How Important Is A Large Kitchen To Tenants (and investors)

Question

Hello all:I have been looking at a potential rental. It is a SFR about 2200 s.f. in the Cape Coral area. It is a 4 BR typical build on well and septic. I talked to the seller and it is bordering on a distress sale. The only think I really disliked was a small kitchen. small! I dont know how most tenants or investors feel about this and if this is a drawback. If I purchase this it would probably be a longer term buy and hold. What are your thoughts and opinions on purchasing a house with a smaller than average kitchen?

Jennifer T. · Answer

Good luck!  These posts remind me of a rental I lived in that I LOVED, even though it had a miniscule galley kitchen that two people could barely stand in at the same time.

The irony was, the rental was enormous.  Almost 1400 square feet, for just that unit.  It was only the kitchen that was small, because it was a later add-on.  The house had originally been built as a huge SFH in the 1850s.  Then, at some point, the home was divided up into separate apartments.  I'm assuming the kitchen got added at that time.  It was not part of the original footprint of the house and basically jutted out a little from the side.

But the ceilings for the original house footprint were 16 feet high.  The two first rooms were the house's original ballroom/parlor area, with pocket doors to either separate the rooms or leave them open.  The third room was a good sized bedroom.  And even the bathroom was large and had a Jacuzzi tub and separate shower.

Hand carved moldings on the ceilings and enormous chandeliers in every room...original to the house.  (Sigh)  Did I mention how much I loved this place, lol.

It's a good thing the landlady eventually had to ask us to leave, because she needed to do structural repairs, or I would have lived there forever and never gotten into REI, lol.

Account Closed · Answer

@John Thedford Good luck!

Account Closed · Answer

What's the rental market like?  Are SFH rentals in demand and hard to find?  Could you afford to rent it for a little under market?  Or be willing to accept large breed dogs (that aren't on any restricted breeds list)?

There are tenants out there who will overlook a small kitchen, if the place is otherwise desirable.

My daughter rented out her first home, until she decided she didn't want to be a landlord.  But, it was a cute 2/1 1930's place, but with a very tiny kitchen.  In fact, it had the old flip down burners on a very shallow tile counter - where you have to flip down a burner if you wanted to cook.  No stove top.  It had a wall oven.

What it had going for it, was that it was on the edge of the best neighborhood in that town, and it had a huge fenced yard and a big separate garage.

Anyway, it is really hard to find any rentals in that area that accept dogs of any size.  So, what she did, is she actually listed it for about $100 over market price, but said she'd take dogs under 25 pounds.  It rented immediately with good tenants who took good care of it, who had 2 tiny toy dogs, and the BF collected motorcycles and loved the man space.

Another friend of mine just rented out their first home, too, and it's a duplex (they only own one side) in the SF Bay Area, but in a town that is close enough to commute in to SF (though still a drive).  It also has a very small kitchen.  But, it has a fenced yard, and they included a washer and dryer, and advertised they'd accept large breed dogs upon approval, that were not restricted breeds.

Their phone blew up, and they rented to great tenants with a large dog that had good references from previous landlords.

So, a small kitchen is not necessarily a deal-killer, if you have a market that has a hard time finding what they need - like somewhere they can have their dog, or is more affordable.   If you can offer something that is hard to find, you can actually ask a higher rent for it - even if it has a dinky kitchen.

John Thedford · Answer

Sue K.

we have a very strong rental market. I am going to make an offer today. This is a new 4/2/2 and IMO they did a very poor job on the layout. If I get it at a good price I am moving forward. If not, I am going to walk. Thanks for the imput.

Derek Daun · Answer

When I rented, I had more acceptance for small kitchens than when I bought properties to live in. I think it really depends on what the competition has. In older neighborhoods filled with small 2/1s, that's just what you get. If most of the neighborhoods have more modern kitchen's though, it might cause a drop in rent value.

Joe Cummings · Answer

Chicks play a huge role in home buying decisions. And a woman's place in in the kitchen and the bedroom.

So yes, to a chick, a great kitchen, is what a big garage/workshop with automotive lifts is to a man.

John Thedford · Answer

I considered that but due to the layout I don't think removing or opening up a wall is possible. I may consider a flip on this one but have doubts about that. Darn that person that designed this one....

Jeff Blanchard · Answer

Small kitchens are something I certainly avoid. The use of kitchens these days, as you probably know, is for far more than just food prep (and a small kitchen complicates this as well).

Whenever possible I've removed walls to combine the living room and kitchen into one large area. This has been well-received by tenants for practicality as well as making the living space larger.

Taking out a wall isn't that hard, unless pipes are involved. Even then it could be worth the investment.

How Important Is A Large Kitchen To Tenants (and investors)

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