GETTING GREAT TENANTS

KQ PROPERTY MANAGEMENT / 2020

Do you have a rental house? CHECK!

Do you want quality tenants that will pay on time

and take good care of your investment? CHECK! Are you ready to go to market? Uh, maybe? All landlords hope for that perfect tenant who will take great care of the property inside while paying on time and being good neighbors. Qualities like this are not limited by income brackets either; No matter what size and price range your rental is, there is a fabulous tenant waiting to rent from you. But attracting this caliber of tenant requires providing a home that appeals to them. So, what exactly do quality tenants look for?

Good, Clean Flooring for Scooting Across

Whether your rental has carpet or a hard surface flooring (such as Luxury Vinyl Plank i.e. LVP) it needs to be presentable. Something a tenant won’t mind walking barefoot on or letting their kids crawl across. If the carpet stains keep coming back after a shampoo (something that doesn’t happen with LVP) it’s time to replace it (like with LVP). Hmm, did I mention LVP? In all seriousness, carpeting in a rental is only good for about 5 years max and if you’re allowing pets in the rental (another great way to increase the value of the home!), potentially less. Carpet retains smells from things such as cooking, kids, and critters, and it’s never going to be fully clean as dirt works its way below the carpet and into the pad. On the other hand, an LVP flooring will last about 15 years or longer with minimal maintenance. Tenant’s love it because it’s easy to clean (a benefit when figuring a security deposit return) and NO SMELLS! It’s waterproof, scratch resistant, and comes in a variety of wood colors and variations. Put it in the whole house - including bedrooms (I see the cringes about not having carpet in the bedroom, but please trust me) - because LVP is the flooring that brings all the tenants to the yard – and they’re like, it’s better than carpet!

Fresh Feeling Interiors

Light, bright, and refreshing is what we’re after. Stay away from color on the walls – yes you with the seafoam green paint, and I see you over there about to put that vintage blue on an “accent wall”. Here’s the deal: most tenants understand they don’t get to re-paint the rental, and most won’t think they can ask you to change the colors either. So, stay away from yellow beiges. Be better than the institutional white. And it doesn’t matter how much Valspar is promoting the Pantone color of the year…it’s a hard pass in a rental. You want a “neutral color” that adds interest while being compatible with any tenant’s personal style. Let me introduce you to GREIGE <pronounced GURAYJZE>. That’s right, the perfect blend of gray and beige that works in both warm and cool home decors. While I’m partial to Amazing Gray by Sherwin Williams, lovely alternatives are Worldly Gray and Repose Gray. Oh! And Greige walls with a Gray wood LVP flooring and white trim, well you can’t see it but I’m doing that Italian food kiss thing – Bellissima!

Things That Look New, Or At Least New-er

Make simple and inexpensive updates to your sink faucets. Period. It seems like such a small thing, but that 40-year-old crystal knob faucet handle gives you away every time… I’ll bet it’s even got some gold detailing in it? Change out the bath

and kitchen sink faucets with a brushed nickel in a modern design. Don’t feel like it’s necessary to go high-end hotel price, just make sure it’s got that “this decade” look. Lighting fixtures are another simple change that make huge impact. A modern chandelier in the dining space, or flush-mount ceiling light without the center cap globes (I know you know what I’m talking about) change everything. And lastly, if you have gold or beige outlets, switches, or covers, please consider changing them to white.

Mine, Mine, Mine!

Like the seagulls in Finding Nemo, tenants want to know that the space can be theirs. Get rid of the curtains but leave the rods – especially the shower curtains. Do not ever leave shower curtains! Clear all your stuff out, even out of the garage (this can also be a liability issue) including: furniture, flowerpots, flags, cleaning products, lawn décor, lawn care tools and anything that personalizes the space to your tastes. I’m sure it’s all lovely or has a useful purpose you think the tenant might like, but when the tenant moves in, they don’t want to be reminded that it’s not their house. So yes, I know it’s heavy and awkward, but please take your baby grand piano with you when you move. That’s it! Pop a good-smelling air freshener into an outlet (no florals or mints – pick vanilla or fruits) and kick your feet up knowing you’ve taken the steps to get the quality renters to ask for the application. And if after all this work you just want to be done, call our amazing property management team! We’ve got you covered for all your management needs so you can kick back and enjoy the profits of all your hard work. 509.820.3637

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