If you’re prepping an older Royal Oak rental property for new tenants, you may be contemplating measures to renovate the home and, probably, entice a new generation of renters. However, before you commence tearing out or painting over things, there are various features in older homes that you shouldn’t remodel. Not only do these features show off a home’s beauty and character, but on the other hand, making an effort to change them may become far more expensive than it’s worth. Before you modify any unique features of your property, consider the benefits of keeping the features on our list.
Hardwood Floors
You may be wondering or thinking only as regards the long-term maintenance involved. Don’t be too quick to take out or hide hardwood flooring. Both you and your tenants can appreciate the beauty of a hardwood floor, and it can even help give your property values a boost. Just look into all the carpet cleaning you can avoid after each move-out.
Exposed Beams and Mantels
Same way, if your property has wooden mantels or exposed ceiling beams, rethink again before stripping them or painting over them. Natural wood features continue to be very well-liked and popular with homeowners and renters and gives a warm look to any room. Refinish a wooden mantel or leave your rustic wood beams as it is, yielding a fine farmhouse feel that will make your rental stand out.
Millwork, Arches, and Pocket Doors
Older homes, mainly those built before the turn of the twentieth century, frequently have unique design features like special crown molding, arched doorways, pocket doors, and even medallions and other trim on the ceilings and walls. Even though such features may not look as though they do have a place in modern architecture, think again! Such unique details are trendy and in-demand again, which will only amplify your rental property’s appeal.
Stained Glass
Another unique element, in most cases, detected in older homes is stained glass. The popularity of stained glass windows has come and gone over the decades, and various people will constantly find it unsightly. But even so, that doesn’t imply you should rip it out. Colored glass panes help intensify the light in dark spaces while keeping privacy. At the same time, you can choose to move the stained glass panes to a less prominent place in the house, such as a bathroom window. This will be useful to preserve the home’s unique style and history while warranting you to appeal to a wide range of renters.
Banquettes and Butler Pantries
After decades of homes built without utility rooms and built-in features, demand for these useful elements has come back stronger than ever. Therefore, if your older rental home has a butler pantry (small room next to the kitchen) or banquettes (built-in bench seating), you should think about preserving them. Homeowners and renters alike admire the utility and convenience of built-ins, while a butler pantry makes a great coffee station, work, or storage area.
Planning a rental property renovation is, at all times, a real challenge and well, even a nuisance. Nevertheless, it’s vital not to lose the appeal of your property’s unique details. Rather than trying to get rid of them, working with them can be of great value to incorporate character, charm, and value into your property.
Would you be interested to learn more about creating a rental property that tenants will like? Trust the local experts at Real Property Management Metro Detroit. You can call us at 248-808-6550 or contact us online.
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