Ready for Rental: Preparing Your Home For Rent

Houses for Rent

If you have a new home or even an apartment apart from the one you’re residing in that you no longer use, one way to make money out of it is to put it out for rent. According to a report by CBS News last year, the average price for US housing rents per month is at $1,405.00, with prices going as high as $4,116 and as low as $639 depending on the city. With the population constantly growing, and people from other places and countries flocking in, the demand for house and apartment rentals increase, as well.

However, before you even decide to advertise and place signs all over your property signifying that it’s ready for its next tenant, you must prepare the house first for it to be much more attractive and easier to market:

Safety First

Ensuring tenant safety should be your priority when preparing your house for rent; potential tenants are more likely to rent a safe house. Plus, the last thing you’d want is to have a lawsuit in your hands after a tenant is injured because of blaring structural issues in your house for rent. It’s possible that this extra house of yours hasn’t been used or maintained, or has developed issues over the years. So before you even decide to rent it out, you must have a professional take a look at your home and see that everything is structurally sound and certify that it is a safe place to live in.

Utility and Pests

It’s easier to rent out a home that has working utilities; that said, you should have a plumber and electrician ensure that the utilities (electricity and water) are in working condition. You may also want to have technicians check out, maintain, and clean the following: water heaters, HVAC system, air filters.

Pest Control and Proofing

You should also consider having the entire structure checked for pests; hire your trusted local exterminator in Chesapeake, VA to do a thorough rodent, roach, and termite inspection in and out your house. If you ignore a small termite or rodent infestation, it would eventually just worsen along the way, so don’t put off pest control and pest-proofing your home before putting it out for rental. Tenants are more likely to leave if they discover that your house is filled with pests, and these pests may end up doing costly damage to your home’s structure and features as well.

Clean Up and Spruce Up

Now that you have the safety and utility, it’s time to focus more on the aesthetic aspect of your home. A beautiful home is easy to rent out, but having one that’s both safe and attractive would practically sell itself. That said, it’s important that you properly clean every nook and cranny of your home, perhaps repaint the walls or add new wallpaper. Don’t forget to beautify your yard, as well! The bottom line is that you have to make it look like a place any family would want to live in.

Conclusion

Renting out your home can bring in easy cash; you have to take the necessary steps to make it attractive enough for potential clients. So, if you’ve decided to finally rent out that extra house of yours, make sure that you follow these preparatory pointers — before you know it, you’d have potential tenants calling you left and right.