Curb apeal

I was recently asked to look at a home for a friend's client. They had the property listed with another manager. It has been empty since the first of September, and now it is the middle of December and still no tenant.

When I drove up to the home, there was a rent sign in the front yard. That was the only positive I could say about my visit. The front yard was completely covered with leaves, their were branches blocking the drive from a recent windstorm, the back yard was almost entirely engulfed in blackberries, and the gutters were brimming over with debris.

I did not have a key, so I was hoping to peak through the windows to get a look at the inside. All the blinds in the home were down. I also noticed that the big picture window in the front of the home had blinds that were badly broken. There was a dripping exterior faucet that had a cap over it. There were several garbage cans full of leftovers from the previous tenant. The mailbox post was leaning like the Tower of Piza.

In a market that is highly competitive, or even one that is not, why would anyone stop to look at this property.

I am continually amazed by what is presented, by a description on the competitor's web site as a clean freshly painted home, is so very different from what I would call rent ready.

An emergency repair often happens when least expected and at a time when it is difficult to respond. A good manager has systems in place to properly tackle problems. They take the worry out of home maintenance for owners they represent. We have had roof tops blow off in the middle of the night, plumbing problems from broken lines to overflowing sewage, critters in the attic and appliance failures on Thanksgiving. It is just going to happen. Be Prepared.

Frozen Pipes, again?

When doing a normal walk around inspection it is surprising how many clues to past problems can easily be missed. In our recent cold weather snap, we had several homes with frozen pipes. Upon inspection and remedial efforts we found that most of them had frozen in the past. We could tell because there were sheet rock repairs where the lines run through garage walls. These were telltale signs that were not noticed in the past. If we had known we might have been able to avoid some of the hardship on tenants and expensive repairs. So as you, an agent or a landlord, do your walk throughs, be sure to ask lots of questions.

How is the rental market in Pierce County?

The answer depends upon several factors, location being one of the biggest. Being close to major employers, like Fort Lewis, also helps considerably. The rental market as a whole is stable. Since June 2009, competition has forced some concessions from landlords of Single family homes. Most of these cause a reduction in rental rates. There are many homes on the market that were originally on the sales market increasing the competition significantly. Price as in most ventures is most important. If a home is priced reasonably, then it should rent. There are good tenants out there. Just remember to screen carefully, because there are dangers in the market as well.

Regional Alerts and Breaking news

Here is a page hosted by King County that has breaking news and regional alerts in three counties:
King, Pierce and Snohomish .

It is titled:

Check it out at: https://www.rpin.org/rpinweb/AboutUs.aspx