Re-staining wood floors to brighten apartment

[Lyle Cooper]

I own a high end rental in Manhattan.  10K+  rent.  When I rented it last year during a cold market it took 40 days to rent and the number one complaint was  the apartment is too dark.   The market was not very good during that period. This time around I rented it in 8 days.  Market was very hot.  However same complaint from prospective tenants - the apartment is too dark.

Here's a description of the place.  1500 sq ft over 2 floors.  The apartment occupies the 4th and 5th floors. 10 foot ceilings.  8 foot wall to wall windows facing east.  However, there is a white building about 35 feet away from my windows.  So there's not a ton of light coming in.   But light does bounce off the white building and at certain times in the day the light peeps in from overhead.  

Apartment is painted all white.  White kitchen, light gray bathroom.  However I made the dumb move of staining the floors Jacobean (one stain lighter than Ebony) when I first bought the place.  The floor darkens up the place quite a bit.

I cannot move that building or reposition my windows, but I can sand and re-stain the floors.  I think a pickled oak color would do justice for my 4" wide red oak floors. 

I have about 5-6 days during which the apartment will be vacant.  Is it worth spending the roughly ~3K it will cost to sand and re-stain the floors?

[Michael Lewis Lee]

Hello Lyle!  Yes, re-staining the floor with a lighter color can make a big difference but not the only decision.  You might ought to consider providing some replacement light fixtures that might make a difference even if you have to lower the rent a little as long as you still project a decent positive cash flow.  Just try to use a flooring firm that you can trust.  Do not go with the cheapest.  You usually get what you pay for.  Good luck!