I think you should go for the biggest potential tenant pool and the most appeal. My renters are more concerned with overall space, big closets, additional storage and a reasonable kitchen. Our houses are older and they expect a traditional kitchen. Granite sends the message of upscale (vs. laminate). I think the biggest pool of possible tenants would be the 2nd option.

I think most people on GW are TKO and their kitchen would be different from the general population. I think granite would appeal to more potential tenants than a modern kitchen (at least in my area).

I generally agree with bostonpam - error on the side of what your tenants would want. That said, what is your likely or ideal tenant? How old are they? Is the house in an urban or suburban setting? In a big city, where most people are familiar with modern design?

I have a small condo rental apartment in the very heart of downtown in my city. It is a loft-like condo and I'll probably have to redo the kitchen before I sell in about three years. I will definitely put in a modern - even ultra modern - kitchen. My likely tenant pool is young (30 something professionals), they are likely regularly exposed to modern design in the first place, (or they wouldn't be renting in this building, this area) etc. If I had a condo in the suburbs of my city I would almost certainly do a more traditional or transitional kitchen.

That said - please don't lose the wonderful MCM character of the house altogether (just a personal plea, not at all related to how well it will rent!) :)

What is wrong with the original kitchen that it needs to be replaced, other than it is original to the house? Is it falling apart?

I agree with Pam about the function things, but, at least where I live, having the kitchen fit the style of the house, aesthetically, will have the greatest visual appeal. Make the whole house cute! Use the original kitchen as a style cue. Sochi phrased the plea not to lose the MCM as personal--I'll extend it to the rentability.

Renters want function function function since there's nothing they can do about anything. Having the whole house read as a single style makes it so much easier to furnish and live in, and makes the house make sense to the renters when they're walking through while it's empty.

I've lived in a '30's beauty of a rental with an unadorned, clean '70's kitchen, which wasn't bad. It was all function, white slab cabinets, white tile, and newish appliances. The kitchen had no charm but had lots more function than the '30's kitchen would. Lots of cabinets. Separate cooktop and ovens. Garbage disposer and dishwasher. So that was fine, if unexciting. The rest of the place was really cute, and had the original hardwood floors and walk-in closets, plus original tile and huge tub in the bathroom.

Then there was the early '60's place with the panelled wall in the living room, panelled den with built-ins, and pink kitchen. Original, very clean, appliances. It was cute! The whole house was cute. The original kitchen, with it's display cabinet peninsula was cute. The panelling was a bit of a gulp, but it was clean and unmarked, and went so well with the style of the house. My furniture looked just fine. And the kitchen was very functional, other than too wide an aisle. Lots of cabinets, and more in the laundry room.

Okay, as a former renter? LOTS OF CABINETS!! That's the ticket to pleasing a renter. And cute. Renters want the place to look like something. Keep that MCM thing going. Anyway, slab cabinets are easier to clean between renters. :)

I also have experience from the landlord perspective (including surveying the competition), which also says that closets and cabinets are worth extra $$$, but generally, you'll get your rent based on location, pleasantness of surroundings, space, upkeep and storage. Utterly bland will rent at full price. Too much character (e.g., mauve walls or anything "weird") won't rent well, but a little style with neutral colors goes a long way.

I know as a tenant 12.75 years ago, what impressed me was cabinet space, closet space, neutral colors, dishwasher, washer and dryer even if a small compact stacked unit, and central air.

What is wrong with the current kitchen?

Plllog: not enough cabinets! That's what's wrong with it!

Previously, someone opened up the walls with 1/2 wall and did not put any cabinets there. So there is not enough storage in the kitchen with a huge wasted space which is basically left empty. Poor planning..... The drawers are original wooden drawers without glides, so they don't pull out very well.

There is all of 5 to 7 ft of counter space in the entire kitchen which are all cut up. Without moving plumbing/electrical/walls, I can redesign the kitchen and get about 9 ft counter space plus nearly 7 ft island with seating. This is a HUGE improvement to the kitchen. I can keep the current cooktop, hood, DW (all new) and maybe the oven. I will keep the old frig and replace it later as I keep an eye on a great sale.)

Currently, there is white painted slab cabinets. So MCM flavored modern would fit in with the house very well. Unfortunately, I can't find any "precut" granite that would look good with the design. If I put in light brown toned even stone, it may work.... Shaker or slab doors will work quite well with this MCM also. There is not quite enough details in the house to bring it completely to MCM without spending some money. Maybe the next owner.... ie the windows do not go to the floor, the shapes of windows are not quite modern enough. The light fixtures need to be updated etc. I suppose I could but the ROI is not there for us. Investment point of view, it actually is better to sell quickly as is and put the money into the next property....

