Where is this? (Island, location on island.) We've owned a 1 BR 2Bath on Maui since 2001. It's a vacation rental when we aren't using it. You know, you can replace just the fan *blades*. Are the fans in good working order and balanced so they don't wobble? Do you have central A/C? If you have wall units, those are electricity hogs. We replaced ours with Mitsubishi mini-split units; amazingly quiet, and I couldn't believe the drop in our MECO bill. Develop an overall plan of how you want the unit to look, and gradually pare out the yellow rattan pieces. Get rid of the fake palm. Replace the mirror over the sofa with a large piece of art. (At least you don't have mirrored *walls* to tear out!) One or two area rugs can do a lot to warm the look. That non-diagonal white tile is stark. The cabinets look good. The drop leaf table isn't attractive. Do you have a mold problem? I see an air cleaner in the LR. Fine to have one, but don't showcase it. I see drapes. Consider woven wood shades with blackout lining. Those have saved us needing to replace fabric drapes every few years. Have you owned a condo before? Do you have an active condo board? Who is managing your unit (if you are not on island)? The biggest asset you will have is a Good Cleaner. Welcome to the *interesting* world of short term vacation rental. May all your guests be above average!

Thanks for all of the comments so far - much appreciated! It's a one bedroom apartment since the wall to the 2nd bedroom was partially carved out by a former owner to expand the living area - so will be for a young professional/ couple (which is what I currently have despite the furnishings currently skewing university student). Unfortunately I'm competing with shiny new builds that have an industrial look and extras (like swimming pools and indoor parking) while my unit was constructed in 1900 and previous owners have stripped out all original character. The newer builds also offer appliances, which oddly enough is not the norm in the regular rental market in this city (tenants normally need to supply their own fridge/stove/etc.). In addition to the fridge and stove, there is also a washer and dryer in a laundry room that I did not show. Window treatments are also usually not provided unless they are cheap plastic Venetian blinds. Security deposits are not allowed - so most apartments are offered as-is and most landlords put in minimal effort. Personally I find this apartment so ugly, and I'm used to rental markets that provided bright white and clean apartments, that it pains me to offer it as-is without some refresh. My style definitely skews modern/industrial and my unit is now all white/ black/ grey/ exposed brick - so all of that wood in the kitchen seems awful to me. I refinished my cabinets with INSL-X Stix primer and Benjamin Moore Advanced paint when I bought the place and they are still look good 3+ years later...but understand perhaps that's not the best for a rental unit. Peel & stick flooring tiles are definitely not my top choice, but as I was researching laying vinyl sheeting, it seemed like it might be a difficult task to take on by myself. Seems like the consensus is that I should paint all rooms and install a dishwasher.

Great advice already, I just wanted to give support as a fellow renter (regarding landscaping). We sold our house and decided to rent for a while ... I went from having a yard that won awards to having a yard with not one plant. No way could I live that way! We’ve been here two years now and it looks really nice. Neighbors compliment us all the time. The biggest challenge has been: How much do we spend on a house we don’t own? I think we found a good balance for us. We definitely heard lots of, “WHY are you spending time and money on someone else’s house?!” Well, right now it’s our house and we’ve enjoyed every dime spent. :) We’re well aware we won’t get it back financially, but the investment has still been worth it for us, because we love landscaping and have a passion for it. I totally understand not everyone feels that way. I did things a bit different than if this was our “forever” home. I keep future renters in mind, so have planted with more drought-tolerant plantings, small to mid-size shrubs (so that nothing can get overgrown with lack of care), smaller beds, easy care perennials, native ornamental grasses, ground covers. I’ve used bird baths, yard art, etc, to fill in some areas. I do annuals in pots and hanging baskets, rather than in beds. We found free rock to use as edging and boulder art (check your local trade pages online and/or ask around for plants, hardscape, anything). It’s tough for me to not go overboard, to not to do exactly what I want .... it’s been a lesson in restraint. But very rewarding! Our house looks loved. And you have more to start with than we did, it’s really going to look nice! Enjoy! (PS: We aren’t in an HOA, great advice from Denita about checking on that.) ETA: Just noticed your hell strip. IF you can plant there (and even want to!), I wanted to share how we did ours here — one side is quite long, so I just dug up a bed around 4-5 ft long on each side of the driveway. I planted a few drought tolerant perennials around Mexican Feather grass in the center of each one. I used stone as border in between the beds and grass. We have lots of dog walkers and they always express appreciation at what we’ve planted. :) This was in spring, by summer they’ve filled in completely. I broke this side up with a stepping stone/rock and Asian Jasmine. This was the smaller strip that meets the neighbor’s, you see we left grass on the other side. Even doing just a small section at least breaks up all the boring grass (and uses less irrigation). It’s made a big difference in curb appeal. Literally. :D

Congratulations on your new home. With limited budge and space, buy only what you need and only things you love (not "something just for now."). Bring your favorite color(s) into each area. If you have a floor plan, that will help with layout. If one is not available to grab online, a sketch will do. I would ignore the high shelves for several reasons. They are large and will require large pieces, and you would need a tall ladder to access. Look for gently used furniture on Facebook Marketplace (dresser, headboard, tables/chairs). Our daughter helped us sell items from my parents' estate and our recent downsizing on FB. Bargains can be found. What design style speaks to your soul? Post a few examples of rooms you love.