Generally speaking, preparing your property for rental means making sure it’s in the right condition to be rented. This ‘right condition’ includes keeping the property attractive and well-maintained, and pricing it competitively for the area it’s located in. It’s very important that the unit is ready in all respects to be seen by potential tenants, because negative word-of-mouth can develop quickly. Working with the best property management companies san diego has to offer can help. Here are some of the steps you should be taking to ensure you to how to prepare your property for rent.
The curb appeal factor
The first impression a tenant will have of your property is the view from the street, i.e. when approaching the unit. Make sure the landscape looks orderly and attractive, and that there’s no trash or debris cluttering up the place. If you prepare your property for rent & doesn’t have good curb appeal, it will pre-dispose tenants to dislike the place, regardless of what they see inside. It really is true that you don’t get a second chance to make a good first impression.
Walking the walls
Before you start showing the unit to tenants, it’s a good idea to ‘walk the walls’. This is a procedure where you start from the front door, and follow the wall on your left, taking it all through the house progressively, until you return to the front door. Along the way, you should be looking through the eyes of a potential tenant yourself. Find anything that might be a red flag to occupants, anything that needs fixing, or anything that is either missing or shouldn’t be there.
Prepare a list of maintenance repairs
The list of repairs you make should include the results of ‘walking the walls’. You may have found that a toilet didn’t flush properly, that a light bulb was burned out, that a doorknob was loose, or whatever. All these things should be on your checklist of repairs to carry out prior to renting the place. Even relatively minor things should be included on the list, because a sharp-eyed tenant will probably find them as well. If you have a number of these issues that require fixing and the tenant spots them, you may have lost an opportunity. When looking for rental property management in san diego, make sure maintenance and repairs are included.
Hire maintenance contractors
Any major issues uncovered during your inspection should be referred to professionals who can provide general construction services. If you spotted some exposed wiring, you may need to call in an electrician. The toilet that didn’t flush right may require the services of a professional plumber. Be wary of handling these repairs yourself, especially if you lack the necessary skills. By trying to save a few dollars, you may end up costing yourself a lot more in the end.
Clean, clean, clean
Cleaning is ultra-important, because it’s like curb appeal on the inside of the unit. It provides that critical first impression of the unit’s interior, and it either appeals to a tenant or it doesn’t. For this reason, you should undertake a ‘deep cleaning’ on your unit that includes professional carpet cleaning and even going beyond. It will be worth your while to hire a cleaning crew to go in and make the place spotless, because that’s what tenants will be looking for. New tenants are never interested in moving in to a place that was left dirty or shabby by the previous tenants.