getting a house prepared for a rental

[kimesha]

so i went to see another house yesterday. it actually was in pretty good shape from what i could see. little cosmetics needed to be done, but i conversed with two other landlords that i know and they said don't bother with the cosmetics. for example, ther are only two cabinets in the kitchen. the kitchen is kinda big. i'm a women and i know it could use more storage space, especially for a 3 bedroom house. tiles on the bathroom were old and falling off. should i worry about these things if i have an intention to rent it out. my two friends recommended that i seperate myself from the house and only concentrate on things that it needs not things that i want. my question is how do you know what to update and what to leave like it is for a rental?

[Dan Auito]

Your answer lies in the book Kimesha, read grasshopper!
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/3/prweb223901.htm (http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/3/prweb223901.htm)

[Aldo]

Cosmetics are generally regarded as inexpensive but readily observed things, though you may get five different definitions from five different people. You might want to compare those 'cosmetics' with the cosmetics used by people of the female persuasion, which is where the term originated. With due respect to the 'appearance impaired' ladies out there, a rather unattractive face can be made to be something quite the opposite with a touch of this here and a touch of that there. Applying that to a home, to me, would equate to well maintained landscaping, a shiny new mailbox and doorknobs/locks, and maybe even shutters on the windows for the exterior. For the interior, cleanliness is a must. Add to that things like window blinds, bright cheery paint, and......well, I think you get the drift.

Replacing cabinets is a minor issue, especially in a large kitchen. Thousands of dollars in not cosmetics. The tiles falling off in the outhouse leads me to think that they are the old plastic tiles. If so, you are looking at a huge amount of work. The adhesive is nearly impossible to remove and is often covered with new drywall. That certainly is not cosmetics. If there are replacement plastic (unlikely) tiles on hand, it's a simple fix.

Knowing what to do for a rental, as opposed to owner-occupied, depends on what your market requires for the specific property. In one area a total gut-rehab is the way to go. Two miles away, in a low-income area, you could get away with attaching a mis-matched plastic tile and tell applicants that they are accent tiles. I know someone who did that and the new tenants fell for it.

I'm tryin' to help ya, but it's not an easy task without knowing your area and because some of your questions are too general in nature. Keep asking and I'll reply as best I can.