Landlords: steer clear of gaudy!
Interior Design
Naoimh Tuohy
It’s one thing to handle the interior design of your own house or apartment. It is, after all, your space. Your style. You can go as quirky or as minimalist as you wish. You can paint it every colour of the rainbow and hang feather boas from the chandeliers if that’s your bag. You will offend no one but yourself ... and quite possibly everyone that walks through your front door. Ultimately, the choice is yours to decorate as you see fit.
Investment properties, by their very nature, are a different ball game. The purchase of such a property can be a stressful undertaking in itself. Snagging, finance, management and lease agreements all need to be dealt with as efficiently as possible so as to maximise one’s investment. This is why one needs to get the design aspect of it right from the outset in order to secure the right tenant at the right rental level.
Keeping it neutral, classy and clutter free is the key to success. There are thousands of apartments out there competing with yours, and the trick is not only getting as many people as possible to walk through the doors of your apartment but to ensure that they love it so much that they’ll want to sign on the dotted line there and then.
As with any business venture, your budget is key. You want it to look good but not cost the earth. More importantly, you want it to last. Rental properties are subjected to more wear and tear than average. Their occupants are relatively short term and unlikely to show it the love and care you would. So, pick your furniture with this in mind.
Alternatively, outsource the job to someone else. Depending on the calibre of client and location of the property, a fit out for an average two-bedroom apartment can cost anywhere from €5,000 (ex VAT) up to €25,000 and higher. This price should cover everything – floors, window dressing, furniture, prints, mirrors – the lot. The apartment should be ready for a tenant to walk in and take up residency.
Attention to detail is also paramount to securing that coveted tenant. Dressing the bedrooms and living room can go a long way towards making your property more appealing. Making the place warm and inviting with throws, cushions and ornaments is a clever and cost-effective way of appealing to a wider audience.
However, you also need to know when enough is enough. Put in too little and it will look like you either ran out of money or got bored. Too much, and the client will feel like they’re standing in a bric-a-brac shop. Tenants like to make the apartments theirs. They’ll want to put their mark on it. So let them. Chances are, if they feel like it’s their home, they’ll take better care of it.
Most fit outs have a turn-around completion time of three to four weeks, and they will more than likely come with a price tag not dissimilar to what it would have cost you had you done it yourself. But most importantly, the whole package will come with the knowledge and expertise of fitters and designers who do this every day of the week and know how to achieve the right results. So, save yourself time and money (and heart- and headaches) – think about picking up the phone and asking someone who knows.
