Is there a place for good design in long-term rentals?

[Allie Dattilio]

My husband and I are starting our RE investing journey, and getting a little overwhelmed by all of the options of how to jump in. (As I type that I feel like I can here Brandon and David’s voices yelling at us “just start!! Anywhere!”) but here we are... Our initial plan is to (conservatively) BRRRR. We have about $50k from our HELOC to begin — hoping to find a property where that can cover down payment and initial rehab costs. My dilemma is that I’m an artist (and yes, I actually make a full-time income doing that 😏 and have become relatively well-known locally) and I’m most excited by the rehab and design part of this project. I feel like good, unique design is one thing we have to set ourselves apart of the typical flippers/rehabbers in our area — if I see one more cookie-cutter rehabbed home I might scream! But can anyone convince me that putting a little extra effort in the design can be worth it in long-term rentals? And if so, what type of properties could this make the most sense? I’m hesistant to flip, because I feel like our current market is SO over saturated with (poorly) flipped homes. DOM seems to be constantly increasing. Considered short-term, but our suburb area doesnt quite have the market fot AirBnBs. And we are looking to invest in real estate for more of a long-term play. Okay, thoughts?