Real Estate Blog

There is 5 steps to getting your vacation investment home rented out fast and I am only going to cover one of them in this dialogue. So this is step 1 out of 5. Stay tuned for future articles pertaining to this issue.

Ok, the very first concept is competitive research. I know that nobody likes to do homework but this is very crucial! You must find out what other properties similar to yours are renting out for. If your next door neighbor competition is renting for $500 more than you than it might be wise to raise your rent up a bit. You do not want to be looked upon as the cheap vacation home. continue reading…

Many apartment renters assume that they’re out of luck when it comes to home security. Though you won’t be able to install a whole house security system, there are dozens of other options for protecting yourself if you live in an apartment. Ensuring that your apartment is safe starts not when you move it, but while you’re searching for a place to rent. It should go without saying, but always look for an apartment in an area that looks safe and a complex that looks secure. Avoid moving into an apartment complex that is missing essential outdoor security devices like gate locks and outdoor lighting; these are things that you won’t be able to fix yourself.

Apartment complexes are high-traffic and you may not recognize everyone who lives there. Don’t let the fact that there are other people nearby allow you to lower your guard. You never know who could be inside the building, even if it is a secure apartment building. Though it’s considered neighborly to hold the door open for someone entering behind you, don’t let anyone in if you don’t know them. Some criminals will stand near the entrance, pretending to fumble with their keys, because they know that a resident will let them in eventually. Keeping your apartment safe starts with not letting unknown people into the building. continue reading…

In these times, where financial drought has been haunting several struggling individuals, a lot of them are beginning to say goodbye to their houses as well as the opportunity to lease a place. Their financial capability has been deeply affected due to the global financial crisis. Thus, owners and landlords of rental properties are pissed off because they can no longer pay their dues promptly. However, there are renters who seem to be irresponsible in nature that they do not even bother to settle their dues even if they have enough cash or not. They do not value the essence of responsible tenancy. Now being a landlord, you have to secure that everything will be for the good of your business. But these bad renters must be eliminated because they can jeopardize your operation. And how do you go about it?

Keep in mind that as soon as you have granted them the approval to stay in your house, you are giving the full responsibility to stay in the house. Thus, you must be cautious in looking for tenants. You will not know them immediately. Even if they give you their entire personal info but you will only get to know them better once they stay in the house. So never give your full trust to them until such time they have proved to be a reliable tenant. continue reading…

Inspecting an old house starts the moment you walk up the garden path. Look around the gardens and grounds as you make your way up to the house. If there are trees near the house, this can mean settlement of the foundations if the soil underneath the house is clay based. The trees will remove the water from the soil and you should spend some time finding out what type of soil the house is built on.

If the subsoil is gravel or sand based, make sure you check the house drains which, if leaky, can remove the finer, smaller particles from the subsoil and increase the risk of settlement. Cracks, even small ones, in the external walls of the side of house nearest the trees is one sign that settlement of the house may already have occurred. continue reading…

In the current economic climate, many people have found themselves forced to apply for rent supplement, commonly known as rent allowance. Also as part of the economic slowdown, many landlords are now looking more favourably on rent allowance tenancies as a means of earning income on what otherwise would be an empty house or apartment.

Questions often asked about rent allowance include:

Who is eligible for rent allowance?

People living in privately rented houses and apartments are entitled to rent supplement if they cannot afford to pay the rent themselves. Most people relying on social welfare or HSE payments as their only source of income are entitled to receive rent supplement. continue reading…