As a vacation rental homeowner, it is important to have your home stand out among the competition when visitors are searching for a place to rent. Renters want a place that feels like a getaway from their regular lives, so nicer, updated homes are going to be most appealing. Now not all vacationers are looking for high-end luxury, but even vacationers that are content with a more basic home deserve a clean and inviting place to retreat. When you renovate your home, you make it more appealing to a larger demographic while also being able to charge more per week. In return, people are willing to pay more to stay in a nicer home.
Here are some improvements you can make to keep your home up to date while maximizing your return on investment:
Kitchen Renovation
Nice kitchens can be a big selling feature for renters. As they flip through pictures of your home, nice, bright kitchens with updated cabinets, counter-tops, and appliances will catch their eye. It’s important to make sure everything is in working order first and foremost, but also that the style of your kitchen stays up to date. Not all homes need a gourmet kitchen, but as a homeowner you should at least try to keep it modern in order to increase the value and appeal of your home.
Remodel Bathrooms
Old showers, tubs, sinks, and outdated fixtures in a bathroom can be unappealing to renters. And with all the use from family after family, all of these things can become stained, cracked, and seem dirty no matter how much you try to clean them. Whether you just want to replace old items with a simple, newer version or update to a more luxurious feel, your renters will be thankful for the cleanliness and upkeep of a room that sees so much use from many different people.
Replace Flooring
The flooring in a rental home will see so much traffic in just a few short months. All the sand and salt water tracked in along with spills, other wear and tear, etc. will wreak havoc on your flooring. Visitors aren’t overly concerned with minor wear and tear, as it is expected, but when your floors start looking and feeling noticeably dingy you should replace them. Carpet will become worn, stained, and matted down. Hardwoods can become faded, scratched, and cracked. Tile flooring is durable, but you and your renters may not want that in every room of the house. When updating your flooring, it’s also important to choose the best flooring option for each room in order to help maintain longevity.
Siding or Exterior Renovations
It’s not just the inside of a vacation home that matters to renters. As a vacationer, you want to pull up to your rental home and actually feel like you’re on vacation. Curb appeal can be a deciding factor in choosing a vacation home. Some people may not even give the home a second look if the exterior is not up to par. The outside of your home can deteriorate with all the salt and sun, so it’s important to keep up with the exterior maintenance of your home by replacing old siding when needed and redoing the paint job ever so often.
Replace Decks and Balconies
A combination of sun and the salty air of the Outer Banks can do serious damage to your outdoor living areas. Wooden decks and balconies can dry out and become faded, cracked, and potentially unsafe to renters causing your home to be unappealing. Replace your decks and balconies with new wood or even upgrade to a more substantial material. If your home doesn’t currently have decks or balconies, adding these features is a great way to make your home more appealing to renters. Renters find it nice to have an outdoor area where they can bathe in the sun during the day and relax in the cool air in the evening.
Replace the Windows
Beautiful new windows will add to the curb appeal of the home and freshen up the interior as well. Replace those worn out windows and frames to not only make the outside more appealing but also keep the home properly insulated while adding lots of natural light. With all the warm air and sunshine visitors will enjoy on the Outer Banks, they will certainly be running the air conditioning. Replacing your windows will keep your visitors cool, the interior bright, and your energy bill down.
While this is not an exhaustive list of the renovations Stan White Construction can assist you with, it gives you some idea of what visitors look for in a vacation home. Please contact us at (252) 441-5355 if you have ideas or would like expert opinions on how to renovate your home to maximize your rental income.