DId you know

That renting a house requires much more preparation than you think. When you put your house on the market to rent, it is a whole other ball game then when you are selling. Tenants expect and demand more. So Is your house “RENT READY”? Let’s see.

Are all appliances in working order and “CLEAN”? This means “white glove clean”

Have the furnace filters been changed? Then tenant will be responsible for changing them if you have it in your lease.

Are all gutters clean? The tenant will be responsible for cleaning them if you have this in your lease.

Do the smoke detectors and CO detectors have new batteries? You want the tenant to be responsible for putting new batteries if the old one’s fail. Call me and I will explain why.

Is the house “CLEAN”?

Have the carpets been cleaned?

Does it smell good when you open the front door?

The house really really needs to be clean which includes carpets, windows(inside and out) and smells good when the prospective tenant looks at the house. Don’t use artificial smell devices. Tenants know when you are trying to hide something. Does this really need a explanation?

Are the flower beds mulched and free of weeds? If they are not, then the tenant won’t do what you should have done.

Does the outside of the house need pressure washing? This is protecting your property if you require the tenant to do this. They won’t clean it if you won’t clean it.

Does the inside need painting? If so, choose neutral colors but not stark white. They want something that looks good. They don’t want to rent something that has a “USED” look.

If these things are done then you have a better chance of renting your house at a better than average rent. If your house is not in top notch condition then you will not.

Here is why. A tenant thinks if the house is dirt or not well kept then the owner will take less. The prospective tenant will let the property manager know that there are other houses available that are in better condition at the same price. So why should they pay the same price for an inferior product.The tenant also feels if they take, this less than average home, they don’t need to take care of it. The owner doesn’t take care of it, so why should they take care of it.

One of the reasons a tenant will pay your price or even more is they are not the kind of tenant you want. They credit is bad. When I say bad, I mean not only is their credit score low but they have judgements against them, multiple collections, and IRS liens. They also forgot to tell you about their criminal record. Sometimes they will offer to pay 6 months in advance just so you will rent to them. You need to run not walk from someone who has these types of credit reports.

A local realtor has been writing articles every week in North Georgia News and Towns County Herald about staging homes for sale. Check her articles out because the same principles apply to renting your house. If the yard, house and inside are not in top notch condition, then it will be difficult to rent, sell or give away at any price.