I bought my home 3 years ago, so I'm a former renter. Much as with purchasing real estate, my first priority was location. A desirable neighborhood, near where I worked/went to school/the subway or whatever. After that, I like to be able to scope the place out online as much as possible online. I want to see actual rent for the actual size unit I want. I want to see pictures of the building, units, grounds, ammenities, etc. If it is a multi-unit community, I was okay with floor plans and photos of an interior even if it wasn't to be my interior. Price was always a major consideration for me, so I wanted to see what was included in my rent (water, heat, AC, cable...). I wanted a laundry option - either washers and dryers in the building/complex or in the unit or with hook ups. I was a renter of pretty small places. 3 br flats that I shared with 2 other people or 1 br flats for just me. If I were in the market to rent a house or something involving extra rooms, I might have had a different position re: appliances, etc. For me in a 1 br, I wanted all of my appliances - including a dishwasher and I wanted to be able to do laundry without carrying my underwear across creation. That's my $0.02

We had a huge concrete expanse that I wanted to camouflage, too. Our problem was a little different, as we could see our rear-load garage and huge parking pad from the pool with just a wrought iron fence in between. We went with big fiberglass/resin pots from Walmart that look like glazed terra cotta because I needed a bunch of them and couldn't afford (or have a place to store over the winter) real terra cotta. They look amazing! I want to get a few more for next year and relocated our deck box. We did the potted palms with blue daze and million bells and I think they look awesome (again, in Oklahoma, palms are a little more rare than in San Diego.) I think if you have a fence you should look at attaching planters to it and going vertical with some plantings. Google image search for "planters on fence" and you will see tons of ideas. I've seen lots of people use old gutters for this, but it depends on what your fence can hold and your aesthetic as to what will work for you. I recommend setting up a timer/drip system for pots, as ours would have died long ago if we didn't have that in place. Think about using upholstered/cushioned outdoor chairs and lounges and an outdoor rug to further soften things up.

Look for lightly patterned performance fabrics for slipcovers. The patterning will help hide stains that remain after washing. You could also have a second set of pristine slipcovers for times when you entertain people when the dogs are kept out of the room. Leather, especially white leather, will not be dog proof. You can slow down the absorption of liquids by keeping the sofa polished with whatever the manufacturer recommends, but it's a losing battle. There are pretty good faux leathers out there that you could look at, too. They are not very comfortable for people for hours of sitting.

A home is a collection of rooms, like an outfit. You just told us you want a cute pair of shoes, but didn't tell us what the outfit looks like. Is this the first room that you are decorating and plan on doing other rooms after this is done? If this is the beginning of your journey there are still fixed elements that can't be changed - kind of like your complexion, hair color, eye color when choosing an outfit. What we pick has to work with the flooring, kitchen countertops, bathroom vanities, wood trim. We also have to consider the overall style of the home to pick décor that fits, same as we would need to understand your body shape to pick an outfit that will look good on you. Knowing your favorite colors is important for either choosing a cute outfit or décor for your home. If I love blue and you hate blue, you may not like the décor I choose. If you love lace and pearls and I like leather and chrome you may not like the décor I choose. Can you help us help you and tell us more about your home, your preferred styles and your favorite colors?