When a prospective tenant wants to see your property, you have to make sure it’s ready. Showing a house that isn’t quite ready for the rental market is not going to impress anyone and will likely stay vacant for a longer period than it should.
Curb appeal
Curb appeal is important and you want to make the most of it so you give a potential tenant a good reason to go inside and see the rest of the property. Make sure the lawn is cut and the shrubs are trimmed. Clear out any debris or trash that may have gathered in the driveway or the yard. Have nice window dressings or blinds visible in the windows and make sure the paint on the exterior of the house is in good shape. You also want to apply a fresh coat of paint inside to keep everything appealing.
Clean
The importance of cleanliness cannot be overstated. It has to be clean, clean, clean on the inside. We have gone through a lot of rental properties and it’s appalling what you’ll see. There have been dirty floors, carpets that are torn and bathrooms that are a mess. If your property is dirty, what kind of tenants do you think you’re going to attract? It might seem like common sense, but you’d be surprised at how many landlords don’t bother to really clean and then they wonder why no high quality tenants want to rent their property.
Preparation
You don’t want to lose an interested and well-qualified tenant, so be prepared. Keep a notebook with you that contains all the i
nformation you’ll need to provide and collect. This includes your rental application, guest cards and your list of qualifying criteria. Have a copy of the lease with you as well and plenty of pens and paper. When you have everything easily accessible, you’ll make the process smoother for yourself and your applicants and you’ll be able to get started right away if a potential tenant seems like a good fit.
Renting your property quickly is a priority for most landlords, and the best way to minimize the amount of time it spends on the market is to make it rent ready when you have people come to look at it. We know how to get your property into great shape, so if you need any help with this process, please contact us at Cape Shore Property Management.
