Marketing a home for the first time can be a scary process, and you might not know where to start. If you’re trying to figure out how to prepare property for the market and a tenant, then you’re in the right place. These helpful tips from a local Bothell Property Management company should get you started on the right track.
Clean the House
The closer the unit looks to being new and just built the better your chances of renting it out are. Even if you are renting out an old house that belonged to your grandparents, you want it to be empty, devoid of personal belongings, and as clean as possible. Once you clean (or pay someone to clean) the house initially, you can go through with a basic once a week cleaning or clean before house showings to ensure that it stays in good shape. If you market properly, you should be able to rent it out with a minimum of work on your part.
Make the Exterior Look Good
Curb value sells, even when you’re just renting. Make sure that the exterior of the building is just as or more attractive than the interior. If you’re renting multiple units from a multi-family or condo then you can go ahead and spruce up the main lawn, but if you have a single unit, try to spend as little as possible on making the lawn look good, as there won’t be a great deal of return on it. Instead, clean up, plant some flowers or grass if necessary, and make sure that the lawn is watered regularly so that the grass is green when you show potential tenants the unit.
Check the Paperwork
You’ll also want to ensure that you have all of the necessary paperwork ready to go before you’re ready to let out the unit. Making sure that you have the tenant agreement drawn up, companies that will do background checks, a list of items that you need to rent the unit, a safety inspection, a fire inspection, and change the insurance policy to cover renters, then the process of renting will go much more smoothly once you find a potential tenant.
Call Utility Companies
Finally, it is a good idea to ensure that electric, water, and sewage are all available for the unit, and ready to be turned on as soon as you rent out the property. While some landlords leave this up to the tenant, it is still a good idea to ensure that it can be turned on oat the property first. This is especially important if you’re including the cost of the bills in the rent, so make sure that everything is in order. For example, if you’ve recently purchased the property, then you want to make sure there are no outstanding electric or sewage bills on the property.
Do you need help marketing your property or preparing it for tenants? Contact SJA to talk about how we can help you with our local Bothell property management services.