Property Management Info Archives

How Do I Rent My Atlanta Home (Part 2)

March 28, 2012 by Thom Abbott

In my last post about How Do I Rent My Atlanta Home, we talked about what you need to do on the inside of your home to make it sparkle and shine to a prospective tenant. But first impressions go a long way in both buying and renting your home. And that first impression starts on the outside of your home. You’ve probably heard the saying….”curb appeal.”

So, exactly what is “curb appeal” and what do I have to do to Rent My Atlanta Home?

The Lawn — It needs to be mowed, driveway and curbs edged, and the landscape beds looking clean. This is all certainly “do-it-yourself” kinds of things, but if you have already moved, we can help you find a landscape company that will get this ready. You might even want to consider pricing your home rental to INCLUDE lawn maintenace. This can be one of your bigger challenges managing your rental or investment property….how the exterior is maintained.
Shrubbery and/or Trees — At least make sure for your initial rental advertising period, that you have the shurbbery trimmed and neat. Again, that first impression goes along way to not only getting the rental rate you desire, but getting your home rented faster because it looks great from the outside!
Roofing and Siding — We are certainly NOT suggesting you have a new roof installed! But, you might want to check in your attic (if you have one) and make sure there are no obvious signs of a problem. A tenant is much more likely to let such a problem go on for a long time before they report it, and water does all kinds of damage! As for the siding, you just want to make sure things are in place, any caulking needed, etc. Remember, your Atlanta Home For Rent is going to be occupied by a tenant, and a tenant is not inclined to walk around the house looking for issues like you would.
Driveway — ONLY if you have numerous stains, would we suggest a pressure wash. Otherwise, it should be fine.

GREAT! Now that you have your Atlanta Home ready To Rent, give us a call. We will make an appointment to give you a free evaluation of the market, review our unique marketing plans, tenant placement services and our cost saving way to manage your property for LESS money!

Complete our Landlord Evaluation Form and we will be in contact with you as soon as possible!

For More Information on how we can best serve your InTown Atlanta Real Estate needs, please fill out the online contact form or call us at 770.713.1505.

We specialize in InTown Atlanta Real Estate single family homes and condomiums. If you are planning to Buy InTown Atlanta real estate, let us help you explore all the possibilities available to you and help you find just the right home you will LOVE!

Please use the following links to Search for Homes by Intown Atlanta Neighborhoods or Zip codes!

Brookhaven/Ashford Park 30319	Buckhead 30305
Buckhead 30327	Buckhead 30342
Chamblee 30341	Decatur 30307
Doraville 30340	Downtown Atlanta 30303
Druid Hills 30329	Dunwoody 30338
East Atlanta/Ormewood Park 30316	East Lake/Kirkwood 30317
Grant Park 30312	Midtown Atlanta 30308
Midtown Atlanta 30309	Midtown West/Collier Hills 30318
Morningside 30306	Morningside 30324

Are you looking for a specific Intown Atlanta neighborhood to focus on? Contact Thomas Ramon Realty and we can set up a search for any specific neighborhood you are looking for!

How Do I Rent My Atlanta Home?

March 27, 2012 by Thom Abbott

There can be any number of reasons that you need to rent your Atlanta home. Whether it’s a job transfer, inability to sell your home for the price you need, or maybe you have taken advantage of the market and purchased an investment property. Whatever the reason, now you are asking, How Do I Rent My Atlanta Home?

A rental home is not much different than a home that is For Sale. Priced right, in good condtion and the right location, and you can have a tenant in place quickly. But there are several steps you need to take first.

Preparing Your Atlanta Home For Rent

If this is a home you have moved out of and are now renting, we first need to get “her in shape!” What exactly does that mean?

Spit clean and spotless — nothing will send a prospective tenant running faster than dirty carpet, bathrooms, windows, you name it…it needs to be clean!!! Whether you do it yourself, or hire a professional cleaning service, clean is mean when it comes to getting TOP DOLLAR for your Atlanta Rental Home!
Paint — A fresh coat of paint will go the farthest in making your home shine. It will make your home sell fresh and new, and may keep a prospective tenant in your home longer. The longer they look, the more likely they will rent. Always, always keep it neutral when you paint. You might leave a children’s room a special color, but the potential tenant may want it for a home office…so best to make it neutral. Painting can probably be done quicker or easier by a professional depending on how quickly you need it done, or how much time you have to do it yourself.
Mechanical/Systems/Appliances — Simply said, they all need to work, and work right. If a burner on the stove does not work, fix it. These little things will add up to less of a chance to lease your home, or later in a lease, a tenant may become frustrated that things don’t work and it could cause “problems.” Let’s not risk that…let’s just have it all working.

In our next post, we’ll talk about the exterior of the home and what needs to be done there. How about a hint? When you Rent Your Atlanta Home, you may only get one chance to make a good first impression.
Read more: https://atlantagahomesforrent.com/how-do-i-rent-my-atlanta-home#ixzz1qJl95Ola

For More Information on how we can best serve your InTown Atlanta Real Estate needs, please fill out the online contact form or call us at 770.713.1505.

Please use the following links to Search for Homes by Intown Atlanta Neighborhoods or Zip codes!

Brookhaven/Ashford Park 30319	Buckhead 30305
Buckhead 30327	Buckhead 30342
Chamblee 30341	Decatur 30307
Doraville 30340	Downtown Atlanta 30303
Druid Hills 30329	Dunwoody 30338
East Atlanta/Ormewood Park 30316	East Lake/Kirkwood 30317
Grant Park 30312	Midtown Atlanta 30308
Midtown Atlanta 30309	Midtown West/Collier Hills 30318
Morningside 30306	Morningside 30324

Are you looking for a specific Intown Atlanta neighborhood to focus on? Contact Thomas Ramon Realty and we can set up a search for any specific neighborhood you are looking for!

