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Design Trends to Avoid When Renovating Rentals

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Design Trends to Avoid When Renovating Rentals – Periodically renovating and updating rental properties can be very beneficial. For instance, it can draw a larger pool of buyers and allow you to align your rent prices with the top of the market. Most renters prefer to live in buildings that are well kept and up to date so they will be willing to pay higher rent. If a landlord decides to renovate a property though, there are some home-style trends they will want to steer clear of.  Installing trends that are fleeting will make a building quickly feel outdated. They don’t want to get stuck with having to update again in just a few years’ time.  Design Trends to Avoid When Renovating Rentals

Here are some design trends to avoid when renovating rentals 

  • Granite Countertop

At one point a few years ago everyone had to have a granite countertop. Granite counters are still considered stylish, but with the rate at which they hit the market for demand in just a few more years, they are going to be a thing of the past. There are many other stylish alternatives that will work just as well for a rental if not better.  

For example, there are many high-quality laminates on the market today in colors that would have some people thinking it is natural stone. Laminate is low maintenance as well, there is no yearly cleaning and re-sealing required. A much better choice for a rental property 

Related: 4 Tips to Flip a House

  • White on White

White does make a room feel light and airy and a lot bigger, but it also shows dirt and grime. Unless all-white rooms are kept very clean they look very dirty. There are probably quite a few of us that would say we do not make sure every area of our home is spotless, especially the bathroom and kitchen which take more time. All-white kitchens and bathrooms are popular and modern but they are not practical to install, especially in a place where the people using the property do not own it. Instead, stay with light-colored neutrals that will stand the test of time and grime. 

More: 5 Upgrades to Make and 4 to Skip When Remodeling

  • Going Over Board with Environmentally Friendly

Yes, there are many renters out there who are more interested in renting from a building/company/landlord/organization that is environmentally conscious. There are ways to go overboard and end up not getting any return on your investment for a very long time. So instead of installing those solar panels, rainwater collection units, composting trash compactors, and recycled building materials, start with a few budget-wise smaller upgrades. Use paint without volatile organic compounds, light bulbs and fixtures with energy star labels, and maybe even a smart thermostat to start.  

Once you have done these things make sure to communicate that you did in rental listings. It will bring in more interest. 

More: How to Write an Offer for a Short-Term Rental

  • Wallpaper

Yes, wallpaper is making a resurgence, especially high-end fancy wallpaper. Unless you are running a high-end luxury rental it just might not fit. When wallpaper is once again discovered as a pain to change out it will no longer be a trend. So skip the fancy wallpaper and stick with paint. Most renters prefer walls to have a fresh coat of neutral paint on them anyway so that they have more freedom to bring their own style into the space.  

When it comes to updating rentals the best rule of thumb is to keep it very simple and very neutral in color.  

For more rental property management tips and information or property management services in Savannah please contact me anytime.  

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Should You Install a Smart Thermostat in Your Rentals?

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Should You Install a Smart Thermostat in Your Rentals?

Some landlords have begun to offer smart home technology to their tenants. One way they are doing this is by installing smart thermostats in their rental properties. How do you determine if installing a smart thermostat is a smart move for your rental properties? Should You Install a Smart Thermostat in Your Rentals?

Benefits of Installing Smart Thermostats in Rentals

Attract and Retain Renters with Higher End Amenities

Securing quality renters can be competitive, especially in a market saturated with rental options. One way to draw in renters is with amenities they want and find useful.

Recent surveys conducted found that 71% of renters in the millennial age range are more interested in rentals that offer smart technology and 55% of baby boomer age renters are interested in smart technology that is easy and intuitive. Overall on average 32% of renters said that a unit with a smart thermostat would make them more interested in one unit over another. Another survey conducted found that 12% of renters would consider staying in their current rental if smart technology were installed.

Bring in a Higher Rent Rate

About 23% of renters are willing to pay a higher rent rate to live in a place with smart technology. Compared to other more popular highly desirable attributes of a rental such as an in unit washer and dryer, central air conditioning, and private outdoor spaces, a smart thermostat is the most cost effective to install.

Before installing smart thermostats in the hopes of bringing in premium rent rates, make sure you do your homework for your area and determine just how much you will be able to raise the rent and if that number is what you were looking/hoping for.

Save Money on Landlord Paid Utilities

If you have included the cost of utilities in with the rent, this could be a very beneficial way to go. If you have a multi-family residence with no way to fairly divide up the utility costs among each tenant a smart thermostat will help to make all units in the building as energy-efficient as possible. It is not uncommon for tenants in properties where the utilities are included to pay less attention to how much heating and cooling consumption is used. This way it can be monitored and even remotely controlled if need be.

