September 25, 2014

VERY savvy tips: Prepping your home for Leasing

Philadelphia has always been a robust rental town. While it’s still a buyer’s market on the homebuyer’s side, you can call it a landlord’s market on the leasing side.

Leasing isn’t just for apartments. Single-family houses are also a significant presence in the rental market. Whatever the reason for leasing, to prepare a home for lease you will have to thoroughly inspect, repair and clean it.

Here are some VERY savvy tips to prepare your home for leasing:

#1: Inspect the roof for leaks and general integrity. Fix any problems that you already know about or discover in your inspection. Clear the gutters, if necessary. Prepare the yards by mowing, pruning, gardening and weeding as necessary. Repair any faults in the driveway.

#2: Check all the plumbing, both indoor and outdoor, to make sure that everything is working correctly and nothing is leaking. Check all wall switches and electrical outlets for proper function. Check all lights and replace any dead light bulbs. Replace the air filters in your ventilation systems. Test all steps and stairs for soundness, and repair as necessary.

#3: Repaint or replace the wallpaper, if necessary. If not, clean the walls and ceilings and make spot repairs where necessary. Dust or mop the entire house. Clean and replace window blinds as needed. Inspect the carpets, if any, and replace them on a room-by-room basis if they exhibit wear and tear. Shampoo any carpets you will keep. Eradicate any pests.

#4: Clean and repair any defects in furnishings if you are renting your house as furnished; remove any furnishings you aren’t willing to risk having stolen or damaged.

#5: Contact the post office to divert any mail from current or previous owners, as necessary.

#6: Consult with a real estate attorney or real estate brokerage, such as VERY real estate, to draw up a legally effective rental lease.

#7: Hire a professional photographer to take the best photos of your space, highlighting your VERY best attributes. I highly suggest staging your rental. Most prospects do not have the vision to see how to furnish their new home, and staging helps show off your space.

Here at VERY we now offer homeowners the luxury of handling all these tasks. Employing VERY Real Estate’s unique strategy of focusing on the individual client experience, VERY Leasing tailors the services specifically for rental properties.

We provide investors and individual property owners with a full suite of services designed to enhance the tenant experience and decrease downtime for landlords between tenants.

If you are interested in finding out more information, please feel free to contact us at info@veryre.com today!