Profiting As A Landlord: The Necessity Of Spending To Make Money

By Layla Vanderbilt

Landlords generally buy property with the intent of getting money out of it, so putting money in may seem like a self-defeating thing. But as the old saying goes, you have to spend money to make it, and there are some short term costs you should give in to, so as to save yourself greater costs later in the future. Here are some of the major ones.

1. Landscaping: It is worth spending money on landscaping. The expenses would include costs for the property water bill and the landscaper. Even though your tenant would be greatly excited with a well kept yard, but the reality is that he would hardly put in any efforts to maintain it. You could act in a wise manner and install the reasonably priced sprinklers and leave it up to the gardeners to take care of it.

So now that you've got a lovely lawn and the upkeep is in competent hands, you need to consider advertising! If you don't present your property to prospective tenants, they'll never come- how can they, if they don't know you're there? The first and most obvious thing to do is to place a sign in the front of the property that states you are now leasing, but then you must branch out from there, especially if your area sees little traffic. Now, I'm not going to tell you to invest in newspaper ads and such- those are costly and besides, the print media sees fewer and fewer readers anymore. Instead, turn to the Internet, where certain sites offer FREE advertising. Try putting your ad up on Craigslist, to start with. You'll get tons of views and not have to spend a penny.

When those prospective tenants finally find you, they're going to want to deal with a company; something that looks professional and trustworthy rather than just a single person who may or may not be competent! A small investment can net you an 800 number and a P.O. box, giving yourself both a separate place for tenants to contact you and professional looking contact info. This carries the added benefit of privacy, preventing your tenants from knowing where you live, or getting their calls on your cell phone at all hours! You must be sure to keep boundaries set. Your tenants can tend to feel entitled, and if they do develop such attitudes, let it all go to your alternate contacts. In this manner you can keep your life separate and not be enslaved.

Once you find someone suitable to lease from your property, you'll want to have a good, solid lease that's fully compliant with any state laws. Don't just pick up a generic one from some office supply place, really take the time (and necessary money) to obtain a reliable leasing agreement. Make SURE that you know the state laws, and be certain that whoever you turn to to get your agreement made does too. Time and money spent now can save potentially thousands later on.

Finally, your property is gorgeous, people have heard about you and you've acquired tenants. From this point onward DO NOT be shy about collecting rent. If someone is late or shows signs of non-payment, don't be afraid to spur him into action with a Three Days to Pay or Quit Notice sitting in his mailbox. It'll scare him enough that he won't be late again. Stay strict and they will pay up. But, if someone still doesn't and you find yourself having to evict them, since you've kept up front about it you'll begin the process exactly on time, preventing you from losing potentially costly days.

In the worst case situation, if you have to evict a person from your property, by keeping to the above you'll have the process ticking in accurate order like clockwork. Remember, the sooner you get a non-profitable tenant out, the sooner you can get a profitable one in to replace him. There's no need to be rude about it, but you should be firm and unyielding, if respectful and professional. Invest in all these things, and you'll come out ahead in the game. - 23218

About the Author:

Layla Vanderbilt is the content coordinator for a leading property management solution review website which connects people with the leading property management tools.