Wise Rental Repair/Maintenance Tricks

[Joe Edwards-Hoff]

Hey all,

So I have been reading around lately looking for advice on what "things" to put into a rental. I don't even know how to classify what I am looking for, so it made my searches much more narrow than what I wanted. Anyway, I titled this post so that hopefully we'll get some good responses and that it will be of use to people like myself.

My main question-

If you own a property that you are renting out and you plan to hold it for a long period of time, what tricks have you learned when it comes to- replacing flooring, appliances, paint, siding, roofing, everything?

I ask this because my wife and I are moving into our house, which we plan to rent out in a couple years, and it needs a good amount of cosmetic work. As we research what we want to put in, I have my end game in mind. I want to put in stuff that lasts. I've read a few good threads where people were discussing flooring. I heard everything from painting hardwood floors and installing commercial carpet with no pad, to tile, hardwood, etc. Personally, I was looking at loose lay vinyl for my kitchen and bathrooms, but the idea of tile looked good too.

Anyway, the way I see it is that for a rental, we want stuff that will last and will not get ruined easily OR something that we just can replace cheaply/easily if we assume it will get ruined. I know that my last landlord was the cheapest guy he could be, but sometimes I felt that it may have hurt him more than helped since the stuff he replaced didn't last, or even the fact that if he made the place nicer he would attract better tenants.

I have managed 1 SFR for the past 4 years, but other than that small amount of experience, I'd like to hear what everyone else has to say. Any tips or tricks that you have picked up would be greatly appreciated. Even brand names of materials you've used. Colors for paint, or how to get it cheap. Best type of flooring. Thoughts on the best type of roofing or siding. Appliances? I vote no on disposals. I worked at an college apartment complex once and spent half my summer pulling broken shot glasses out of the disposal.

Your thoughts are appreciated!