Related: What happens if your house has code violations?

Setbacks to Installing Smart ThermostatsShould You Install a Smart Thermostat in Your Rentals?

Start-Up Cost

Smart thermostats cost much more than regular traditional thermostats. Depending upon the model and the featured functions of the thermostat it can be anywhere from $95 to $220 per thermostat. This can add up to a hefty bill if you have several units to install thermostats into. Some states offer sizeable rebates and savings to anyone who installs smart or energy-saving devices in their properties, so make sure to check out if the state you are in does this.

Renter Paid Utilities Means Renters See the Savings

If the cost of the heating and cooling bill is the responsibility of the renter, they are the ones saving the money. The upside to this though, is it is more attractive to renters and you will have an easier time retaining them with less vacant time.

Other Improvements May Make Better Sense

If you have been considering updating major appliances or doing a major facelift renovation and those things are in the budget, you may want to wait on the smart technology to better appeal to a wider range of renters.

So the answer to whether it is worth the effort and investment to install smart thermostats in your rentals comes down to a few deciding factors. If you are having trouble making this decision asking the advice of an experienced local property manager would be hugely beneficial. It is their job to know the current rental market including trends and amenities that renters really want in the area that your property is located.

For helpful rental tips and advice and the best property management services in Savannah please feel free to contact me anytime.

Tips for Cleaning Rentals Between Tenants

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Tips for Cleaning Rentals Between Tenants

Transitioning from one tenant moving out and making your rental property presentable and ready to welcome another tenant moving in, can be a large and stressful ordeal for any landlord. Whether you had an amazing previous tenant that leaves the property in great condition or a less than responsible and thoughtful one that leaves the place a mess, there will be some work to do to prepare the property for a new renter.  

It may seem a time-consuming pain, but cleaning and making a property seem brand new again will prove highly beneficial. Pristine rentals bring in higher rent prices and it keeps the property in better shape over the long run. Follow these cleaning tips to help you have a more successful rental.  

 

  • Include Tenant Cleaning Requirements in the Rental Agreement 

Before another tenant moves in, when the property is in pristine condition, have them sign and agree to take care of the property and know what condition the property will be expected to be left in upon move out. Give them a checklist of move-out cleaning tasks with the rental agreement and give them the same checklist again when they give notice that they will be moving out. Make sure to state that this checklist will hang heavily on their deposit being returned. This should make the final walkthrough a much easier process.  

More: How to Stage and List a House Fast

  • Take Excellent Care of Appliances and Change them out when Necessary 

If the appliances look like they are in good shape and the former tenant has left them clean to the eye, don’t just assume they are ready to go. Run the appliances like the dishwasher and the washing machine and dryer to make sure they are still in great working condition. After they have been tested give them a thorough deep clean.  If they are getting old and dingy it is time to upgrade to new ones. This will also help to justify charging a prime rent.  

 

  • Do a White Glove Inspection of Hidden Areas 

Even with the best of cleaning efforts by your previous tenant, there could be areas that were forgotten that grime has built up in/on overtime. Check places like the corners of the closet, under the lip of the kitchen and bathroom countertops, and the outlet and light covers.  

 

  • Invest in Commercial Cleaning Products 

Stock up on commercial strength cleaning products to cut through the grime that cleaners not available to the public can. Use these cleaners to get the stuff the tenant’s lesser strength everyday cleaners left behind.  

 

  • Don’t Forget Outside and Maintenance Issues 

The exterior of a rental is just as important as the inside. Sometimes the outside is more important as tenants won’t even consider a property that looks tired on the outside. Also make sure to check on general maintenance needs like changing out air filters, gutter cleaning, and the overall condition of the home.  

More: Helpful Move-in and Move-out cleaning checklist 

  • Bring in the Pros 

If you can afford the extra cost, it is highly worth your time to hire a few professionals to come in and clean the carpets, scrub the tiles and the bath/shower, and slap up a fresh coat of paint.  

 

  • Hire a Property Manager 

A property manager can take care of all of these things for you, from the rental cleaning agreements to the hiring of all the cleaning help to the finding of a new tenant. You can be completely hands-off and stress-free with a trustworthy property manager. The cost is well worth the amount of time and stress you will save.   

For property management services in Savannah, Georgia contact me anytime.  

