Landlords can better fill property vacancies by ensuring their kitchens are fitted with modern and efficient appliances, a real estate specialist has said.Scott McGillivray, host of HGTVs Income Property, noted that kitchen renovations are worthwhile investments for landlords given that the room is usually subject to intense examination by potential tenants.Indeed, writing for Midlandfreepress.com, he argued that kitchens should be bright and spacious with a smart layout.He also urged landlords to replace old appliances and fixtures like kitchen sinks and taps with efficient new ones and to add a dishwasher whenever possible.I cant even count how many times a tenant chose one of my apartments because it had one, said Mr McGillivray. An intelligent kitchen renovation should produce about a 75-100 per cent return on investment.Meanwhile, Susan Reimer of the Baltimore Sun recently noted that the economic recession has encouraged a cocooning of the family whereby people are more inclined to spend time at home rather than venture out and spend money.