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Updated over 2 years ago on . Most recent reply

User Stats

40
Posts
24
Votes
Afam Agbodike
  • Rental Property Investor
  • New Haven, CT
24
Votes |
40
Posts

Rule of thumb for how much to spend on a kitchen / bath?

Afam Agbodike
  • Rental Property Investor
  • New Haven, CT
Posted

I'm 2 months into my first investment property and am looking for guidance on what to do for the kitchen and bath. In particular I'm wondering how much to spend on kitchen and bath upgrades.

Some details on my property:

I bought a duplex in New Haven, CT in early June for $420,000 and it needs a lot of work (somewhere between $60k - $100k). There is a 3 bed 1 bath unit on top, a 2 bed 1 bath unit on the ground floor, and an unfinished basement.

It is an older building, and while it has pretty good bones, it is VERY dated and has some significant deferred maintenance issues. Most of the work I have no problem figuring out what to do, but I've been struggling to decide how much to spend for the kitchen and bathroom upgrade. The ground floor ABSOLUTELY needs a new kitchen, and the upstairs unit kitchen upgrade it is somewhat optional. If I were to fully remodel the upstairs kitchen there would also be the option of putting in a half bath.

The property is on the edge of a B class neighborhood, with a C / D class neighborhood nearby, so I will never get the best tenants, but I still want to target the highest quality of tenant for the location. I believe the 3 bed should rent for at least $2,300 and the 2 bed at least $1,900 (I might be able to get more, but prefer to be conservative on my projections).

So... any suggestions on how I should budget for the kitchen? I'd also love suggestions on the grade of the cabinets, countertops / appliances. I know laminate is the cheapest, but I'm concerned about the durability, I've never seen laminate that wasn't starting to get damaged after a few years)

Thanks for any help!

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