LANDLORDING 102 – PREPARING THE PROPERTY FOR A TENANT KAREN RITTENHOUSE
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Have clean carpets—nothing torn—and new
vinyl where needed. Always replace torn,
stained, stretched, or faded vinyl.
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Bathrooms and kitchen should sparkle, including appliances.
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Replace all burned-out light bulbs.
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Become your prospective resident. Call and
visit rental homes and apartments in your
area to see what your competition looks like.
Basic repairs and updates
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If your property needs updates, the time to do them
Have friends or neighbors come by your
property to give their feedback.
is before and between tenants. When the property
is vacant, see what needs attention and take care
of it. No matter how large or small the needed
Know your competition
repairs are, it’s always easier to do them on a
vacant property. This also shows your tenants,
from the beginning, that they’ll be working with a
landlord who cares. When they see how you
What prices and amenities are being offered?
One free month’s rent, free cable, water
included? What can you do to compete?
expect the property to look, they’re more likely to
maintain your standard and know what you’re
Basic to-do’s before you begin your
looking for if you complain about theirs.
marketing:
To get that property rented
1.
Curb appeal. No matter what the season,
have the yard mowed, trimmed, and neat
Make sure prospects can reach you, or someone
and have anything dead removed. It looks
working for you, anytime they call. The worst use
more inviting to prospects and, if the
of your marketing dollar is to get the phone to ring
property looks like it will take a lot of work
and then not be available to answer it.
to keep up before they’ve even walked
through
the
door,
they’re
already
discouraged.
Have your properties 100 percent ready before
showing them. Having a property that is repaired
and clean is just as important as price in getting
them rented.
2.
Front door. At the very least, make sure
it’s clean. Make sure storm doors are clean