Styling for rent

Has anyone styled an IP for rent to maximise returns and get better quality tenants?
I am considering this for a property that will be vacant in a couple of months and would love to hear form anyone who has done it.

 

Nope - clean, functional and neutral is all you need. If you can idiot-proof fittings then all the better.

 

Lizzie, when you say idiot-proof, what do you mean? I'll be doing up places in the near future and that's the type of thing I'm interested in doing.

 

Make sure everything is easy to use, or leave explicit instructions.

For example, my oven won’t work if the clock is not set. So after a blackout or electrical work I make sure the oven clock is set, any time will do as I don’t use the timer. If I was renting this house out, I would make sure each tenant was aware of this to avoid unnecessary maintenance requests.

And does the hot water system have to be topped up? Leave instructions. Yep, on our first house we called a plumber when the hot water ran out. Plumber simply pulled a lever and filled the tank!

And spend a few hundred dollars and get all locks keyed alike, if possible. One key. Best money we ever spent on our PPOR.
Marg

 

in my experience when you go to the trouble of making something idiot proof, you find they develop a higher class of idiot.

 

I won’t spend money on staging a rental property, but will take lots of photos when it’s fully furnished, preferably with nice furnishings.

 

If it’s a good property it won’t be on the rental market long enough.

If it’s a crap property no amount of furniture will make it better

 

great suggestions, i will check this out when it is vacant. i have not lived there so do not know those little tricks.

 

the problem with this is that it depends on the current tenants furnishings which area not great and they can be very messy with a small child. i was thinking of putting some furniture in and getting professional photos taken which can then be used for the next handful of years if the tenant turns over. the sale photos were taken with the property empty.

 

I think for a rental it's absolutely fine to have photos of a vacant property. It gives a signal to prospective tenants that it's available, whereas a photos of a property with furniture doesn't.

 

That's a lot of expense, for not a lot of gain. Your nice shiny photos might get tenants there, in a few years time, but then they may leave again in disgust when the property shows more signs of wear than were visible in the photos. All that is required are photos of the property in it's current condition, and great maintenance throughout the tenancy.

 

Idiot proof means simple to operate - vertical blinds - simple electric cooktop - the old KISS strategy.

My absolute best - and trouble free - rentals are two 1970's brick and concrete beasts - concrete floors (carpeted and lino), ceilings and rendered internal walls, brick exterior walls painted white - can't kill it with a sledgehammer. One even has the original kitchen in. Wish I had a dozen more.

 

If you have a simple cook top you are more likely to get simple tenants. A good gas cook top can get a much higher rent, depending on the market of course. It is the number one priorty for a particular type of tenant. It could get a higher rent than phoney photos that disappoint on inspection. My most trouble free tenants like cooking.

 

Many agents in SW Sydney have 1 exterior shot (of a block of units) and a brief description. No fixed OFI time.

Whether that works or just wastes time is a matter of opinion.

 

Yes agreed. So the secret is to find a Tenant with good taste, and take photos where they live there ..... There are photographers who can photoshop furnitures into an empty property but the quality varies......

 

Have a modest house coming up for rent in approx 6 weeks in the Inner West in Sydney. Am extremely tempted to stage it for RENT. May be a failed experiment but I need to know first hand whether it works...particularly in a slow rental market.

To keep costs down, am thinking of investing maybe $1,000 max in getting some used, classic furniture and accessories ie always in vogue pieces/items and storing it in my garage. I'd like to think I have impeccable taste so it won't look cheap and nasty. Will reuse the furniture every time I have a vacancy - potentially get an Airtasker to move it in and out. In addition, I'll get a professional photographer (off Airtasker or I'll get it cheaper via the agent's contacts) to take the shots post staging.

I've got several IPs within a 20km radius so there are economies of scale.

Am I deluding myself in thinking it will make a significant difference in the $ rent achieved?

 

I'd pay for professional photos but not the staging, unless we're talking big potential weekly rental numbers (more than $1k/week).

 

Not sure professional photos of an empty property is worth the investment. Am guessing approx $150-200 for pro shots.