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What Can You Do With Abandoned Tenant Property

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It is not uncommon for a tenant to move out and leave behind a considerable amount of their belongings. There are many horror stories about irresponsible tenants leaving a property in less than ideal condition. While some tenants just leave large amounts of garbage others have left behind things like clothing, furniture, unforwarded mail, and more. Sometimes it’s hard to tell that they even actually moved out.  What Can You Do With Abandoned Tenant Property

The natural response of a landlord faced with left behind tenant property is frustration and a desire to fill up a truck and haul it all off to the dump. Unfortunately, this could lead to legal problems should the tenant return and wonder where their belongings are. The best way to deal with left behind tenant property is to know the state laws. Most state laws require a landlord or property manager to follow a series of required steps to document and control access to anything left behind.  When the proper legal steps and precautions are taken a landlord can safely and confidently dispose of left behind items on their property.  

Related: What to do with property after a divorce?

Laws about how to properly handle left behind tenant property differ from state to state, and can even differ from county to county; so it is hugely important to know the exact laws for the location of each property you own. Here are the general steps to take when dealing with left behind property. 

  1. Ensure that you have control over access to the left behind items. Recover all keys, garage door openers, or change the locks to the rental. Some areas allow personal belongings to be stored in a secure storage unit while others require them to be left as they were on the property. The one thing you do not want to happen is allow the possibility for someone to steal the left behind items as you can face civil and criminal charges.  
  2. When the belongings are secure, you now want to document every item left behind. The best way to do this is to make a detailed video or take photos of every space and make a detailed written list of every item left behind.  
  3. Once you know it is ok to legally move anything left behind it is a smart idea to call in a neutral person to act as a witness to prove that everything was handled properly and without ill intent or theft.  
  4. Another great step to take is to notify the tenant that property was left behind if you have contact information. The best way to inform them is in writing so you can retain a copy and have the most solid proof that you did inform the tenant that they left something behind and how they can go about retrieving it.  
  5. In many areas if you have gone through all of the former steps and the tenant has not attempted to retrieve their belongings it is ok to sell or dispose of the property. Again make sure you know the laws of the land.  

Dealing with left behind property can be very time consuming and even expensive. A great way to deal with left behind property is to hire a property manager, they will have in-depth knowledge of local laws and know what steps to take to properly take care of left behind tenant property. This will save you stress and time and help avoid costly legal battles.  

How to Sell a Property With Tenants

How to Stage a Bathroom to Sell or Lease

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How to Stage a Bathroom to Sell or Lease

Staging your Savannah home to sell is always important and you’ve probably seen tons of blogs on how to go about it, but have you seen one that focuses on the bathroom? If not, it’s really too bad, because the kitchen and the bathroom are probably the two most important rooms in the house when it comes to hooking your buyers. Therefore, here are some great tips for staging your bathroom to sell.

How to stage your bathroom:

How to Stage a Bathroom to Sell or Lease

Step 1: Clean it like you mean it

Just as you don’t want to walk into your home after a long day at work and soak in a tub full of mold with a few well-placed spider webs overhead, your potential buyer doesn’t either. When potential buyers walk through your house, they’re envisioning themselves living there. Help them by making the scene a good one.

A sparkling-clean bathroom is perhaps the most important quality that will grab their attention. Devote a good day to scrubbing the floor and tiles, the toilet bowl, the tub, the sink, and throwing out everything that looks old and yucky.

Additionally, get an effective air-freshener or candle to rid the space of residual odors. Use a caulk gun to fill in any cracks and gaps in the tiling. Wipe all mirrors, so buyers see their reflection, not your kid’s fingerprints.

How to Stage a Bathroom to Sell or Lease

Step 2: No personal items

If you are still living in your home, it might be challenging to tuck away all of your personal care items. Place all toothbrushes, toiletries, and medications in convenient plastic shower baskets, so you can easily transport them out of the room if a new buyer is visiting.

An empty and spotless mirror cabinet allows the potential home buyer to picture their own personal care products along the shelves and adds an extra feel of simplicity and cleanliness.

Step 3: Streamline

Although the kittens with balls of yarn shower curtain are in fact, adorable, some home buyers may not see it that way. All your personal flair in your decor must go. When decorating, think more along the lines of a “hotel look”. Use neutral colors and luxurious or plush looking fabrics.

Also, remove all dirty clothes and trash bins.

How to Stage a Bathroom to Sell or Lease

Step 4: Add luxury and details

Staying along the idea of a “hotel look” or “spa feel” in your bathroom, add details to complete the look. Perhaps put a flower in a vase or set out a pretty scented candle. Also, consider putting out fancy soap.

For more information about staging, check out these posts:

A Checklist for sellers Before the Inspection

Tried and True Secrets to Selling a Home

How to List, Market, and Sell Your Savannah Home

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