{"id":105121,"date":"2020-02-12T11:20:12","date_gmt":"2020-02-12T16:20:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stage.bhgrelife.com\/bhgrelife\/?p=105121"},"modified":"2020-02-12T11:20:14","modified_gmt":"2020-02-12T16:20:14","slug":"renting-out-your-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stage.bhgrelife.com\/bhgrelife\/renting-out-your-house\/","title":{"rendered":"How to get your house ready for renters"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Even if you bought your home to live in rather than as an income\nproperty, you may end up renting out your house at some point. A contract\nopportunity on the other side of the country (or the world), a drop in property\nvalues that means you want to build up more equity in your home before trying\nto sell it, or a formal or informal sabbatical might mean you want to rent\nrather than sell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s how you can get your house ready for renters. While it may\nseem like a lot of work and a moderate amount of money, it\u2019s well worth it.\nGood tenants are attracted to well maintained, trouble-free properties, and\ngood tenants are hopefully the only kind you\u2019ll ever have to deal with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Start with the exterior<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Make sure all your exterior maintenance<\/a> is up to\ndate. That includes landscaping, raking, gutter cleaning, roof repairs, and\nchecking, cleaning and replacing exterior lights and\/or sensors. Test and\nrepair any exterior railings and make sure pathways are safe. Replace any\nbroken interlock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get the screens cleaned and the exterior windows washed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you don\u2019t have keypad locks, you might want to consider changing\nthe locks for the front, back, and side doors and any mailboxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contact your insurance broker and arrange to switch your policy\nfrom homeowners to landlord\u2019s insurance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If your tenants are going to be responsible for lawn maintenance\nand snow removal, make sure they\u2019ve got the tools they need to do the job,\nwhether they supply their own or you provide them. If you have a mortgage on\nyour home, let your bank know when you\u2019ll be renting out your house rather than\noccupying it for the term of the initial lease anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Draw up a condensed list of HOA rules your tenants need to be aware\nof and abide by. Being caught in the middle of a dispute between the HOA and\nyour tenant is an uncomfortable place to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a bold new look that doesn\u2019t cost a lot or take long, consider\npainting your front door. Red doors were popular for years and still provide a\ngreat \u201cpop\u201d of welcoming color. But increasingly, dramatic black and medium or\ndark blue doors are trending these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tackle the interior<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Start at the top of the house and work your way down. This is the\ntime to declutter in earnest, so plan to make more than one trip to the thrift\nstore to drop off old furniture, toys, clothes, and games, or plan a yard sale\nor two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the very least, you should wash all the walls and ceilings of\nyour home before you put it on the rental market. Deal with potential problem\nareas that need to be dealt with, whether it\u2019s drywall or plaster repairs,\npaint touch-ups, or, worst-case scenarios, a leaky pipe or insufficient\nventilation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remove all your window fittings and wash curtains or blinds.\nVertical or wooden blinds may not be removable, but they can still be vacuumed\nor sponged. Wash the interiors of your windows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you can afford to have the interior repainted<\/a> in neutral\ncolors from top to bottom, do it. And of course, floors, rugs, and both the\ninterior and exterior of all cupboards will need to be cleaned, including the\nceiling hood fan. Replace the hood fan filter if necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check all the appliances that come with the house to make sure\nthey\u2019re in working order and if you can find them, set the manuals aside in a\ndedicated kitchen drawer. Test and put new batteries in smoke and carbon\nmonoxide detectors and make sure you have working fire extinguishers for each\nfloor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get someone in to clean and maintain your furnace and air\nconditioning system and get someone to take a look at your hot water heater as\nwell. Make sure your electrical panel is properly labeled and display emergency\ncontact information for heating or plumbing emergencies on the interior of the\nelectrical panel. Ensure your tenants know whether and how often they need to\nchange the furnace filters and where they can find them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If all this seems overwhelming or you find you\u2019re having frequent\nrenter turnover, you might want to consider hiring a property management firm\nto deal with tenant complaints, repairs, and maintenance. It will cost you 10\nto 15 percent of your total rental income, but it may buy you peace of mind.\nInterview several property managers and ask for references from tradespeople\nthey use as well as other property owners.\n\nGetting your house\nready for renters marks a new chapter for both you and your tenants to be. By\nmaking sure everything\u2019s in good working order before you try to rent it out,\nyou can hopefully attract the best possible tenants and ones who will treat\nyour home as well or better than you.\n\n\n\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"