Is it necessary to renovate kitchen from the 80s?

[Hongqing Yao]

I recently bought an old apartment in Coolidge Corner, Brookline MA. It is a very populated commercial area. The apartment lacks a lot of fixes. It has cracked painted wallpaper all over the place. It also has kitchen and bathroom in 80's style. I want to fix wall cracks, repaint and rent it out. The question is should I update the kitchen and bathroom? 

This area is very expensive but a little bit lower in rent than downtown Boston. I think the return in rent is relatively low.

Thanks!

[Harrison Harner]

I don't own property in Boston, but I did live there (and rented) for 5 years. This is a bit anecdotal based on my own experience as a renter, but I can tell you that the location, and features (i.e. laundry, deck, yard, driveway, etc.) were more important than finish for my roommates and I. As long as it's not in complete disrepair, I would leave it as-is. Chances are you're going to rent to college students or young professionals that are more worried about what bars and shops they can walk to than what the finishes look like.