3 Easy Ways To Improve Your Apartment Building Exterior

You may think improving your apartment building’s exterior is a daunting task. However, with a few simple and cost-effective strategies, you can make a big difference in its look and feel, creating a more welcoming and attractive place for your residents. 

This guide will discuss how to transform your building’s exterior without spending considerable resources such as money or time. Whether you are a property manager looking to boost tenant satisfaction or a homeowner who wants  to enhance their home, these practical tips can help you make your building’s exterior stand out, creating a more pleasant and inviting living environment.

Start Enhancing Your Investment Property Today!

Do you wish to beautify your apartment building to attract more residents? If so, here are three easy ways to improve your apartment building exterior:

1. Renovate the Front of Your Property

It is said that first impressions often tend to be last impressions. This is true for people as much as it is true for properties. 

As a property manager, you probably assumed an interested party’s  first impression of your property was when they toured a unit. However, that may not always be the case. It is more likely they formed their first impression from passing by and observing the front of your property.

Renovations and repairs are always important for modernizing a unit, but the property front will always be the first thing passers see as they drive by. It should be at the top of your checklist for boosting property value.

Below are some tips to focus on for maintaining the front or entrance of your property:

1. Keep your greenery and plants well-maintained. A freshly mowed lawn, neatly trimmed bushes, and vibrant flower beds all create a welcoming and inviting atmosphere for potential tenants and residents. Also, you can combine greenery with stone beds and loose stones to prevent walking hazards.
   While there are potential concerns associated with allowing tenants to grow their own plants on their balconies, there are several benefits to consider. For instance, plants can help purify the air, enhance the aesthetics of apartment buildings, and create a more pleasant living environment.
2. Make sure to keep your plants and greenery under control so they don’t block the front of your property. If you have a scenic view that can be seen from your property , avoid blocking those views. This way, your tenants know that they will be getting a great deal and can easily access these locations, such as a beach from your property.
3. Give the front a fresh new paint job. It might even be worth repainting the entire property to make it appear newer. It makes it pleasing for both current and future tenants.
   
4. If your property is right next to a street with a concrete sidewalk, you’ll notice some cracks that may have occurred due to wear and tear, earthquakes, or rising temperatures over time. Depending on the severity of the crack, you should look into repairing it. Smaller cracks are easily repairable through products purchased at a DIY store like Home Depot.
5. Ensure that the  controlled access gate is working without any hitches. A rusty gate that’s hard to open doesn’t give a sense of protection like an electronically controlled, accessible gate does.

2. Say Goodbye to the Grass and Hello to the Granite

The water bill is an unavoidable, necessary cost that can make or break any type of housing. A lease may include utilities as a set price or a tenant may be directly responsible for their usage. No matter the case, the landlord is always responsible for the nice-looking lawn in front of the apartment building. Greenery is like a breath of fresh air compared to concrete and asphalt. However, your water bill may have you wishing for an alternative. We propose to consider using decomposed granite.

Eroded solid granite creates the fine, sand-like appearance of decomposed granite. If you’ve lived in or visited California, chances are you’ve seen it around; decomposed granite became popular in the landscape due to it being a drought-tolerant substance. 

While you may find it hard to distinguish it from gravel at first glance, decomposed granite’s attributes have distinct advantages over gravel. It offers stability and can keep dust down making it ideal for California weather. It’s also quite colorful, coming in shades of brown, gray, black, red, and green. Decomposed granite is relatively easy to maintain. It is permeable, provides good drainage, and you can  easily add more when the elements cause it to erode and blow away. As a bonus, it’s not very attractive to pests!

Due to its cost-effectiveness, decomposed granite won’t break the bank either. The raw material typically costs about $40-$50 for a cubic yard and can be bought at most DIY landscape stores. In the long term, using decomposed granite to replace the front lawn can help save money and lower your water bill! 

3. Upgrade Your Lighting and Add Some Shine

Having well-lit apartments leads to happier, better-paying tenants. Did you know that just adding a few low-cost lights can make a big difference in your bottom line? The sheer amount of lighting options and seasonal trends available can be overwhelming.

In most cases, choosing trendy, over-the-top statement pieces or poorly planned layouts can waste hundreds of dollars on items that can easily become damaged, faulty, or impractical for tenants. Below are the most cost-effective, practical, and attractive lighting options for rentals:

1. Ambient or “General” Lighting

Ambient lighting is the most basic aspect of indoor lighting. It should be well-balanced to avoid awkwardly dark areas or overly bright, glaring areas. Ambient lighting aims to produce a natural glow that allows your tenants to enjoy a well-lit space.

While many different light fixtures can create ambient lights, ceiling-mounted, recessed lights are generally most effective in rental units. They produce a 360-degree radius of light, which can easily illuminate any room shape without other types of light fixtures. This type of fixture is visually appealing and unlikely to be damaged. While recessed lights are effective for any room, they are made even more effective by opting for a lighter paint color or dimmers. Dimmers require little or no additional cost to install and allow tenants to adjust the “mood” of the room easily. Just make sure you use a qualified electrician and dimmer switches that are easy for tenants.

2. Task Lighting

Task light refers to light sources that purposefully illuminate a space. For example, nightstand lamps, bathroom vanity lights, nightlights, or under-the-cabinet lights in the kitchen. Of these light fixtures, under-the-cabinet kitchen and bathroom vanity lights are the most important for rental properties. Most tenants appreciate having available task lighting. If your property has these lighting options, it will help you keep it occupied and charge a higher rent.

There are multiple options for under-the-cabinet lighting, such as puck light, linkable, plug-in, dimmable, linear, and concealed; be sure to consult with your electrician about which works best in your space.

3.  Accent Lighting

Also known as “highlighting,” accent lighting aims to draw attention to a specific area in the home, typically for aesthetic purposes. Accent lighting shines a light – pun intended – on a feature you intend to highlight in your property.

Most rental properties do not need accent lights except in furnished luxury units. In many luxury rental properties, such as those found in Manhattan Beach communities, tenants expect some accent lighting. If you choose to use accent lighting on your rental property, focusing on the kitchen or bathrooms would be best. 

Additionally, choose lights that are sturdy, classically attractive, and that work with the aesthetic of the rest of the unit. When picking pieces, ask, “Would this break if a child threw a Nerf ball?” If the answer is “yes,” pick another fixture!

Whatever option you choose, always keep in mind the needs and comfort of the tenant, and it will help make it a lucrative investment in your property.

Improve your Apartment Building Exterior with BFPM

We at BFPM understand the importance of apartment building exterior and leave no stone unturned to improve it. Our property experts provide professional services for enhancing apartment building exteriors. They leverage their experience to suggest and help execute cost-effective improvements. BFPM’s property managers know local regulations and design trends, ensuring compliance and providing a modern look to the property. 

By streamlining efforts, we can improve the overall appearance of apartment buildings, making them more attractive, increasing tenant satisfaction, and enhancing property value.

Don’t forget to perform regular inspections so you can ensure your property remains in its best shape!

Read our related blog here:

How to Decorate Your Apartment Without Damaging it: 10 Ideas