As a Brainerd rental property owner, leasing your property takes more than just advertising and screening tenants. A big part of quickly finding new tenants is using good strategies for staging and showing your rental. While the intermittent vacancy and property showing may be part of owning a rental house, that doesn’t mean these things should be lengthy or take up a great deal of your time. As an extra, follow these staging and touring tips to get your property leased faster.
Give Proper Notice
First, if you currently have a tenant, it’s important to prepare them for the interruption of showing the property. Few tenants appreciate having people walking through their home, even if their lease requires them to participate. You can encourage your tenants to be willing participants in the process by using clear, positive communication and showing respect for their privacy and time. They may even be willing to guarantee that the house is tidy through good tenant relations before you bring prospective tenants over for a tour.
Choose Your Moment
Whether you have a tenant in residence or not, it is necessary to put some thought and effort into how the property looks before inviting prospective tenants to visit. If your current tenant tends to be messy or is in the process of moving, it may not be the best time to set up showings. It’s essential to know your tenant well enough to decide whether to wait until they move out to show the place to others.
Staging for Maximum Appeal
Of course, an empty rental house doesn’t show as well as one that is furnished. It can be troublesome for people to get an accurate impression of the size of rooms and how well their own belongings will fit when standing in an empty space. For this reason, it’s a smart idea to stage the rental house with at least a few furnishings to give the interior some dimension.
Applying a current tenant’s furniture may be the easiest way to stage a rental house. But too much stuff, especially personal belongings, can interfere with an effective showing. Putting a small table and chairs in the dining area is a relatively easy way to accomplish this. That way, the furniture can help prospective tenants get an accurate feel for the size of each room.
You may want to explore renting or borrowing a few things to put in the rental just for show. There’s no need to go too big or include too much when you stage a rental home. A few furnishings and perhaps a decorative touch or two to add visual beauty and color can help prospective tenants better visualize themselves living in the space. In turn, that may help you to lease the property faster, saving you both time and lost rental income.
Ensure Security
While you are staging and showing property, don’t forget about taking steps to ensure the security of both your property and your current tenant’s belongings, if any. It would be best if you accompanied anyone touring the rental property. You should also make it a priority to ensure that doors and windows are all locked before you leave, especially if your tenant is not at home at the time of the showing. Finally, it’s important to reassure a current tenant of the steps you will take to prevent theft and safeguard their security and privacy.
There is little doubt that staging and showing a rental house takes both time and effort. But there is no need for you to do it yourself. To free up your time and give yourself peace of mind, consider contacting Real Property Management Deluxe. Our Brainerd property management professionals offer the full range of quality services you and your rental property need. You can call us at 218-454-7368 or contact us online.
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