When I’m working with first-time buyers, I love reading the words “All appliances remain!” especially when they’re coming from apartments and have nothing but milk crates and mattresses with which to decorate.  It does take time to build up an income to replace appliances and to take on other house projects, so appliances remaining are a huge selling point.

Sometimes, however, the appliances that remain are old.  Functioning, yes.  Attractive, no.  The good news is you can make these appliances look a lot nicer with a little ingenuity and elbow grease.  Apartment Therapy offers some tips on how.  For example,

Many appliances can be fitted and updated by changing their fronts. A great option for renters who are stuck with built in appliances like dishwashers. Contact the manufacturer of the appliance who can provide you with a listing of face panels that will fit existing appliances, and face panels that will require customization.

By the way, my friend who just moved hasn’t yet brought over her fancy new washer and dryer, so she’s been using the landlord’s old-fashioned one that has the rotator.  She said the old one works MUCH BETTER!

Photo by Lara604 via flickr creative commons.