The Money Mustache Community
Learning, Sharing, and Teaching => Real Estate and Landlording => Topic started by: HeidiO on June 16, 2012, 10:44:31 PM
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Just bought a little 2/1 in a very convenient neighborhood, just a few blocks from a much more expensive neighborhood. We now have it freshly painted/scrubbed/fixed up and have it w/ a property management company to rent out. The problem is it doesn't have a lot of curb appeal. It is neat, but very plain. I am debating repainting the trim. Honestly the only reason I am debating is that it is 98 degrees out every day, and there is a hell of a lot of trim to sand and repaint. Also, I had thought about a flower pot on the front stoop, but it is Albuquerque, so I would have to drive by and water every freakin day. I went ahead today and bought a red white and blue Welcome mat ($6) and stars & stripes bow ($4) for the front door.
Anyone have any inexpensive suggestions to add curb appeal? It is the desert, so it has a little vegetation, but any garden I put in will probably die as soon as the tenants get in.
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Okay, planning to be a little less lazy and complainey pants, and am going to paint the trim next weekend.
Heidi
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Hard to say without seeing the place... beyond the obvious stuff (make sure the front yard is super-clean, get rid of any weeds... do weeds even grow there?)
Maybe paint the front door a bright colour?
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Tried to post a picture and failed. One issue is that the house has black security doors and window bars. Very ugly, but I don't want to get rid of them. In my home, that has an identical beige stucco finish, I have spray painted the security door w/ almond appliance paint. It looks a lot better, and has held up perfectly (it's 1 year old.) I could spray paint all the metal bars...
Heidi
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Go plant some small (shin high) plants that need very little water.
Any nursery or even Lowes/Home Depot/WalMart should have some.
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I would look into Xeriscaping--there are lots of desert plants that grow well in Albuquerque that are quite pretty, and won't require supplemental water from you. Plants like aloe, agave (there are all kinds of colors and shapes of agave and some are stunning), creosote, etc. can all be very attractive if you put a little effort into designing the yard. Painting the trim and such in cheery bright colors can make a big difference too. If you do want to put some potted plants on the stoop, you can hook up an automatic drip system that will run off a garden hose, like this one http://www.amazon.com/Raindrip-R559DP-Automatic-Drip-Watering/dp/B0006VOR1G (http://www.amazon.com/Raindrip-R559DP-Automatic-Drip-Watering/dp/B0006VOR1G) (I am not recommending that particular model, just to give you an idea). My friend used something like that to water his strawberries in a raised bed in Tucson during the summer and it kept them alive and well so they can definitely work.
As far as not wanting to do the work outside because it's hot, well, time to get more badass I guess. :-)