterior of your building, you want to clean your windows until they sparkle. To make the windows really pop, update the trim paint with colors that contrast with the siding but highlight the colors of your building.
Another great option is to install window planters on a few windows on the street-facing side of the property. This will add color and depth to your windows.
7. Tidy Up Pavements and Parking Lots
Cracked walkways or parking lots, and misaligned or broken pavers not only create tripping hazards, but they also hurt the curb appeal of your rental.
Like the front entryway, they set the tone for what visitors expect to see inside your property, because they help to form visitors’ first impressions of the rental. If the pavement is in poor condition, consider resealing it or repaving the area. Sometimes all you need is a good power wash.
8. Garage Door Makeover
Garage doors are often treated as an afterthought when updating a rental property’s curb appeal. In a world of plain garage doors, adding a new garage door or revamping the appearance of the existing door can make a world of difference.
Options to consider when improving the look of your garage door include repainting it, replacing the hardware (hinges, handles, and door pulls), adding door trim and exterior lighting, as well as faux windows.
Improving the curb appeal of your rental property creates higher rental value and superior tenant retention rates.
Bottom Line
If a rental property looks good from the outside, potential renters automatically assume that it will look good on the inside.
This will let you charge higher rents, and you can also attract quality renters who will be more than willing to pay a rental rate that matches the aesthetics of the rental.
If you have more questions about how to boost your property’s curb appeal, contact InterWest Properties today!