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There are many ways that you can increase the value of your home. But as you have probably heard many times in the past, ?the kitchen sells a home.? For this reason, you should concentrate your time and effort on the kitchen. This is a great way to increase the value of your home before selling, or to simply make your current property more enjoyable. The question is: what can you do to your kitchen in order to increase the value of your home? Continue Reading Add Value through your Kitchen »

Picking the right property manager can be a difficult task. Your situation is probably unique to your property and the duties that manager will be required to perform are varied. It’s important that you find the right property manager or management company for your particular needs so you?ll obviously have to assess what your needs are before you begin searching. Use the following tips to help you narrow your search. Continue Reading How to Find a Property Manager »

If you’re looking to sell your property and reap the greatest rewards you may want to consider going the do-it-yourself route. Realtor commissions can soak up a lot of the profit when you sell a home and if you’ve got the time and skill, then you can keep that profit for yourself.

Your first step is to do a little research and figure out what your home is worth. You probably already have a figure in mind of what you want to sell the home for, but that figure may not be realistic. Look at what homes are listed at in your area. Compare like homes in similar areas and base your price upon what the market is currently asking and what it seems as though buyers are willing to pay. Continue Reading For Sale by Owner »

photo credit: Duchamp

If you’re looking for a bargain rental unit then Forbes recommends moving to Columbus, Ohio with a monthly average of only $626, Indianapolis, Indiana at $634 or Kansas City, Missouri with an average rental costing only $655. These cities still have a lot to offer residents and won?t suck up all your income in living expenses.

Obviously, the cities with the higher rents offer residents a higher wage, but the cost of living in these areas is substantially higher as well. So, all of this must be weighed carefully before you decide to relocate and try living in a new city.

If you have a home that you are trying to rent you are probably interested in finding tenants as soon as possible. After all, tenants pay rent and this money goes straight to you. In some cases, although not advised, you may use this rent money to pay the mortgage on the property. If this is the case, you are probably in a big hurry. Continue Reading Rental Market: Should you be Selective with Tenants? »

Being a landlord is easy but being a good landlord takes work and effort. Follow the landlord tips listed below to be the best you can be and to get the greatest response from your tenants.

Get it in Writing

Get everything in writing so that there is no confusion or room for errors. This not only prevents conflict but can protect you in case of future legal actions against you.

Screen Tenants

Even if you know the tenant or on the other end of the spectrum, you?re sure you?re not going to rent to a particular person, screen them. If they?ve filled out the application then your best bet is to formally screen every single tenant just to make sure you?re getting the information you need and this too may protect you against possible discrimination suits.

Be Available

Be the sort of landlord that your tenant can contact with problems and pay attention to their complaints. Sometimes quick action on small problems can prevent huge property damage in the future, i.e. a leaky faucet could be a clue to larger plumbing problems.

Provide Security

Most tenants want security and appreciate not only a secure building but additional measures that ensure a lighted parking area, well manicured shrubs that people cannot hide behind, and locks that work and are never? propped open.

Act Fairly

Treat every tenant fairly and with respect. This applies from your first contact when them until you determine how much of the security deposit to return upon their exit. Fairness throughout will keep your reputation sterling in your community.

photo credit: Kecko

If you’re managing a property, whether as a property manager or as the landlord, it is a good idea to be active in your community. The lifeblood of the rental business is people and by connecting with a larger part of your community in a positive way you extend your reach and boost your reputation at the same time.

Continue Reading The Community Active Landlord »

When you hire a real estate agent, it is important that you trust him or her. No matter what, this is the most important part of your relationship. If you trust your agent to act on your behalf and make essential decisions, you will find it much easier to either buy or sell a home. It is hard to know for sure from the beginning if you can trust a particular real estate agent, but over time this will become obvious.

Continue Reading Trust and your Real Estate Agent »

If you need to find a qualified real estate agent chances are that you want to do so right away. Fortunately, there are many places that you can look to find the person who will best suit your needs as a buyer and/or seller. The fact of the matter, although it may not seem like it, is that no two agents are the same. In other words, you will get along better with some real estate agents. If you are not careful, you could end up signing a contract with an agent who does not have the same vision and goals as you. Do you want to put yourself in this position?

Continue Reading Where to Find a Qualified Real Estate Agent »

photo credit: RYN TMRW

Whether your co-tenants split on you and leave the rental unit or if they split on each other and one is left holding the bag (or the lease as the case may be) you’re covered by the lease you had them both sign, you did have them both sign the lease, right?

Continue Reading What Happens when Co-Tenants Split? »