Being a Successful Landlord: Three Secrets to Profitably Renting Your House to the Right Tenants

It's not easy being a landlord. You have to get your house ready to rent. You have to advertise to get perspective renters. You have to select the right renters. And then you have to be at their beck and call in the case that they have a problem with the house. And then you have to collect the rent when they're late or evict them when they don't keep their promise to you. What a headache!

Or you can learn the secrets to being successful landlord and put all those headaches behind you. Here are three secrets to successfully renting out your house.

SECRET ONE: SCOPE OUT THE COMPETING PROPERTIES

To find out what you need to do to maximize your success, tour competing properties in your immediate area, acting as if you are prospective renter. You can find out how the other landlords treat their prospects and steal their best methods and make them your own.

Make sure that you pick up copies of their marketing material-that is what they give prospective renters to take away to remind them of what they saw.

Ask for a rental application to see what kind of things they're looking for. Ask if they have a sample lease agreement that you can review. Not every landlord will make this available to you, but it's worth asking for. (Look at my other articles for a free rental lease that you can use as an example.)

If you want to have the complete experience, fill out a rental application and see how you're treated. You can just say that you found some other place or changed your mind if they pick you to rent the house.

If you do this with half a dozen properties, you'll get a great idea of property conditions, rent ranges, and terms and conditions that are common in your area. If you're new landlord, this experience can teach you a lot in very short time.

With this information it will be easy to see if it's worth it for you to rent your home, or if you want to let somebody else manage it, or if you want to put on the market to sell.

SECRET TWO: MAKE YOUR HOUSE VERY DESIRABLE

If your house is just like every other house on the block or like every other apartment in the building, it will be difficult to attract a great renter that will take care of your house and pay the rent on time.

On the other hand, a clearly superior home will attract better renters and allow you to command a higher rent. The kind of people who you want as good tenants will be embarrassed by a dingy and worn-out home. They won't want to bring their friends and family into that environment.

This means you need to invest a little extra in the house to make it look great. With the information you gathered from Secret One, above, you can decide how to put minor upgrades into your home that really stand out from the competition.

I do simple things like upgrade light fixtures, install new flooring and carpeting, replace the kitchen sink, replace the bathroom sink, and replace the drip pans on the stove so it looks fresh and clean.

Consider fresh paint or carefully touch up the walls so everything looks clean and tidy.

I also make sure that the property is absolutely spotless, with clean windows, clean entryway, and professionally cleaned carpets. I also replaced all the light bulbs with maximum wattage bulbs so that the house is as bright as possible. A dark house doesn't show well but a bright house moves fast.

SECRET THREE: SET YOUR RENT AT LEAST 10 PERCENT HIGHER

A slightly higher rent then the competing properties won't scare away the type of renters you're looking for, but will move along the cheap skates that you don't need in your house. And besides, it will be worth it to your renters because your house looks so much better since you've followed Secret Two, above.

To make your higher rent stick, create a marketing page that calls out all the valuable capabilities and features of your home.

Buy to Let Mortgages - Get The Best Deal!

Buy-to-let mortgages are also known as an investment mortgages which are designed for


If you wish to buy a buy-to-let property, you can easily do it. You can also make use of buy to let mortgage calculator which will help you asses the amount of money you may spend on buying a mortgage. Over a period of time, an increasing number of people are investing in buy-to-let property. It is also seen as a long term investment opportunity. You can get profitable returns on this kind of property. Buy to let mortgages can be arranged with no broker fee and also at lower rates. Before buying such kind of property, you must get all the relevant details about the property.


There are numerous competitive buy to let mortgage deals in the market which are specifically intended at buy-to-let sector. These range from special offer buy to let mortgage deals to variable and fixed and rate options. Getting the best deal on buy-to-let mortgages will help determine whether you will get an affordable buy-to-let investment property.


There are various reasons for the growing popularity of buy-to-let mortgages: 

borrowers who wish to let their property out to a third party. An increasing number of people are investing in property these days. There are now plenty of competitive buy to let mortgage deals which can help get a favourable deal. They are aimed at the buy-to-let market which ranges from special offer buy to let mortgage deals to fixed and variable rate options. Moreover, mortgage lenders will also assess buy-to-let mortgages on the earning potential of the property.

