Curb appeal is important for any rental home in Philadelphia. 

For your single-family rental property, however, the curb appeal is even more relevant because of the tenants who typically look for single-family homes. These are renters who want the experience of owning their own home without the cost, the commitment, and the maintenance. They want a nice yard and an attractive exterior. They expect extra space indoors and outdoors, as well as privacy. 

Improving the curb appeal is worth your time and resources. Curb appeal creates a first impression. It allows prospective tenants to connect emotionally with the home you’re offering. 

Better curb appeal leads to higher rental values, well-qualified tenants, and shorter vacancies. 

Here are some of the ways we recommend you improve the curb appeal of your single-family Philadelphia rental home. 

Provide a Dedicated Parking Area

Nothing will ruin your property’s curb appeal like a collection of cars parked on the grass. 

It doesn’t look good, and your property deserves better (so does your lawn). 

When tenants rent a single-family home, they don’t expect to be parking in a lot or on the street. They’re looking for a garage or a driveway, or at the very least a dedicated parking spot that isn’t right up against the house or on the lawn. 

A garage is ideal – whether it’s an attached garage or a separate structure. Work on making it attractive. Doors that open remotely are a huge benefit, and make sure it looks like an ideal place to park a car and not simply a storage area. Winters in our area are cold. Having a garage will not only improve your curb appeal, it will also bring in higher rental prices. 

If you don’t have a garage at your rental home, consider a carport. These offer protection to your tenant’s vehicle, and there are many models and structures that are attractive while being space-conscious. 

When both these options are impossible at your single-family home, carve out a space that is meant for parking a car. You can identify it as a parking area by having it paved or using gravel to separate it from the yard. 

Improve Your Landscaping  

Single-family rental homes need landscaping that is attractive and low-maintenance. 

Your tenants might look forward to the idea of having a lawn to take care of. Perhaps this is why they’re looking for a single-family home instead of a unit in a multi-family building. But, you don’t want to overwhelm them. Keep the landscaping simple and easy to maintain. Make sure it’s welcoming and inviting but also sparse. Your tenants might have some ideas for planting their own flowers or getting creative with pavers and mulch. 

When you’re renting out a home with a yard, there’s a lot to work with when it comes to curb appeal and marketing your property. 

• Make sure the grass is cut and healthy. 
• Trim the bushes and weed any of the flower beds you may have at the property. 
• Shovel snow from walkways and remove any ice if you’re showing the home in the winter.
• Consider putting up a fence if you don’t have one already. This will look great and it will also attract those tenants who have children and pets. 

A well-maintained yard is a huge selling point when it comes to attracting tenants. 

If your tenants are not excited about caring for the lawn and landscaping themselves, hire a professional service. They can make the necessary curb appeal improvements and then take care of regular mowing and lawn care while your property is occupied. 

Give Your Philadelphia Rental Home a Good Wash 

Power washing is easy and inexpensive. Maybe you have your own power washer. If not, you can rent one. You can even hire someone to power wash your home, and it’s cost-effective. 

You’ll be impressed at how different your rental home looks once you give it a good wash. There’s a lot of debris, dirt, pollen, and wayward leaves clinging to the outside of your rental home. Your driveway and sidewalks can likely use a good cleaning, too. Pavement tends to get darker as the dirt accumulates. 

This will spruce up your exterior before tenants begin visiting the property. 

Invest in an Exterior Paint Job

When the power washing is complete and your home still looks less than impressive, it might be a good idea to consider new paint. Throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey, we get a lot of cold wind and snow and ice in the winter and then plenty of humidity and unforgiving sun in the summer. That puts a lot of wear on a home’s exterior paint job. 

This is also a big part of curb appeal because it’s hard to miss the paint. If a prospective tenant arrives for a showing and the paint on the house or the building looks faded, chipped, or dirty, they’re not going to feel great about living there.

Schedule painters to give your home a modern, clean look. Paint the front door, too. Consider a color that pops, like red or yellow. 

Update Your Lighting 

Good lighting outside your property is more than aesthetically pleasing – it’s also a security issue. 

You want your tenants and their guests to feel safe coming home and going out. With good lighting, your property will look pretty in the evenings. Install appropriate lighting at the front door, on the side of the house, and in the back. Motion lights can be a good idea in garages, carports, or outdoor structures like sheds. 

The idea is to create a peaceful and pleasant outdoor space at your rental property in Philadelphia. This gives your single-family home a welcoming and clean look. The curb appeal will help you attract better tenants and higher rents. 

These are our general recommendations, but we know your house isn’t like other houses. Contact us at TCS Management for a personalized set of tips that will really make your property stand out in the rental market. 

TCS Management is a full service property management company headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, also serving Harrisburg, PA, Cherry Hill, NJ, Wilmington, Delaware and the surrounding areas. We focus on single-family and multifamily residential property management of homes, condos, townhomes, and apartment buildings.