Make Ready Services
Complete unit turns: clean, paint, repair, and ready to show.
When a tenant moves out, the clock starts. Every day a unit sits empty is rent you are not collecting. Terracotta Construction handles full make ready services for apartments and rental homes across Montgomery County, taking a vacated unit from move-out to move-in ready. We inspect, repair, paint, deep clean, swap fixtures, change locks, and walk it with you so the space is leasable again fast and done right.
What Make Ready Services Are and Who Needs Them
A make ready is the complete process of preparing a vacated rental unit for the next tenant. It is more than a cleaning and more than a repair. It is everything that has to happen between one lease ending and the next one starting, handled as a single coordinated job so nothing falls through the cracks. That means catching the worn carpet, the cracked outlet cover, the sticky door, and the scuffed baseboards all in one pass instead of fielding complaints after the new tenant has already signed.
Property managers, apartment communities, single family rental owners, and small portfolio landlords all rely on make ready work. If you manage units in Montgomery, Conroe, or The Woodlands, you already know that turnover is constant and uneven. One month is quiet, the next has four units going at once. Having a crew that can absorb that swing without dropping quality is the difference between filling vacancies on schedule and watching them slip.
We are locally owned and based in Montgomery, Texas, which means we are close enough to respond quickly and familiar with the kind of properties in this area. Whether you have one duplex or a building full of units, we treat each turn as its own job with its own punch list, not a rubber-stamped checklist that ignores what the unit actually needs.
What Gets Done in a Full Unit Turn
Every make ready starts with a top-to-bottom inspection. We walk the unit room by room and document what is there: nail holes and wall damage, worn or damaged flooring, plumbing drips, electrical issues, broken blinds, cabinet and door hardware, appliance condition, and anything that will not pass a move-in walk. That inspection becomes the scope, so you know what you are paying for before work starts.
Repairs come next. We patch and texture drywall, fix doors that bind or will not latch, reseat or replace outlets and switch plates, address minor plumbing leaks, and handle the general handyman items that pile up in any vacated unit. Then comes paint. We prep surfaces, prime stains and patches, and roll fresh coats so the unit photographs and shows clean. Standard rental whites and builder-grade neutrals are typical, and we use quality materials so the finish holds up to the next tenant.
Fixtures and details finish the job. We replace dated or broken light fixtures, faucets, cabinet pulls, blinds, outlet covers, and similar items as the scope calls for. We deep clean the entire unit, including appliances, cabinets, baseboards, tile, and floors, so it is truly move-in clean and not just tidied. And we change the locks or rekey as you direct, so the previous tenant no longer has access and the new resident gets a secure unit on day one.
What to Expect from Move-Out to Move-In Ready
The process is built to be predictable. After you hand off the keys and the unit is vacant, we schedule the inspection, confirm the scope and a free estimate, and lock in a target completion that fits your leasing timeline. You will know what is being done, in what order, and roughly when the unit will be ready to show.
From there we work in a logical sequence so the trades do not undo each other. Repairs and any heavier work happen first, then paint, then fixtures and final details, and the deep clean comes near the end so the finished unit is not disturbed. Lock changes are timed so the unit is secured once it is done. Working in this order keeps the turn moving and avoids the back-and-forth that drags a simple job into a long one.
We close every make ready with a final walk-through. We go through the unit against the original punch list to confirm each item is complete and the space is genuinely ready to lease. If something needs a touch-up, we handle it before we call it done. You get a clean handoff, not a list of things to chase us about later.
Why Doing the Turn Right Matters
A rushed make ready costs more than it saves. When repairs get skipped or paint gets slapped on without prep, the new tenant notices on day one, and the maintenance requests start before the lease is a week old. Worse, a unit that shows poorly sits longer, and a unit that sits longer is lost income that no quick shortcut ever made back. Quality work up front protects both your revenue and your reputation with residents.
We approach every turn the way we would want our own property handled. That means honest scoping with no surprise add-ons, quality materials that wear well, and experienced crews who know the difference between a unit that looks done and one that actually is. We back our work with a satisfaction guarantee, so if something is not right, we make it right.
Consistency is the other half of doing it right. When you run multiple units, you want each turn to meet the same standard so your residents get the same quality whether they move into the first unit or the fortieth. A dependable make ready partner lets you plan your leasing calendar with confidence instead of hoping each turn comes back clean.
Fast Turns When Vacancy Costs You Money
Speed matters in make ready work, but only when it does not cost you quality. We organize each turn to move efficiently, coordinating the inspection, repairs, paint, fixtures, cleaning, and lock change so the unit is not waiting on one task to start the next. The goal is simple: get the unit leasable as quickly as the work allows, without leaving problems behind for the next tenant to find.
Because we are locally owned and based right here in Montgomery, we can respond when a unit comes available on short notice and you need it turned before the next applicant walks. When several units come due at once, we can scale the crew to keep your leasing schedule on track rather than turning them one painfully slow unit at a time. We are licensed and insured, so you can hand off access to a vacant unit with confidence.
Get a Free Make Ready Estimate
If you have units to turn, the fastest way to get a number is to let us look. Terracotta Construction offers free estimates on make ready services, and we will give you an honest scope based on what the unit actually needs, not a padded checklist. Whether it is one unit or a full schedule of turns, we are ready to help you fill vacancies faster and show units you are proud of.
We serve property managers, communities, and rental owners across Montgomery, Conroe, The Woodlands, Magnolia, Willis, Huntsville, Tomball, Spring, Cypress, and Katy, along with the rest of Montgomery County and the Greater Houston area. Call us at (936) 955-4083 to schedule an inspection and get your free estimate. We are licensed, insured, and locally owned, and we stand behind every unit we turn.
Make Ready Services FAQs
What is included in a make ready service?+
A full make ready covers everything between move-out and move-in ready: a room-by-room inspection, repairs to drywall, doors, plumbing, and electrical, fresh paint, fixture and hardware replacement as needed, a complete deep clean, a lock change or rekey, and a final walk-through to confirm the unit is leasable.
How long does a typical unit turn take?+
It depends on the size of the unit and how much repair work it needs. A unit with minor wear turns faster than one that needs heavier repairs or full repaints. After the inspection we give you a target completion date that fits your leasing timeline so you can plan around it.
Do you change the locks during a turn?+
Yes. We change the locks or rekey the unit as you direct so the previous tenant no longer has access and the new resident gets a secure unit on day one. Lock changes are timed near the end of the turn so the unit stays secured once the work is complete.
Can you handle multiple units at once?+
Yes. When several units come due at the same time, we can scale the crew to keep your leasing schedule on track instead of turning them one at a time. Because we are locally based in Montgomery, we can also respond when a unit comes available on short notice.
Do you offer free estimates on make ready work?+
Yes. We provide free estimates based on a real inspection of the unit, so the scope reflects what the space actually needs rather than a padded checklist. Call (936) 955-4083 to schedule an inspection and get your estimate.
Are you licensed and insured?+
Yes. Terracotta Construction is locally owned, licensed, and insured, so you can hand off access to a vacant unit with confidence. We back our make ready work with a satisfaction guarantee, so if something is not right, we make it right.
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