Painting tips on a house hack

[Mose Gebremeskel]

We recently just purchased our first property that we will house hack. The other unit - we are looking to rent out has stuff all over the way (I believe kids wrote on the walls and paint). Do I need to clean the wall first before painting? Just trying to do the most cost-effective approach. 

[Noah Bacon]

Hey Mose! 

Congrats on the recent purchase!

I would grab a few different length extendable paint poles (2-4 foot, 4-8 foot, and even up to 6-12 foot if needed) and a radial sander for the end of the paint poles. You can try and clean the walls as best as you can, but sanding them properly will help your next coat of paint really catch onto the surface and cover up those blemishes from before. If you are going from a darker to lighter color, it may take a second or third coat in the areas that there is writing. 

I've used Wooster for the Extendable Paint Poles and a Hyde Radial Sander for my properties to prep my walls in the past.