Preparing your property for the Santa Rosa rental market is the first step towards finding and placing a great tenant and then collecting rent. To reduce your vacancy time and attract highly qualified renters, you want to provide an attractive, functional home.
Tenants will want to see a move-in ready property when they’re scrolling through your listing or arriving for a scheduled showing. Make sure your property is ready to rent with these quick tips.
Remove All Debris and Belongings
Remove all personal belongings from the property. If you were living in this home previously, everything must be taken out. Don’t leave boxes in the garage or a few personal items in a closet. You have to move it all out before you show it to tenants. If a previous tenant left personal items behind, remove those as well. An empty property shows best because you want your prospective tenants to imagine their own furniture and belongings in there.
Fix Anything Needing Repairs
If any repairs are needed at the property, be sure to make them before you begin advertising it or showing it to prospective tenants.
Conduct a complete inspection. Make sure all the systems are working, such as the heating and the air conditioning. Check the appliances and the faucets and look for leaks or structural damage. Make all the repairs quickly, using reliable vendors. You don’t want to show a tenant the property that still needs work. Even if you explain that you’re planning to make the repairs before the tenant moves in, it’s not going to make your property stand out favorably from the other homes that prospective tenants are seeing.
Professionally Clean your Santa Rosa Rental
A perfectly clean property is essential. Hire professional cleaners to make sure that everything is clean, hygienic, and sparkling. If there are carpets in the property, have them steam-cleaned as well.
Make sure your cleaners are attentive to detail. You want the baseboards cleaned and the ceiling fans dusted. The home should smell good and fresh when people come to see it. Have it cleaned before showings and then clean it again before your new tenant moves in. Not only do you want to impress these future tenants; you also want to set a standard for how you expect the home to look at the end of the lease period.
Create Extra Curb Appeal for Great First Impressions
First impressions are very important, especially when you’re renting out a home. When a tenant pulls up to the property, it has to look inviting and appealing. Make sure the lawn is mowed and the bushes are trimmed. If it’s an apartment building, there should be clean hallways and common spaces. Be sure the exterior lighting is bright and working. If the property looks messy and unmaintained from the outside, your prospective tenants will not bother going inside.
Santa Rosa Rental Values
Price your home competitively and according to the current market rents. A property that is overpriced is not ready for the market. Do a comparative analysis of other rental homes in your area that are similar to your property. You want to look at what they were listed for, but the more important data is what they actually rented for. If you cannot access this yourself, talk to a Santa Rosa property manager.
Take Some Good Pictures
Once the property is ready for the rental market, take some excellent, professional photos. You’ll use these for marketing, and they’re going to make a difference. Photos are the first things people will look at when they see your home advertised for rent. Make sure you use a good camera, have adequate lighting, and take plenty of photos from many different angles. Don’t take the pictures before the home has been cleaned and removed of clutter.
These are some quick ways to get your home ready for the rental market. We’d be happy to help you navigate the leasing and marketing process. Please contact us at Prestige Real Estate & Property Management. We manage homes in Sonoma County, including Santa Rosa, Windsor, Sebastopol, Petaluma, and Rohnert Park.
