Top tips for top dollar when renting out your investment property!

An investment property has some great earning potential and can be a great way to get into the property market. But you also need to consider who is going to be living set your home up with the greatest earning potential. Ask anyone who’s rented out a property and they’ll tell you straight out: a great tenant is worth their weight in gold. So to ensure that you’ll get the top pick of your applicants(and earn the top dollar!) you’ll have to make your place feel at home.

Let them envision themselves in the space.

You’ve placed your property on the rental market and you’re opening it up for inspection. Of course you want it to look great, but here’s what you need to remember: less is more. Don’t crowd them by filling the space with toom much bulky furniture, covering the walls with art prints, and piling throw-rugs and pillows on everything.

A great tenant is someone who wants to make your rental feel like home, so they want to be able see the room and the possibilities it holds rather than your staging (no matter how tasteful it may be). The best thing is to give them a blank – but not too blank – canvas. A few tasteful pieces to let them see the potential is all you need. By letting them see the space, you make it easier for them to imagine their belongings in there.

A brand you can trust.

Some landlords make the mistake of skimping on appliances to save themselves some money. The “it’s better than nothing” mentality is a bad trap to fall into.

Knock-off whitegoods don’t just make a room look cheap, they’re also unreliable and prone to falling apart or malfunctioning. This won’t just result in expensive repairs – it will result in an irritated tenant who’s upset they can’t use their washer, dryer, oven or AC. Trust us: spend a little extra on quality and it’ll pay for itself.

That’s why if you’re build with Commodore Homes you should take advantage of the great value add-on packages. For a fraction of the price, you’ll get reliable brands like Fisher & Paykel kitchen appliances and Fujitsu air conditioning.

The Personal Touch

Don’t just offer them accommodation. Be accommodating. Provide them with easy ways to personalise their home

• When staging your home, you can use stick-on hooks to hang art. Why not leave them with replacement adhesive, so they can shift the hooks to where they want?
• Ask them if they plan to keep the drapery as is or if they’re planning on bringing their own? They’ll appreciate the option and if they’re planning on putting up their own curtains, you can remove the current ones and save them gathering dust in a storage area.

The most appealing feature is lots of features.

No single feature is going to make your property “the one”. It’s about giving them lots of different ones. For example:

• Built-in and walk-in robes have proven to be hugely popular with renters (and if you’ve ever tried to transport a wardrobe, you’ll understand why). In fact, it’s in the top ten list of things they’re looking for.
• A modern kitchen with quality appliances will give you the extra edge over other properties.
• Huge amounts of storage is hugely desirable. Garage space, attics, outdoor sheds… if it helps them stay decluttered and give them enough space to swing a cat, it’ll help them stay happy.
• Speaking of cats, you should consider making your property pet-friendly. Pet owners are willing to spend more on rent and they tend to hold onto longer leases. Just make sure to include add an extra pet bond for any unforeseen accidents!

Curb their enthusiasm

Renters aren’t just window-shopping: they’re window-front-door-front-yard-big-driveway-nice-street-shopping. You need to take into consideration curb appeal. Fortunately, Commodore Homes aren’t just beautiful on the inside – they’re come with a choice of stylish & modern elevations- making your home stand out before they even go through the door. So if you’re investing in a rental property, be sure to check out what they have on offer here.

Article Source: Top tips for top dollar when renting out your investment property!

How to scope out your perfect site

Congrats: you’ve already aced the first step of building the perfect home: find a builder that will save you money, time and stress. We know that because you’re on our website. And as further proof you’ve made the right choice, we’re here to help you with step two: choose a site that will save you money, time and stress.

But before we get into the nuts and bolts of finding the right site, we should mention that Commodore Homes offers a huge choice of great value House & Land packages. So if you want to skip the hunt for a block of land, check out the amazing ones we’ve already found for you here.

Start with the Obvious!

A big piece of advice we have for you when choosing a site is to always stay vigilant and don’t allow yourself to get too comfortable (save getting comfortable for when you move into your super comfy Commodore home). We say this because a lot of the following may seem obvious, but you’d be surprised at how often people forget to check off every element, only to regret it later.

Location: Look at its position in relation to school, shops, public transport and amenities. Remember: don’t just assess it based on what you need and want, think about what the buyers you’ll eventually sell it to are looking for.

Services: Find out how easy it will be to connect your home to utilities like electricity, water, gas, a sewer and telecommunications.

Sun’s Location: Your home’s position in relation to where the sun rises and sets can have a big impact on the temperature and natural light in your home, cutting electricity bills. If you do decide to build with us, we can map the journey the sun makes over a site, to give you an indication of light levels throughout the day.

Future Plans: Investigate the future plans for the area – especially if it’s part of a development. Make sure you don’t get stuck next to a future mega-highway or power station.

Get granular

When we say get ‘granular’, we mean it literally: you need to assess the condition of the soil on which you’ll be laying the foundation of the home. As you’ll see, this is where things start getting technical, which is why it would be a good idea to deal with a builder that really understands the detail. We don’t expect you to know all the specifics, so dealing with Commodore Homes means the hard work is taken away from you.

Soil: Sites with soil that’s partly or entirely clay, silt or peat may require the removal and replacement of these soils with something more suitable for a foundation.

Stability: Unstable soil conditions often necessitate additional concrete and reinforcement for the footings and slabs. This will add $$$ to your project, but if the problem’s not dealt with properly it could result in cracked slabs and walls.

Trees & Shrubs: You need to pay attention to the trees and shrubs around the site, as well as the ones you’re thinking about planting. Certain species can affect the moisture content of the soil or create root systems that lead to cracked slabs.

Site Conditions: Other subsoil factors like the height of the water table and how much rock is contained in the ground, can impact the cost of building and even impede on the layout of your home.

Affect on Adjoining Land: Make sure the work you’re planning on undertaking won’t affect the site drainage or stability of any adjoining properties leading to house damage. You don’t want to get on your neighbours’ bad sides even before you’ve moved in.

Are you excited?

This may all seem quite overwhelming – and yes, you’re making a serious decision. But at the same time, it’s an exciting decision: you’re choosing the place you’ll call home for a good while. So find somewhere you can’t wait to move.

If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to contact us today so we can answer any questions you have on finding the right block.

Article Source: How to scope out your perfect site

Get your start in the property market with Keystart.

It’s no secret that the market is in a bit of a slump right now. This is great news for buyers because for the first time in a long time you can pick up a nice slice of land at a nice price. However, a lot of homebuyers haven’t been able to take advantage of this because it has become increasingly difficult to get a home loan.

If you’re one of the many people who has struggled to get a loan from a bank due to the increased scrutiny on their lending, you’ll be happy to know that the State Government has made an announcement that could massively benefit you.

Keystart – a government initiative set up to help people get into the property market – is increasing the income limit for their low deposit home loans by $15,000 (singles and couples) and $20,000 (families).

Unlike banks, Keystart doesn’t require costly Lenders’ Mortgage Insurance and the deposit can as little as 2%. As a result, they make homeownership a lot more achievable to a lot more possible. In fact, this increased income limit is projected to result in 11,000 first homes!!!

You need to be quick: this is a limited-time opportunity.

Keystart’s higher income limit will revert back to normal at the end of the year. So you need to act now and take advantage of this great offer as well as the market! If you’ve been putting off getting into a new home because you thought it wasn’t the right time, it’s time to reconsider. See if you qualify for Keystart assistance today.

Article Source: Get your start in the property market with Keystart.