Most residents, especially those in the Millennial generation, want the opportunity to customize their living space and make it feel like their own. They want choices and options – not a cookie cutter apartment that looks like every other one in the building. The prospect of customizing apartments for residents may sound a bit intimidating at first, but it doesn't have to be. Here are three simple ways to make your units more customizable.

Let Residents Choose the Color of an Accent Wall

Letting residents choose all of their paint colors may get a bit complicated, but letting them choose the color of one wall is not too tough. Simply pick 10 – 12 color options, and include the swatches in your introduction packet that you give to potential residents who visit the property. Advise them that there is an accent wall in the living room that you will have painted any one of those colors prior to them moving in.  The rest of the apartment can be painted whatever neutral white or cream color you're planning to use.

Offer The Choice of an Electric or Gas Cooktop

How easy this choice is to arrange will depend on whether or not your units currently have both electric and gas hookups. If they do, offering this choice is easy. It might require you to have an electrician run a few new lines or have the gas company re-route the gas into the kitchen, but this is a minor endeavor that you only have to undertake once.

 Allow your residents to choose, prior to moving in, whether they would rather have an electric or gas range to cook on. Then, move the style they want into the apartment. This choice will really appeal to your tenants who cook, since cooks tend to have very specific preferences when it comes to cooking on electric or gas.

Let Residents Choose Their Window Treatment Style

So many apartments have venetian blinds or pull-down shades that residents don't enjoy because they're a hassle to operate and clean. Instead of forcing your residents to live with window treatments they don't enjoy, leave the window treatments out of the apartment and store them somewhere else. When a resident comes to look at the place, let them know you have several choices of window treatments and ask which they'd prefer. Some residents may even request that you not put up any treatments – they'll bring their own.

This strategy works best if your units all have similarly sized windows, so you're not juggling mountains of variously sized shades and blinds.

Making your units a touch more customizable will help you find tenants more easily. Start slowly implementing the options above and advertising them in your property listings, and you'll likely find your new residents are very attracted to the idea of having options.

For tips about improving your property, you may want to work with a real estate company like Gilbert Realty.