Every year, thousands of people make the decision to rent out their property in order to make a passive income from the home that they own. This is something that can generate financial independence, leaving you free to limit your working hours and enjoy a life of leisure, or an early retirement. But actually getting your property rented in the first place can take time, especially if it’s the first time that you’re doing so. Here are some technological tips that’ll make your life easier when you’re renting out your home for the first time.
Rental Agent Websites
Before we launch into the rest of the article, it’s worth pointing out that you can have a real estate expert do all of the below steps for you – it just comes at a price. Given that the below steps aren’t necessarily all that arduous, we’d recommend that you consider going it alone, which will mean that you keep all of the money that you’re paid in rent. If you’re looking to save time and rent out your property right away, though, you’ll be able to find websites that’ll help you do that.
Find a local property agent that you feel you can trust and get in touch with them online. They’ll set out their terms and their fees, which you’ll then be able to agree to or make a counteroffer. When you reach an agreement, this agent will take the work out of your hands.
Property Websites
Also online are a litany of property websites that see traffic in the tens of thousands every week. That means that all you’ll need to do is set up a profile before advertising your home independently. Because of the high volumes of traffic these websites receive, you may well find yourself inundated with viewing requests before you know it. Still, there are steps to take before that happens.
Photographs
You will know from experience that there’s always something suspect about properties that are advertised online with no photographs. You’ll wonder what it is that they have to hide. You’ll also want to know what a place looks like before you rent it – and that’s the same for anyone who’s viewing your property advert. So, take photos of each room of your property. Here’s how to make them sparkle:
- Make sure you’re taking pictures with plenty of natural light. That means open curtains and taking photos during sunny days when the sun is shining through into your rooms
- Use a wide-angle lens where possible, as this gives an impression of space while showing much more of the rooms you’re photographing
- Take photos of the same room from different angles in order to give viewers a better idea of what your home looks like
Most important of all, download a photo editing program that’ll help touch up your photographs. In general, you’ll be looking to tweak the colors and the light, making your photos bright and cheerful so that viewers are enticed by a sense of space and calm.
Floor Plan
Another way in which you can make your property advertisement more exciting and tempting is by including a floor plan in your advert. This is something that you might think is the preserve of professional property agents or architects, but the modern world of technology has actually made this something that anyone can create online.
The best blueprint making software might cost you a little cash to use, but it’s highly effective in showing off the dimensions of your rooms. It might only take an hour of your time to properly input the dimension data into these systems so that it creates a full picture of the interior of your property. Prospective renters enjoy the ability to see a professional blueprint of your home and will often make a viewing request based on these images – so it’s a wise move to engage with this technology.
Smart Home
Looking now at the technology within your home itself, it’s worth emphasizing the importance of smart technology to today’s renters. This is especially the case if you’re renting a home to families or young professionals who are likely to have a number of smart gadgets with them when they move in. Making small changes to your home to accommodate these technological must-haves is a smart move preceding the moment you take your property to market.
One tip here is to install smart heating or other smart utility services in your home. These are brilliant technologies for tenants, as they help them keep track of the amount they’re spending on bills. They’re smart for the landlord or landlady too, seeing as they help you monitor things from the outside, ensuring that your tenants are being responsible. Also consider installing smart plug sockets, including those with USB charging points, in order to make your home seem modern and perfect for modern families.
Communication
Finally, there are various ways in which you can manage your home as the renter. You’ll need to be aware of the responsibilities you have towards your tenants, which include ensuring that they’re in a safe and habitable home, and that they always have access to the white goods that a home comes with – here, think of the refrigerator and the washing machine. You’ll need to replace these if they break, just as you’ll need to organize all the maintenance in the home to ensure your tenants are happy.
If you’re planning on living out of your home while it’s rented, all of this will rely upon good communications between you and your tenants. One option is simply to add them on your favored messaging app. But don’t overlook the software that’s been made specifically to manage these interactions, which help tenants lodge complaints or issues. These centralized systems also manage rental payments. They can help you manage your property, but they’re most useful for those managing multiple rented properties, as they give an overview of the tasks you have in any given week.
There you have it: some key tips to help you harness technology in your mission to rent out your home in 2022.