Make that apartment look irresistible for a prospective tenant

For property, first impressions are lasting impressions. If the exterior of your apartment is not up to par, a prospective tenant may not want to live there. Increasing your property’s curb appeal by removing weeds, trash, and debris is tick.

Landlords ought to ensure the lawn and undergrowth are well cared for and if they have a verandah or outdoor area, adding a few flowers and plants to create an inviting, lived in feeling is great.

According to Winnie Aruho, a real estate dealer in Matugga, the easiest way to make your apartment look expensive and classy for prospective tenants is to simply emphasize its positives.

She advises landlords to check out local newspapers, real estate offices, and websites, and look for properties that are similar in location, price, and specs (number of bathrooms, bedrooms, square footage, among other things) to yours.

“If a rival property is emphasising a renovated kitchen, stay away from competing in that area if yours is 10 years old. Instead, your selling point should be the floor to ceiling windows that bathe the apartment in sunlight. Have a balcony or backyard courtyard perfect for entertaining? Close to public transportation? Sell those features.”

She opines that every property has something special and property owners just have to understand what makes theirs unique and desirable.

Sharon Nantege, a design expert in Kampala, says true to its name, the living room is arguably the most important room in the home since it is where life happens and, in most floor plans, it is one of the first spaces one sees upon entering the apartment.

To create a living room worth the comfort, she advises property owners to make a layered lighting concept, to have a variety of light sources that add depth to the room.

“You could also hang a great pendant light in place of a traditional table lamp. Try plug-in chandeliers. Placing these next to furniture arrangements can be an affordable way to update a space without bearing the cost of rewiring a wall. Adding dimmer switches is another way to make a room feel expensive, this lets you adjust the lighting so a space feels warm and cozy,” she says.

She advises landlords to ensure their curtains hit the floor since a good window treatment can add an instant luxe factor to a room. Draperies that are too short she says look so cheap.

“Invest in large-scale art since this is another great living room decorating idea. An oversize, attention-grabbing piece of art can both spark conversation and instill your living space with an instantly cool, luxe feel,” she says

Nantege also recommends incorporating a variety of woods, glass, metals, and woven materials to create a look that is collected, not matchy-matchy.

Winnie Aruho, a property owner in Namugongo advises the use of metallics like a metallic desk clock, pedestal table, or decorative accent saying these can instantly add class to a room and bring out that expensive feel to it.

Aruho notes that adding a little bit of glitz and glam such as high-gloss paint, metallic wallpaper, and light fixtures with metal finishes can really add a wow factor to the apartment.

“One of the easiest ways to make a home feel more expensive and luxurious is to improve its interior architecture. You do not have to knock down any walls, though. If you have narrow baseboards and molding, replace them with something thicker to achieve a more elegant look.”

Alternatively, Aruho recommends painting doors and trimming a dramatic colour such as black. “This can help add interest to the space and enhance those architectural details.  The inlaid wood of an old dressing mirror, the unique shape of a vintage chandelier, and the coating on an antique metal cabinet are unmistakably beautiful, timeless, and never confused with something new from a collection,” she says.

Peter Kivumbi an interior designer in Kyengera says adding decorative techniques in the interior of the apartment gives it a more expensive look to a prospective tenant.

He says items such as books, flowers will add that smart, lux feel to your place. Kivumbi says books and fresh flowers add a refreshing, classy vibe to your house.

“To make your place look expensive, you have to use a variety of textures. This works very well especially if you have plenty of plain white walls. You can use different materials for your sofa pillows, like fur. You can also apply texture with your furniture or your curtains,” he advises.

Kivumbi adds that changing the hardware of your apartment is a real game changer.