Pakenham VIC rental renovation: +$110K equity in 8 days

The scope

3 Kingston Ave was a sound asset in a strong Melbourne growth corridor, sitting in the un-renovated comps band that valuers, lenders and tenants quietly discount. The brief was not a rebuild. It was the cleanest path into the renovated band at a durable rental standard.

The scope was deliberately cosmetic and whole-of-property: hybrid flooring through the living areas with fresh carpet in the bedrooms, new LED lighting throughout, a full repaint of walls, ceilings and trims, updated fixtures and a resurfaced kitchen with new fittings. Every room was lifted so the property reads as renovated from the front door to the back bedroom.

The key decision

The key decision was to resurface the kitchen rather than rip it out and rebuild it. The carcasses were sound, so a full kitchen replacement would have added cost and days without lifting the valuation any further. Resurfacing captured the renovated read at a fraction of the spend and kept the program tight.

The risk we removed

The risk on a job like this is the usual one: a kitchen rebuild that blows out the budget and the timeline, plus trades falling out of sequence across multiple rooms. Holding a fixed scope and sequencing the trades in advance removed both. The work ran in a single coordinated block rather than spread over weeks.

The outcome

Bought at $680,000, the property was valued at $775,000 after renovation, an equity lift of $110,000, with rent up $80 a week. It was delivered in 8 days on site, inside our 14-day commitment. A clear example of a measured renovation moving an asset into the renovated comps band without over-capitalising.