Investing in rental property is about more than collecting monthly rent checks. In Detroit’s rental market, competition is strong, and tenants have high expectations. The upgrades you choose can make the difference between long vacancies and reliable cash flow, between mediocre returns and strong rental ROI.

But here’s the challenge: not every upgrade adds real value. Some improvements might look nice but fail to attract higher-paying tenants or justify increased rent. Others may drain your maintenance budget without providing a measurable return. To help you make informed decisions, let’s break down the upgrades that actually boost rental value, reduce turnover, and keep your Detroit property competitive.

Whether you recently bought (perhaps inherited) a new rental property or you're in between tenants, have you checked your floors before finishing the Make-Ready process for your new tenants? Do the floors need an update? An empty home is a perfect time to replace flooring that is beyond saving with a thorough carpet cleaning.

First and foremost you need to know your tenant very well before handing over repairs to them. Some may save you money, but others may end up costing you more in the long run. Maybe your tenant is a trustworthy, hardworking, divorced father that pays his rent on time and is handy and/or employed in a maintenance position. This would be a no brainer, and could be a good thing for both of you.

However, another type of tenant may end up costing you more money, if they don’t know how to fix things they say they can fix. They may not care about doing a good job, or they may say they will make the repairs but never do it.