Make Your Rental More Rent-able
Posted on February 22, 2009
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I often hear landlords talking about how difficult it is to get their properties rented. The house next door is a rental, and the owner has often complained how he’s only able to get a certain type of person to rent from him. The guy who owns the stables where I board my horse also talks about how difficult it is to find good renters.
The common theme I see with these houses is that they don’t look like the kinds of places that well-off people would want to rent. The curb appeal is often terrible, with the house looking more run-down than anything else. And even when you get inside, there’s not much to make up for the way the house looks on the outside.
The owner of the house next door once told me, “Well, it’s a rental, so you don’t want to put any more money into it than you have to.” The thing is, though, when you put money into a rental, you get it back by attracting better renters and being able to charge more rent than you would otherwise.
For instance, one rental I was in was an old 1914 duplex. Old houses with single paned windows are notoriously bad at retaining heat, so just before I moved in the landlady replaced all of the original double hung windows with nice, custom made windows. I don’t know what brand they were, but they were excellent quality, the type that you see from companies such as Renewal by Anderson. Moreover, the window installation was expertly and professionally done. I loved that the landlady was willing to look out for my comforts like that, and therefore was a good, loyal renter for a very long time.
Yes, it takes more money and effort to maintain a rental property the right way. But when you do so, you’ll also benefit from better quality renters and less time spent with the house empty. It pays for itself, in the long run!
curb appeal, rental, double hung windows, Renewal by Anderson, window installation
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