Before and After Part 3

This is the final group of photos from our latest rental house re-do.  Earlier this week I shared photos of the exterior transformation and the interior renovations.

Now, for the kitchen. 
Which was BEYOND disgusting.
The former free-loading tenants took the stove and refrigerator and left a dirty mess.

before
  

after

Do I really need to caption the photos with "before" and "after" - or is it a bit obvious?

after

after

We replaced the knobs and handles and hinges.
We also painted the cabinets and walls.
And replaced the floors with vinyl that looks like wood - which I mentioned here.
My husband installed a new faucet.
My mom also bought new appliances at Lowe's - where we should buy stock.
The covered roller shade over the window was an easy project.

The kitchen portion of the remodel cost less than $2,000 - which includes the cost of the stainless oven, vent hood, dishwasher, and refrigerator.  My mom purchased the appliances at Lowe's during an appliance sale.

So, the interior of the house basically needed...

(1) fresh paint
(2) new flooring
(3) new lighting
(4) new towel racks and faucets
(5) new appliances

The exterior needed..
(1) new soffits
(2) new paint
(3) repair of damaged and rotting wood.
(4) new shutters.


Do you have a dirty rental house you need to sell?
Or maybe need to get your own home on the market?

Here are
A couple of tips we learned along the way
A.)  One of the most noticeable changes (not visible in the photos) are the ceilings.  My mom hired a painter to paint the ceilings a super-duper white.  The extra-white ceilings make everything else "feel" cleaner and newer.  (The painter mixed ceiling white with exterior white paint.)
B.) New lighting keeps a home from seeming dated - even if the new fixtures are not expensive.
C.)  Fresh paint is a MUST, not an option.  Paint can cover over a multitude of problems.
D.)  Try to reach a happy balance between what you want in a dream home and what will sell to someone in this particular price range.  
E.)  New and clean is key.  Switch plates, wall paint, flooring, lighting, faucets, mailbox, knobs, door mats - whatever you can afford.  Just one less thing to look "old" and "pre-owned."

With so many homes available on the market, right now, buyers can be choosy and want a house with very little maintenance required.  Everything needs to look like it is low-maintenance or new, even if it is not.

We are so thankful to have this project BEHIND us.  It was overwhelming at first.  My sister took the first group of photos before we ever saw the house (when there was a dead dog in a box on the front porch).  We can look back now and laugh at our first trip to see the house after the photos.  I took Mr. Clean Magic Erasers and my mom brought a mop!  We had no idea how disgusting the home was just from the photos!  The magic erasers and mop stayed in the car because the work that was required the first few days was much more intense. 

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you remember that we JUST went through this same process with deadbeat renters in a property we owned in Atlanta.  Here are the before and after photos and projects from that rehab.  It was a similar level of disgusting, but with dirty diapers and a sabotaged electric panel.

I have heard from so many of you who have been faced with similar rental house or foreclosure situations.  You can do it!  Just hold your nose and put on some plastic gloves and get to work!  I feel your pain!

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