• They are long term investment property deals.

• They carry low interest rates. The buy to let mortgages offer an attractive alternative investment option.
• There is growing demand for rental accommodation due to a rise in the overall population, high divorce rate, and a growing number of higher education students
• The availability of competitive, specifically-designed, accessible of buy to let mortgages by lenders has made it easy for the landlord.

The best time to buy a buy-to-let property is as soon as your offer has been accepted for your property. Soon after making an offer, you may not be able to get acceptance. Buy to let mortgages are relatively straightforward to arrange. Generally, the competition for buy to let properties occurs when landlords are buying property "off-plan". This happens when a property is being built and flats, for example, are sold out of this building.

Buying Real Estate For Investment - Advice To Help You Buy Your Dream Home

Buying real estate for investment can be an exciting as well as frustrating moment. If you are nervous about investing in a new home just because you don't think that you understand enough about the process, then continue reading this article and you will find lots of great information for you on how to make and where to get the best deal.

Buy low and sell high. This tip of money making in general is also very relevant to real estate. The current real estate housing market is greatly favoring buyers. This is actually the ideal time to start investing in real estate in this profitable but unstable market. It is a great time to buy low and hold on to your investment real estate for several years before making great profit in the future.

Things You Need to Consider When Buying Real Estate for Investment

You should think about the type of life you want to live when buying a home. If you want a country lifestyle, you shouldn't move somewhere on the suburbs. When you buy a home, it should be in an area that is similar to the lifestyle you want to live.

Try not to be frustrated if you can't find the appropriate home for you and your loved ones immediately. Hunting for a new house is a very long and tiresome process that some individuals easily quit on. You have to learn to remain calm and be as patient as possible. Eventually, you will find the home that you are looking for.

One of the most important things you want to look at when searching for a new home is closet spaces. Are there enough closet spaces for you and your family's belongings? Not only it is essential for you and your family's need, but also it is important for potential buyers when you decide to sell you house in the future. Walk-in closets are even better and consider as a positive bonus!

When attempting to purchase a new house, keep in mind that the roof color can often mean nearly as much as its sturdiness. When you buy the house in a cold climate, the darker roof holds heat better. On the other hand, the lighter roof reflects heat which is great in a warmer climate.

Try not to focus on a house décor too much. Simple things like paint colors of the house are not that important. You can change it after the property is purchased; therefore don't let something like this stop you from buying real estate for investment of your potential home.

Ask about crime rates in the neighborhood. If they are high, try to ask yourself why that is the case. In general, a neighborhood with strong community ties like an organization of neighborhood watch is more likely has less crime rates.

How Many houses Should you Have to Look at before Investing Investment Real Estate

How many homes should you have to look at? Generally the number is under or around ten. It will be hard to make a decision if you look at more than ten houses at the time. Let's be realistic, it may be physically possible to look over more than twenty houses, but it will be hard to remember the specific details about these houses.

When you find yourself getting ready to buy a house, you are already aware the selling price, but figuring out your offer is a very important step. Go though the recent sale in the neighborhood, the house condition or if any other improvement has made, conditions of current market and the seller's situations. With the seller's help, you will be able to come out with a final selling price that both of you are satisfied with.

So now that you know a little bit more about the home buying real estate for investment process, you can use these tips and nuggets of information to be a pro buyer in no time. Real-estate property purchase doesn't have to be frightening or scary, it is all about what you know and what you want and having the confidence you need to make the appropriate moves.

The current real estate housing market environment is greatly favoring in buyers. This is actually the ideal opportunity for you to start buying real estate for investment in this profitable but unstable market. If you are concerned about putting your hard earned money here, yet still wish to or perhaps even need to, then you first need to prepare yourself by geting the infomation you need before investing investment real estate. Making the right move to provide you and your family with a fantastic home as well as to improve your own personal financial portfolio.