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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

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

By Layla Vanderbilt

You are a landlord. You've already paid up to buy the property that you now are trying to profit from. This might have run you a pretty penny and it's unlikely that you'll want to have to spend more anytime soon. However, while you may have heard people speak of having to spend money to make money, being a landlord is a career in which that adage holds true. There are some aspects of your property and the management thereof that, if you spend some money now, will help you to bring in the big bucks later on.

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.

By contrast this may come off as really obvious, but you simply cannot get by in today's market as a landlord without ads. If no one knows you've got property for rent, no one's going to be knocking on your door asking for the privilege of paying you. A simple sign on the lawn noting that you're renting will help if you live in a busy area, but if you're a little off the beaten path you'll want something more assertive. If you're in the latter situation, the internet comes highly recommended. While newspapers are slowly dying and have expensive asking prices for ads, the internet is only becoming more popular and ads on it are often very cheap and affordable.

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.

The start of the paperwork trail is often where incompetent landlords finish themselves. Don't be them. Spend a little extra to have an absolutely flawless, state-specific lease that takes every last bit of legality and every potential dispute into account. A generic form will do you more harm than good if you wind up in court with your tenant.

Don't be too sympathetic or slow with tenants who try to get away with making their payments off schedule. The very first time he's late, hit him with a certified 3-Day Notice. He'll sit up and pay attention and start giving you the money he owes on time.

Hence by spending some money in landscaping, advertising, improving you image, lease contract and being prompt in sending late notices to the tenants you are sure to save a lot of money in the future. - 23199

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