Don't Do This!

If you are going to rehab a property -- please, please, for everything that is sacred and holy in the world of rehabbing properties, do not get lazy and paint over wallplates like this!  This is one of my pet peeves.

I just purchased a rental property and found this as the worst painted-over wallplate in the house, but there were others.  How do I deal with these?

a) Score around the wallplate with a utility knife.

b) Scrape the paint off the screw so I can unscrew it (usually with a small screwdriver).

c) Tap/hit the outlet a few times to loosen the paint on the outlet itself.

d) Remove the wallplate.

Note that this requires changing the entire outlet, not just putting on a new wallplate!