Why Don’t Real Estate Agents call me back about a Rental?

January 23, 2012 by Thom Abbott

It is not so much that I have been directly asked why don’t real estate agents call me back about a rental. It is probably more about YOUR behavior as a potential renter that gets you no return phone calls. Let me tell you about your behavior as a potential renter.

You scour the Internet for all the options available to you. Varoius rental and real estate sites and of course the popular Craigslist. For every rental listing you see online that you think looks interesting, you call, text or email the listed contact about it. So, you in affect have contacted 3 or 5 or 7 or 9 different people about NINE different rental listings. Some you may have found one a particular real estate site (we’d hope it was the one you are on now!) or maybe on Craigslist. You have effectively put everyone in competition for your business. Well yes, and no. What you have done in reality, is diluted your chances of seeing few, if ANY of these listings.

Why?

Unless the particular listing you have contacted me about is MY listing, you are asking me to show you one specific listing, while you are still contacting other people. Do I want to chase you for one listing? Here is a simpler way to put it. You are trying to date me, but at the same time, you are going out on dates with other people. And when I don’t respond because I KNOW you are dating other people, you ask why?

What if you could date one guy (or girl) and THEY could tell you everything about every other guy (or girl) in the bar. WOW! Would that not be the easiest way to find the perfect match. Well, let me introduce you to…..a real estate agent.

By “dating” one agent, that agent can show you and tell you about all the guys and girls in the bar. (all the condos or homes that are for rent in the area you are looking.) Ok, suppose you “stray” out of the bar, and you see this hot, awesome looking guy (or girl) at the hotdog stand (Craigslist) on the corner. And you say, “I have just GOT to talk to that one.” Well, instead of running over to them and gushing all over them, how about your run back inside and say to your date (your real estate agent) “hey, you have GOT to see the one I just found at the hotdog stand. It’s awesome!”

No problem, I head out to the hotdog cart on your behalf (contact that Craigslist posting) and get you the inside scoop on whether you really want to date them (rent that place, or if it’s even still available) and report back to you.

Now, the underlying difference in this whole process of finding a rental home versus finding a date is that one of us makes a living making these connections. THAT would be the real estate agent. But you see, if the real estate agent knows that he (or she) is going to spend an hour learning about that guy at the hot dog cart while you are running all around the bar hitting on other guys (or girls) (calling 3 or 5 or 7 or 9 other listings/agents) what do you suppose their real motivation and interest is going to be? Pretty slim.

You don’t make money dating (well not true…there are groups and firms that charge you to find you the perfect mate) but as a real estate agent I DO make money finding you a place to live. In fact, it’s exactly HOW I am able to afford the place where I live.

What’s the moral to this story? Well, you can run all over the bar talking to all kinds of guys and girls, you can chase down the guy or girl at the hotdog cart, or you can find just one guy (ME) that you can ask all the questions, look at all the guys and girls in the bar you are interested in (all the rental listings in a particular neighborhood you want to live in) and find just the right one that fits you.

And you did it all with one call. So now, do you still wonder why don’t real estate agents call me back about a rental?

Broker Rental Referral Fees. What Difference Do They Make?

November 20, 2011 by Thom Abbott

So you’ve decided to rent your Atlanta home or condominium? What Difference does the Broker Rental Referral Fee Make in renting my home? Do you remember the line from Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman when she walks back into the store on Rodeo Drive where the clerk would not help her? “Excuse me, do you work on commissions? Big Mistake! HUGE mistake!” Well the same rule kind of applies when you (or your real estate agent) decides on what they will offer a co-op broker for a rental referral fee. What? Let me explain it from the side of the listing agent and then the side from the co-op broker. You might think it the same as when you purchase real estate, but such is not the case.

The Listing Agent and the Landlord

While every real estate agent may operate differently, most will charge you a one month fee, equal to the monthly rent. From there, they will offer to the real estate agent a portion of that amount, known as the Broker Rental Fee or co-op fee. This can range from 10% up to as much at 50%. What does this matter to you as the Landlord? In a nutshell, how quickly your home or condo will get rented….or not.

Believe it or not, real estate agents prefer NOT to work for free. And while your real estate agent should show you every rental listing that meets your requirements, it does come down to money. Plain and simple. Let’s look at an example.

Monthly Rental Rate: $1500 (You pay your real estate agent this fee (one month) to find you a tenant and/or manage the property for you. We will talk about property management later) From this fee, they offer the co-op Broker 10%. That’s $150. That’s $150 for driving them around, perhaps showing 5, 10 or more listings before the prospective tenant makes a decision. Not a great wage.

So look at the difference if YOUR agent offers a higher co-op fee:

15% = $225
20% = $300
30% = $450

Can you see how a real estate agent might be more inclined to show YOUR listing if it had a higher co-op fee associated with it? Did it cost YOU more money for that higher co-op fee? That depends. Did your listing agent ask you to pay more than one month? Did your listing sit on the market, vacant for more than 1 month? Then it may have just cost you another month’s mortgage payment.

The Broker Co-op Fee and the Renter

So, you’ve seen how the co-op fee might affect how quickly your Atlanta home or condominium gets rented. Now, look at it from the agent’s view that is working with the tenant. Should I show a rental listing that is paying me $150 referral fee or a the one that is paying me $450? I didn’t do very well in economics, but I can probably guess which rental listing will get more traffic which will equal a faster lease.

If you are getting ready to lease your property, ask your Listing Agent what he/she will be offering as a co-cop fee. Broker Rental Referral Fees. What Difference Do They Make?

Preparing Your Atlanta Home For Rent

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