Getting your property ready to rent? It's stressful, right? There are so many decisions, and every one of them costs you something — money, time, sanity, maybe all three. If you screw it up, you lose tenants, lose rent, or worse, you set yourself up for a mess later.
What the Hell is a Make Ready?
A Make Ready is just what it sounds like — getting your rental ready to rent. It’s the work you do in between tenants to clean, fix, paint, floor, and stage the property so it looks appealing to the next person who walks through that door. And when it's done right, it makes your property rent faster, for more, with less drama.
Paint Rules That Slap
Let’s talk paint, because I get asked this constantly.
Color? Go with "greige" — that beautiful gray-beige blend that looks clean, modern, and works with both white and wood trim. It's flexible, forgiving, and still in style (for now). Our go-to shades is Gray Moire by Pratt & Lambert.
Type? Use good paint, and yes, that means shelling out for the stuff that retails over $60 a gallon. Trust me, it’s cheaper in the long run. Better paint = fewer coats, lower labor, better wear. Experienced investors know good paint has a tremendous ROI.
Finishes matter:
Kitchens & baths: Semi-gloss
Living areas: Eggshell or satin
Trim: Semi-gloss
Ceilings: The only place we need to use flat paint.
Flooring That Leases
Hardwood? Keep it. Refinish it. Use it. It lasts longer, looks better, and these days costs about the same as carpet or LVP anyway.
Wet areas? Use LVP or LVT — that’s luxury vinyl plank or tile. It holds up to moisture, doesn’t warp, and tenants love it. But make sure it’s vinyl all the way through — not that cheap wood-core junk that swells up if it gets wet.
No more than 3 types of flooring in the unit. If you’ve got carpet in the bedrooms, hardwood in the living room, and vinyl in the kitchen — fine. But if you’re running around dropping a new product in every room, it starts looking like a thrift store puzzle. Don’t do it.
Absolute no-gos:
Peel and stick vinyl tiles. Nope. Cheap, tacky, and won’t hold up.
Carpet installed by big box stores. These low-bid installs are trash. Wavy, loose, poor stretch = early wear and tear. Pay a real installer who knows what they’re doing.
Deep Cleaning: Go Full Psycho Mode
This isn’t weekend tidying. This is move out, empty house, military-grade deep cleaning.
Inside? Everything gets scrubbed — behind appliances, on top of door frames, inside closets, under the stove burners, around switch plates and doorknobs. Clean the blinds, or just replace them. They’re cheap and most aren’t worth scrubbing.
Outside? Pressure wash the siding if it makes sense, edge the walks, put down some fresh mulch. Get the place shining. Curb appeal counts.
Light fixtures and blinds especially betray a property’s age — don’t ignore them. And while you’re at it, put in working bulbs. All of them. Matching, please.
Lights, Blinds, Action
Light fixtures should be modern, bright, and clean. Blinds should be clean, working and all slats present and accounted for.
Safety First — or Else
Smoke and CO detectors should be up to code. Interconnected if required, hardwired where needed, and if you’re putting new ones in bedrooms, just spend the extra bucks and get 10-year sealed lithium models. It’s safer and simpler.
Locks? Deadbolts with a thumb turn inside — not double keyed. If someone can’t get out in a fire because of your locks, you’re on the hook. Period.
Handrails? If there’s a height change of 18 inches or more, you probably need one. Check your basements, stairs, porches.
Keys? One key for the whole house. Front, back, side — key them all alike. Your tenants will love you for it, and you’ll love yourself when you don’t have to play Guess That Key later.
Final Word from PM Jen
I know this all feels like a lot, especially when the property’s sitting empty and the clock is ticking. But a solid Make Ready is the key to fewer headaches later. Better qualified tenants. Faster leasing. Less maintenance. More money.
I’m PM Jen, the—landlord educator, real estate investor, and your favorite straight-talker in the buy-and-hold game. Hold It With PM Jen exists to help real estate investors protect their assets, grow their cash flow, and stop spinning their wheels.
Our mission is simple: help you hold properties smarter, longer, and with way less bullshit. Whether you're new to real estate or knee-deep in it, I’m here to help you hold strong and grow big.