After a resident moves out (or evicted) you don’t want a property sitting empty for a long time for several reasons. So here are six ways to reduce your turnover time:
You MUST put aside a portion of your received rents each month so that when the time comes you do have cash to hire the labor. Most businesses call this “retained earnings,” but you can just think of it as your maintenance fund.
- Do quarterly or semi-annual inspections to make sure the residents are not destroying the place so that there is not as much work to do at time of turnover.
- Find good, reliable contractors and have them lined up IN ADVANCE. This is essential for doing quick turnovers when there is a bunch of work to be done. If your resident is giving you a 30-day notice, there is no reason you shouldn’t have a list of repair items prepared to be started on the day after they leave.
- I have all my leases end on the 23rd so that I have a few days to rehab and have a new resident move in at the end of the same month.
- Prep the curb appeal and start marketing while the helpers finish the inside.
- I find that “doing it along the way” is the way to go. Every six months or so, I visit my properties, and see what’s “really” needed, and get it done. Then, annually, as Jeffrey Taylor (aka Mr. Landlord) suggests, I offer the residents an “upgrade” of something else that will rehab the place. The idea being that by the time a resident moves out, paint and maybe flooring are all that’s needed.
Advertising to the Military
I work for the military (civilian) and there is a website that the military use when they are relocated. In many cases, the Dept of Defense pays the landlord direct. It is called AHRN.com and it stands for Automated Housing Rental Network. You can post for free on the network. If you want to get the rental registered with the local military installations, you can call them and get registered with the relocation personnel who help military men and women find suitable housing. I am going through the Department of Defense (DOD) inMichigan. I am having my house walked through by the housing relocation personnel – it adds a positive review among those that are not. Check it out!
This is how I discovered the program and how it has worked for me: Two years ago I took a job inWilliamsburg,VA.I called AHRN inMichiganand got absolutely zero results! I ended up coming back toMichiganfor lots of reasons (namely, my mother was dying and my job required 24/7 travel 350 days a year). My mother was more important than my new job. In June, I accepted a job with the Dept. of Defense inTexas. There aren’t many jobs inMichigan. I had to go to nearest military installation to get fingerprinted. While I was at the military base, I mentioned something about wanting to rent my house. The person taking my prints told me to hang on a minute. He came back with a woman who works with military and DOD relocation. She gave me the “details.” I told her my info was on AHRN but nothing happened. She told me that property managers/landlords have to renew the listing every 30 days even though it is on the site. She also put me in touch with her co- worker who handles transfers. I chose to have my house “inspected” because it offers QA to potential residents. During my advertisement, I am going to add a blurb that says “military and DOD house inspected by ….” so other government (non-DOD) personnel see this. It’s another advertisement tag-line.
One other landlord shared his experience with AHRN.com – a retired military guy and landlord who has used AHRN for about five years. It is like any other marketing website in that sometimes you get great residents and sometimes you don’t. The quality of your renter still depends on how “well” YOU screen them. Military folks may get a paycheck regularly; however they may also not pay rent (unless they are on an auto pay plan) and/or damage the property. When I’ve rented to military, the inspections and direct rent payment is coordinated through the base housing referral office.
9 Uses of Smart Phones for Landlords
Editor’s Note: A regular contributor to MrLandlord.com shared the following ways in which he uses his smart phone to aide in his rental business. We thought you may find this helpful by encouraging you in ways to maximize the use of YOUR smart phone with your rentals.
1. Snap a copy of the driver’s license for my applicants then e-mail it to myself for record keeping.
2. Use the mobile banking app to check balance, deposit checks, transfer funds, and pay bills.
3. Check Facebook for a prospect.
4. Do online checking for credit/background on prospects.
5. Check e-mails from tenants.
6. Check out Craigslist for other landlords in the area with the same type of rentals.
7. Use the note pad app to write down a quick note.
8. Of course, use the phone address book to screen out unwanted calls.
9. Check out the local MLS listing for possible new purchases.
10. Bonus Tips from Two other Landlords: The Mr. Landlord Q&A forum is now mobile friendly! Try it out (to receive landlording advice on-the-go).
11. You can even run credit checks right on the spot with applicants!
The above tips are shared by regular website contributors to the popular MrLandlord.com Q and A forum. To receive a free sample of Mr. Landlord newsletter, call 1-800-950-2250 or visit their informative Q&A Forum at www.LandlordingAdvice.com where you can ask landlording questions and seek the advice of other rental owners 24 hours a day.