It's Not Personal, It's Business...

   I am not sure about the rest of the country, but here in the Antelope Valley, we seem to have a surplus of rental homes on the market.  In our local newspaper, there is a daily average of about 210-240 single family homes for rent.  That's just from one source!!  Pretty shocking for an area the size of this valley.

   So, in a situation like this, how do you go about setting your home apart from the competition?  When we sign on a new home for property management, we usually take a walk through it with the owner of the home.  We use this time to ask questions about the place and get to know the owner a little better.  What may not be so obvious however, is that we are also scanning for common rental issues.  Rental issues are things that may cause potential renters to run the other way when they see the home.  The list of possible rental issues could fill an entire hard drive, but for most renters, there are a few deal breakers that stand out above the rest.

   And so, without further ado, here are five quick tips you can rent to get your rental rented!

1).   The Cruddy Home.  No one wants to walk into a house and feel as though they should have gone in for a booster shot for flesh eating diseases.  Before you advertise your rental, take the time to do a walk through and a thorough cleaning.  That means, wash the bathroom mirrors, behind and IN the toilet, the showers, exterior windows, stove tops or cooking surfaces, counter tops, floors, etc.  We also recommend that owners get their carpets cleaned.  We don't care if they do it themselves or hire a haz-mat crew.  Renters can't relax if they are constantly wondering what caused that weird stain on the bedroom floor.

2).   The Mural Home.  I am sure that most of us can appreciate a fine painting that spans an entire wall...who wouldn't?  However, if your walls utilize grease, fingerprints, dirt, chips, and cracks to paint a picture of the horror that your home has survived, it may not be the kind of image you want to advertise.  PLEASE, at the very least, take the time to wash your walls.  If they are not clean after a good scrubbing, then take the time to give them a fresh shot of paint!  You wouldn't go to an important event wearing the same makeup that you applied fifteen years ago right?  Either should your house.

3).   The Wasteland Home.  Ahhh...here in the Antelope Valley we are blessed with temperature extremes.  I am not saying that we live in the hottest or coldest place in the country, but rather we live in an area that can be both hot and cold.  In the summer, no one bats an eye if the thermometer tops out at 118 degrees.  In the winter, no one notices if we hit lows in the 1-20 degree range.  That's just the way it is.  As a result, our lawns and gardens tend to suffer.  When you are trying to rent your home, I don't expect it to look the Presidential Rose Garden.  But it would be nice if the lawn and planters were free of weeds and other debris.  Cut the grass, pull the weeds, edge the lawn, and even consider planting some inexpensive flowers!  A little bit of color can work wonders for your home's appeal.

4).   The Foul Home.  I have read about other people encountering this same problem many times.  As we live in a certain area for an extended amount of time, that place tends to absorb our odors.  Do you like fried food?  Do you have pets?  Do you have a home gym?  Any of these things can cause a smell that you may not pick up on anymore.  Why?  Our brains tend to phase out the smells that we emit.  Good news right?  Not exactly.  Just because we can no longer smell our own odors, that does not mean that others can't either.  I may have shocked and offended some of those out there who have just been told that they have a distinctive odor.  However, it's not personal...it's business.  I am in the business of renting homes.  If I can detect an unusual aroma in your house, I may recommend buying an air freshener. 

   Now, having said this, please don't overkill it on the scents.  Although renters don't want to rent homes that smell as though something has been dead for awhile, they don't want to feel as though they just signed a lease at the Glade manufacturing plant either!  Keep it simple and light.

5).   The "What the Heck Are They Thinking?" Home.  Any of the afore mentioned problems can cause a renter to run for the hills.  However, the number one cause of extended vacancy in the Antelope Valley is an owner who refuses to price his home right.  If someone calls Classic Property Management and asks for an idea as to what they can expect to get for their property, I give it to them straight.  There are management companies out there that will tell an owner whatever they want to hear just to get the listing.  We hold ourselves to a higher ethical standard.  If your house will rent for $1800/month, we will list it for $1800/month.  In times like these, the supply is outweighing the demand.  As a result, homeowners need to be prepared to negotiate more and be aggressive with their pricing.

   If you can follow these few tips, you may very well be ahead of the competition.  Good luck to all of those who may be trying to rent their Antelope Valley homes.  It is a difficult job, but somebody's got to do it!  If in doubt, hire a professional property management company.

For more tips on renting your home and other solutions for today's rental market, please check out our website by clicking to the Classic logo to the right!