Any experienced rental property management company in San Diego will tell you, decorating should be done in a neutral fashion, always! Carpet should be beige or light brown in a medium grade and paint should be a nice off-white. It's less expensive than berber carpeting and custom three-color paint, but the main reason is any tenant's furnishings can be accommodated in such a decor. While one in 100 tenants might like chartreuse carpeting, the other 99 will go with the beige without resistance. As San Diego rental property management, you need to realize this and plan accordingly.
Too many landlords try to decorate their units in such a way that's pleasing to THEM. They end up turning off more prospective renters this way than they could ever imagine. Just because something looks good to YOU, does not mean it looks good to everyone else. Stick with neutral colors and less offensive decor if you want to attract the widest spectrum of tenants possible.
Sources of materials and supplies should be updated constantly. The OSM, as the eyes and ears of ownership, should always be on the lookout for a way to economize. Materials, supplies, and services should be purchased for as close to wholesale cost as possible. Volume discounts can be obtained by managers of apartments in the hope of long-term continuous business. Relationships should be nurtured and loyalty should be the reward as merchants and suppliers work hard to accommodate our needs.
A good rule of thumb here is, when in doubt, go neutral!