Category: General Article

According to the Rental Protection Agency, there are currently around 113 million renters and 23 million landlords residing in the United States. Unfortunately though, not all of those tenants are pleased with the job their landlords are doing.

Although nearly 43 million U.S. households have chosen to rent rather than buy their homes, this choice can come with its own share of setbacks. As of 2017, nearly one-fourth of all renters spent more than 50% of their income on housing. And while the cost of living may be beyond a landlord’s control, there are some more manageable factors that can keep tenants around—even if they’re paying more.

If you want to attract high-quality tenants and convince them to stay for the long haul, you need to do more than merely take their rent check each month. The following must-haves can help you discover what will really make a difference in the lives of your tenants.

Reliable communication

Pew Research Center data shows that 95% of Americans own a cell phone, with 77% owning a smartphone. What’s more, a study conducted by Fluent found that two out of three Americans read their email a few times per day. In our constantly connected world, there’s no excuse for being an absentee landlord.

You can’t expect to retain tenants if you don’t keep the lines of communication open. Give your tenants at least a couple of different ways to contact you, as well as an emergency number to call outside of business hours. You need to answer their calls and return them promptly, reply to their emails and texts, and initiate communication when it’s warranted. If the water needs to be shut off or you’ll be doing loud construction work next door, you should contact your tenants to keep them in the loop.

The worst thing you can do is ignore their attempts at contacting you. It sends the message that you simply don’t care. Nothing will lose a good tenant faster than a landlord who dodges calls but still cashes rent checks every month.

Convenient accommodations

These days, we tend to opt for convenience above all else. So if you’re eager to keep existing tenants around (or attract even better ones), you need to make it easy for them.

Improving the entire application process, for example, can go a long way. Filling out all that paperwork can be tedious and anxiety inducing. But if you provide potential tenants a way to fill out a free online rental application at home, you can help to alleviate some of that pressure and keep the process as stress-free as possible.

The same goes for tenant payments. Paying rent via check through the mail seems extremely antiquated now. Check usage declined by 13.5% worldwide in 2015, while digital payment technologies are on the rise. If you offer your tenants another way to pay—through a secure online portal, for example— they can pay with the click of a button. As a bonus, you’ll be more likely … Read More

As the moving company that you hire packs your belongings to prepare for your move, you can prepare as well by taking some of your belongings to a storage unit. The items that you store should be things that you know that you won’t need when you first move into your home or things that might take up space in your temporary residence until you can get settled in your new home. When you take items to the storage unit, there are a few tips to keep in mind to organize everything so that it’s easier to find boxes and other items when you go back.

When you begin looking at a storage Hackettstown NJ, you’ll notice that there are various sizes to choose from, including those that are large enough to store a boat or a small car. As you’re packing your belongings in boxes, label them with colored tape that is coded based on each room in your home. This will make it easier to find boxes that you need when you open the unit door. When you begin putting items inside the unit, keep in mind that it is an empty shell that is surrounded by other units, which means that there could be insects that transfer from the outside or from other areas depending on what’s inside surrounding units.

Use pallets on the floor of your unit to keep boxes off the floor. You can also put moving blankets on the floor, which will make it easier to move larger pieces of furniture out of the unit when you get ready to clear everything out. Make a list of the things that you put in the unit in case you need something specific before you’re able to get all of the contents unpacked. Create a pathway leading from the storage unit door so that you can easily reach items at the back of the unit.… Read More

Having a garden at home is not just to channel hobbies, make homes more beautiful, or places to relax, but also have good health benefits. Here are four benefits of having a garden at home for health as reported on the TimesofIndia page:

1. The existence of a garden at home provides good physical exercise when outdoors. 30 minutes of gardening a week makes the body do a lot of movement, such as bending and digging that can make the muscles move.
2. Gardening is an activity that can reduce stress levels and improve mood. This is a recommended therapy for people who have a disease or disorder, because they need to breathe fresh air.
3. The existence of the park also helps you connect with nature especially if you live in a big city, so you can breathe cleaner and fresher air. You can also see various animals, insects and birds that come to the park.
4. Finally, one of the four benefits of having a garden at home for health is that you can process organic vegetables on your own. Of course these vegetables have more freshness, do not use chemicals or pesticides such as those on the market. In addition, it makes it easier for you to cook every time, just pick it without having to go out.… Read More