Looking to rent your property out? The market right now is ripe for rentals so take advantage of the opportunity! However, the more time you spend managing your own rental property the more money it’s costing you. Let’s fix that!
- Don’t wait to clean. Landlords will often wait until they get a tenant to clean the place. This is not smart. If your unit isn’t sparkly clean it most likely will not rent in a quick fashion. Your goal is to get your property occupied as quickly as possible. Shampoo the carpets, clean the windows, and paint the walls. Don’t forget to deep clean the appliances and dust the fans (those two things are often overlooked). Remember the cleaner it is the quicker it will rent.
- Don’t forget the small stuff. When tenants come in and see light bulbs out, faucets that don’t work or are dripping, or blinds that are not installed or damaged, it’s an immediate turn off. Tenants think that if you don’t care enough to take care of these items now, you certainly won’t when they are living there.
- Keep ‘em happy. We often see tenants and landlords battling against each other and it doesn’t have to be that way. Why not wish them happy birthday or tell them how thankful you are to have them as a good tenant? Remember they are paying your bills for you and they are taking care of your property for you. Treat them with respect because it’s much easier to keep the current tenant than to find a new one.
- Don’t mess around. If your tenant does stop paying you, move quickly. Do not buy into the stories and don’t rent with your heart. Put a 3 day notice on their door immediately and start the eviction process. Oftentimes, this will be enough to scare them and they move out on their own. We see owners who try to do this on their own and end up letting the tenants stay for several months for free! Don’t let that happen to you – hire a pro to help so you keep your profits high!
- Which brings me to; Hire a pro. The easiest way to ease your burden is to hire a leasing and property management company. You want an expert in the field that can find and place tenants into your property. Make sure the company prescreens tenants, does background checks, holds security deposits, collects and disperses rent, has vendors to make repairs to your property as needed, and has 24/7 accounting of your property. (Our company can do all this for you – please call 239.825.2234 if you’d like to try us out!)
Happy renting!
Need help Selling, Buying, or with Property Management? Gulf Pointe Properties would be glad to help! Please contact Gabe for advice at: 239.825.2234, Gabe@GulfPointeProperties.com or www.GulfPointeProperties.com Gabe Mellein is the broker of Gulf Pointe Properties, He has 8 years experience in the SW Florida Real Estate Market. He is a member of The Naples Area Board of Realtors, Bonita Springs – Estero Association of Realtors, Realtor Association of Greater Fort Myers and the Beach, The Florida Association of Realtors, The National Association of Realtors, and is nationally certified in Feng Shui for Real Estate.
