10 Inexpensive Ways to Spruce Up Your Rental or Rehab Property

It’s easy to fix up your properties if you have unlimited cash. However, you need to keep your repairs to a minimum to stay profitable. You also need to keep your properties in good shape to attract tenants or buyers. There are the basic improvements, such as carpet and paint, but these can still costs thousands of dollars. The following are some inexpensive ways to improve your properties with very little cash. #1) New Electrical Switch Plates This is such a minor, yet overlooked improvement. Most rental owners and rehabbers paint a unit and leave the old, ugly switch plates. Even worse, some even paint over them.New switch plates cost about 50 cents each. You can replace the entire house with new switch plates for about $20. For the foyer, living room and other obvious areas, spring for nice brass plates. They run about $5 each – not much for added class. #2) New or Improved Doors Another overlooked, yet cheap replacement item is doors. If you have ugly brown doors, replace them with nice white doors (you can paint them, but unless you have a spray gun it will take you three coats by hand).The basic hollow-core door is about $20. It comes pre-primed and pre-hung. For about $10 more, you can buy stylish six-panel doors. If you are doing a rehab, the extra $10 per door is well worth-it. For rentals, consider at least changing the downstairs doors. #3) New Door Handles In addition to changing doors, consider changing the handles. An old door handle (especially with crusted paint on it) looks drab. For about $10, you can replace them with new brass finished handles. Replace the guest bathroom and bedroom door handles with the fancy “S” handles (about $20 each). #4) Paint/Replace Trim If the entire interior of the house does not need a paint job, consider painting the trim. New, modern custom homes typically come with beige or off-white walls and bright-white trim. Use a semi-gloss bright white on all the trim in your houses.If the floor trim is worn, cracked or just plain ugly, replace it! Home Depot carries a new foam trim that is pre-painted in several finishes and costs less than 50 cents per linear foot. Create a great first impression by adding crown molding in the entry way and living room. #5) New Front Door You only get one chance to make a first impression. A cheap front door makes a house look cheap. An old front door makes a house look old. If you have nice heavy door, paint it a bold color using a high-gloss paint. If your front door is old, consider replacing it with a new, stylish door. For about $125, you can buy a very nice door. #6) Tile Foyer Entry After the front door, your next first impression is the foyer area. Most rental property foyers are graced with linoleum floors. Consider a nice 12″ Mexican tile. An 8′ x 8′ area should cost about $100 in materials. #7) New Shower Curtains It amazes me that many landlords and sellers show properties with either no shower curtain or any ugly old shower curtain in the bathroom. Don’t be cheap – drop $40 and buy a nice new rod and fancy curtain. #8) Paint Kitchen Cabinets Replacing kitchen cabinets is expensive, but painting them is cheap. If you have old 1970′s style wooden cabinets in a lovely dark brown shade, paint them. Use a semi-gloss white and finish them with colorful plastic knobs. No need to paint the inside of them (unless you own a spray gun), since you are only trying to make an impression.Americans spend 99% of their time in the kitchen (when they are not watching TV). A fancy modern faucet looks great in the kitchen. They can run as much as $150, but not to worry – most retailers (Home Depot, Home Base, etc) often run clearance sales on overstocked and discontinued models. I have found nice Delta and Price Pfister faucets for about $60 on sale. #9) Add Window Shutters If you have ugly aluminum framed windows, consider adding wooden shutters outside. They come pre-primed at most hardware retailers and are easy to install. Paint them an offset color from the outside of the house – (e.g., if the house is dark, paint the shutters white. If the house is light, paint them green, blue, etc.). #10) Add a Nice Mailbox Everyone on the block has the same black mailbox. Stand out. Be bold. For about $35 you can buy a nice colorful mailbox. For about $60 more, you can buy a nice wooden post for it. People notice these things….and they like them! by Bill Bronchick

Is the lease agreement really that important?

Yes, the rental lease agreement is the single most important legal document you have to protect yourself and the tenant.  If it’s not in writing, it just doesn’t count.  A handshake is difficult to enforce.

I get calls daily from landlords telling me of issues with their tenants.  They say the tenant is doing this or that, and want to know if it’s grounds for eviction.  I always ask them is that issue covered in your lease agreement.
Your lease should spell out terms and conditions clearly for both parties to understand.
Let me show you some of the must have points in your rental lease agreement.

• Abandonment: Landlord remedies when Tenant abandons the premises.
• Alterations & Repairs: Rules governing Tenant alteration of the premises.
• Assignment and Sub-letting: Terms of leases often apply to the sub-lessees.
• Default / Breach: Remedies for tenant breach, including failure to pay rent.
• Inspection & Landlord Access: When, and how, landlords may enter the premises.
• Lawful Use of Premises: Tenant’s right to possession and its limits.
• Lead Paint Disclosures (42 U.S.C. § 4852d) Each state-specific residential lease agreement also contains federal lead hazard disclosure statements as required by 42 U.S.C. § 4852d. For a free EPA pamphlet, please visit http://www.hud.gov/offices/lead/disclosurerule/
• Maintenance: Who is responsible and how maintenance is defined.
• Parking: Included or not?
• Rent & Late Fees: When, and how, to collect late fees.
• Security Deposit: Legal maximums and number of days to return to Tenant.
• Tenant Hold Over: Landlord remedies for unlawful retainer.
• Termination of Tenancy: Notice required varies from state to state.
• Utilities: Who must pay to keep the lights on?
• Surrender of Premises: How and when Tenants give up occupancy.

Once difficult, now easy. Create your own rental lease agreement
It’s easy to create your own rental lease agreement with Renting Authority.
Click the link below and follow the simple step by step process. It is stored online for future reference and you canedit it too. www.rentingauthority.com/lease/lease.php
If you need help, you can always call or use the online chat line.  I want to show you how easy it is to create a customized lease.  If you will let me.
Click here to start the process https://www.rentingauthority.com/lease/lease.php
View a sample lease at www.RentingAuthority.com under Rule Number 4
Here are a few of the additional features of Renting Authority’s rental lease agreement

•  Rent/lease apartments, condos, basements, houses, etc.
• Select various fixed and periodic terms
• Choose number of tenants
• Flexibility with utilities, pets, insurance, parking, rent increases, signing incentives, rent to own, maintenance, and tenant improvements

Log into your account and see what’s new
www.toolbox.rentingauthority.com
To your success,
Troy Boldt
888-674-9181
tboldt@RentingAuthority.com
www.RentingAuthority.com

Rental License Seminar

October 15th, 2008

Hello Troy,

 

I have given your company name and website to about 25 to 33 people who attended the Rental License seminar requirements for the Village of Glendale Heights, IL.   So if you have an rental application from Glendale Heights, IL. you know for sure it came from me.

 

Thanks for your time,

 

Maria

Glendale Heights, IL