The house is in a close-in suburb. The house rents well. It is close to many employers, in a good school district, near freeways etc. To buy a house in this neighborhood would be about 500k.

Could you post some pictures and a floor plan?

Thanks all....

I just put in Bosch DW integrated 500 series in that house. It cost $1300 new! I did not like the Bosch and I wanted a paneled DW for my new kitchen.... So I bought another DW...

20 year old dryer was near catching on fire. I just bought them a new washer AND dryer for $1500! Yikes. My hsuband felt, that we should get them energy efficient front loader instead of cheap top loader.

So I have already started putting in "high end" items in the house. I think high end items do help with rent here. Currently, I am getting $1800/mo which is slightly below the market rate. If I have more high end details, I can get $2000/mo easily. I figured I cant get precut granite for $2000 or so. My total budget for the kitchen remodel is 10k to 12k. Cabinets are running 4k. granite 2k? Not sure what to do with flooring.... Tile versus vinyl? Laminate? Any suggestions?

I think granite would wear better with tenants and keep looking "great" for longer than laminate.

A few years ago, we had to redo the master bathroom due to a leak. We put in a precut granite from Lowes. We felt like it would wear better than laminate. So the house already has granite in it...

Tenants in your area must be vastly different than those in my area. In my area, a home with market average rents would have tenants pulling out the granite countertops to take with them when they moved. Putting anything too high end in a rental just leads to problems down the road here. Either the tenants damage it, or they steal it. Landlords learn very quickly to put in servicable but inexpensive items. VCT tile is a big winner for flooring, and cheap off the shelf cabinets that can be grabbed NOW when the renters unallowed dog chews up the whole cabinet after being left home uncrated are popular choices.

You'd have to have an "executive rental" to find any home with granite countertops here, and even then, landlords still experience tenant problems with those supposedly high end folks. My neighbor had a rental in the local higher end suburb whose tenant was a doctor at a local hospital. The granite countertop was completly chipped and stained with motor oil following the rebuild of the doctor's Harley engine---right on the kitchen island.

Never put anything in a rental that you can't afford to lose.

Good lord, where do you live, in Slum Dog Millionaire-land? Tenants would steal the COUNTERTOPS? I've never heard of such a thing! Where are the police? There can't be an argument they moved in with them, and stealing thousands of dollars of property is obviously a crime. Plus you must have their social security numbers--how could people get away with something like that to the point where you think it's normal?
Wow, and I was shocked and appalled that someone stole the hose from outside my office one night!

Carla in Sac

LOL!! LWO has a point. I've seen them steal furniture that was bolted to the wall in the lobby. But if you're choosy and do your checks you can usually find an honest enough renter. There's no helping the Harley, however. That's normal behavior for Harley owners.

Kaismom, I think you must have been addressing Palimpsest earlier?

Re appliances, here anything that isn't built in isn't included. No fridge, no washer and dryer. Just spaces with hookups. Rentals used to be furnished, I'm thinking in the '60's, and have fridges. In the '70's, no furniture. By the mid-'80's, no fridge.

It sounds like you'll have a really nice house there! I hope you get renters who deserve it.

I vote the modern. I think renters are more tolerant of a unique style -- they would be less likely to spend their money to put a modern kitchen in, but would like to live in a house with something a little different or cooler than most. So, it may be a plus. Also, sounds like you're putting in some higher-end items (appliances) and I think that Ikea cabinets look better (higher value) in the more modern styles. I don't think their traditional style doors are as good a "pass" for a higher end product.

Just a tip though: pick the most durable finishes you can get. Renters will not be as conscientious about using the correct cleaning products (or even cleaning at all) as you would be in your kitchen. Because of that, I would look into a non-staining granite or quartz (and would look at anything on clearance, I think a lot of renters are happy with a granite and don't necessarily see a value in one of the higher priced ones (vs. lower priced ones). Also, for flooring, I would go with a porcelain tile, maybe a concrete or slate look in a 12 x 24 with a darkish grout. Again for ease of maintenance, I don't think you want wood or a natural stone on the floor.

Forgot to add that maybe you should look at appliances in a color (black) or one of the fake stainless finishes (e.g. GE cleansteel), they will take windexing better than stainless and may not scratch as easily. I did not know that you had to be so careful with the stainless appliances until I got ones for my kitchen. If I'd been renting a house with stainless, there is no way I would have known not to use windex, or to be very careful not to scratch it up.