Make Sure Your Property Sends the Right Message

A good exercise for landlords to practice before looking for new tenants is to look at the property through the eyes of a renter. First impressions are important. As you pull into your driveway or parking lot, ask yourself the following questions:

• What is my first impression of the yard, house or building space?
• What are the best features of the house or building space?
• What are the worst features of the house or building space? How can I improve these?

Now open the front door and ask yourself these questions:

• Do I want to go inside? Would I be happy to come home to this apartment?
• Stand in the doorway of every room and imagine how your rental will look and smell through the eyes of a renter. This is an important point -- make sure your rental smells clean. Your rental may look great, but if it smells musty or like yesterday’s leftovers most quality tenants will walk the other way.