If you plan to rent out your home, there’s a lot to be done. There are a thousand things to be done behind the scenes as well as finding a realtor to work with. However, as much as behind the scenes work is instrumental in putting your house on the market for rent, there’s more to it. No one will rent a house that’s dysfunctional or out of date. That’s why home updates are in order before putting your home up for rent.
Replace Old Fixtures
Something frequently overlooked but incredibly important with home updates is replacing old fixtures. That includes:
- Sink faucets. If your sink faucets look gross or are incredibly outdated looking, it’s going to be a huge turn off for potential buyers. An unfortunate paint color can be forgiven with a modern faucet installed.
- Doorknobs. While most doorknobs are acceptable these days, bright yellow, brass doorknobs are a huge eyesore. They were a trend for a little while in the late 20th century, but no more. All they accomplish now is revealing how long it’s been since your home was properly updated.
- Light fixtures. These are frequently ignored in favor of other updates but, like faucets and doorknobs, are actually one of the most important updates to make. Fixtures are the one thing in a house that changes decade to decade and will therefore make your home appear outdated.
Ditch Wallpaper
One thing, in addition to fixtures, that will give away how old your home is, is wallpaper. Wallpaper almost always looks tacky and after a few years will begin to degrade and peel. That will leave you with a mess to deal with. You’ll either have to remove degraded wallpaper or live with unattractive walls until you do. Therefore, when it comes time to put your home up for rent, if you haven’t bothered to get rid of wallpaper until now, now’s the time.
Expand
There are a couple of reasons to expand your home if you’re planning on putting it up for rent.
- First off, if you’re moving somewhere else and renting out the entire space, adding some extra bedrooms will make it possible to charge more for rent and the house will accommodate bigger families. This is especially important if your home only has one or two bedrooms in it. Extra bedrooms can be used as office space if they’re not needed for sleeping space.
- The second reason is that, should you be interested, you may be able to continue living in your home and, instead, sublet. This would allow you to share part of the house with renters while keeping part of it to yourself. While having a standard roommate isn’t most adults’ idea of a good living situation, you can live separately. You can turn your basement into a suite and give it a separate entrance. If that’s not your thing, you can add space to the first floor, giving both of you separate living spaces while potentially sharing a kitchen. There are a number of ways to expand your home in a way that will allow you to sublet.
Contact Heidan Construction if you have any renovation or expansion needs. We’re the leading construction company in Toronto and we look forward to helping you with your home updates.
