Blog articles such as: Keep Your Apartment Clean!, Tips from the Pros: How to list your apartment, and Tips from the Pros: Clear the clutter all provide tips on how to put forth the best presentation when listing an apartment.
While a clean and clutter-free home is important, renters are increasingly more concerned with the added perks. What amenities or attributes make an apartment stand out from the rest? New York Habitat offers some useful suggestions for pumping up your vacation rental, as well as a few enticing examples of each.
A large downside of staying in a hotel is the impersonal living quarters. The rooms lack personality and the cozy warmth that accompanies a home. Children, especially, are often times bored by the colorless walls and the lack of entertainment. Apartment and home owners can do well to attract the large family market by incorporating child-themed bedrooms into their rentals.
This five-bedroom rental in République (PA-3739) provides 3 children’s rooms in addition to 2 other bedrooms.
This three-bedroom apartment in Harlem (NY-15751) provides a children’s room with a child size bed and a crib, and playful decorations on the wall.
Generation Next: High-speed Internet access
For those of us who have left the Puritan Generation (those born between 1588 and 1617), Internet and technology have become an important part of our lives. Whether traveling for business or pleasure, a high-speed Internet connection is a major attraction. Providing access to the Internet within a rental could sway a renter to choose your apartment over another.
An apartment like this two-bedroom rental in the Upper East Side, Manhattan (NY-14745) is even more tempting because of the flat screen television, and high-speed Internet access.
Dirty Work: On-site washer & dryer
This last issue is a problem faced by most New York City dwellers. What is the easiest and most efficient way to do laundry? The obvious answer is to wash and dry your clothes at home. However, most city apartments are not equipped with the necessary machinery. Apartments that have their own washer and dryer or apartment buildings that provide access to a laundry room are an immediate plus for potential renters, especially those staying for more than a week.
This one-bedroom apartment in the Upper West Side features on-site laundry facilities as well as many other amenities such as a 24-hour doorman, gym and common lounge.
A Quick Fix:
While these suggestions can be expensive changes to make, they will prove to be very useful in appealing to potential renters. However, if you are looking for a quick or less costly fix, purchase an espresso machine. Apartments that maintain a sufficient number of place settings in addition to wine glasses and a corkscrew will also tempt renters who enjoy company and/or dinner parties.
Do you have any tips for magnifying the attraction of an apartment? Leave them below.
The #1 place renters look is the bathroom. Especially if they are women. Make sure the bathroom is spotless. I recommend that clients replace the sink faucet, and if the countertop is in worn shape, refinish or replace it. Consider re-tiling the floor (as well as the kitchen floor). Its a small tile job and won’t cost that much. If the tub looks worn, refinish it. This is probably the highest ROI you can do. By doing these things, your place will rent faster, and for more money.
Thank you for your tip! It’s true that a dirty bathroom is an immediate
turn-off for many potential apartment renters, and can be easily remedied
with a little elbow grease and a one-time investment in modernizing. While
charming older apartment buildings attract many renters, the most
sought-after accommodations in New York are the ones that look clean and
well-maintained.