jack claudius: Renting Your House: Preparing Your Home

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Renting Your House: Preparing Your Home | Real Estate and Rental ...

mcclouds (Flickr)

So you?ve decided to rent out your home. That?s great! You?ll reap the benefits of additional income flowing in. However, don?t jump the gun and immediately put up an ad as soon as you decide this. Your home or room will need a little preparation before letting a tenant live in it.

You should make sure that your home is in a ?rentable? condition before you put it on the market. Not only do you want your home to be in a good condition before you rent it out, but you should make sure that it is prepared to endure wear and tear.

Here are a few tips on how you could prepare your home to be rented:

Clean up.

Unless you choose to rent your home out as ?furnished?, your home or room should be empty. You should have your carpet professionally cleaned before the tenant moves in (and before you have a showing!). Think of it this way: your home should be in the condition you?d like to see it when the tenant moves out.

Test your doors and windows.

Make sure that all of the doors and windows open and close properly. Make sure they fit properly in the frame without any gaps. This will help make sure your home is the most energy efficient.

Consider adding perks for a competitive edge.

To make yourself competitive in the rental marketplace, consider adding perks that will help ?sell? your property. You can install a garbage disposal, high-quality ceiling fan, or dishwasher into your unit. These items aren?t necessarily difficult to break or costly to install, making them valuable enhancements to your property. Investing in your property by installing items like these could work to your advantage. It could draw in more renters, increasing your selection of high-quality tenants.

Create a checklist.

After you make sure that everything is working correctly and your home is up to par. Make note of all of the items in the home so that you?re able to check up on them during move out. If you don?t have an existing checklist, download our free Apartment Move-In and Move-Out Checklist.