Tag Archives: rental

Finding Your Perfect Realtor

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Realtors aren’t just around to sell you a house! If you’re looking into renting a home, a realtor can be a lot of help in finding you the perfect place. But just like with any important matter, it’s best to do your research before picking the person who’s going to help you find home.

If you have multiple realtors in mind, get a bit of info on them that you can compare to find your best option. Talk to the realtors and ask them about the recent clients they’ve worked with and their contact information. Reach out to the clients and see what kind of feedback they can provide you about the realtor and how their experience was. Clients are going to give you real information, so they’re a really good resource for intel. Another way to make sure that your possible realtor is totally legit is to check out their licenses. Your state has a board in charge of licensing and regulating those who want to work in real estate; contact the board and confirm the realtors’ licenses and check to make sure that their haven’t been any incidents pertaining to them.

Social media and the internet in general also provide you with all kinds of info that can help you decide if a realtor is right for you. LinkedIn is a good social media site to check because it shows you a persons professional backgrounreal estated. You can see what contacts the realtors have, what jobs they’ve had, and even how long they’ve been in the real estate industry. Even a simple Google search can lead you to lots of information. Check out and see if there’s any local news about the realtors you’re looking at and see what you find; you may find out that they’ve won tons of awards, or may also find out that they’ve dealt with fraud. Real estate forums are also good because aside from seeing what previous clients have said, you can also see what other realtors have to say. Granted, these may be biased, but they come from a more professional point of view so they’ll have validity.

 

Don’t Ignore the Checklist! – #MovingMonday

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The same way that moving in to a new place is a whole process, moving out takes a bit of work, too. Chances are, once you tell your landlord that you’re planning on moving out they’ll start putting together a checklist for you to make your moving process easier. The checklist will have things that you’re required to take care of before moving out, as outlined in your original lease, as well as any other dates and requirements that your landlord may have. Having a checklist makes the process of moving way easier for both of you, because you’ll know who is responsible for what and there won’t be any issues in determining what does and doesn’t need to be done.

You’re probably thinking checklist “a checklist? What do I need that for?”….Seeing as you probably don’t remember what you agreed to when you first signed your lease, this checklist is probably going to become your best friend while you’re prepping your home to move out. Aside from being a really good way for you to make sure you take care of everything you’re liable, this checklist will also help you out with getting as much of your security deposit back as possible. The checklist will also tell you how many days prior to leaving you need to have your landlord inspect your property, so you can use this to plan what you need to fix up and when you need to do it by. You can tackle a different thing each day, this way you won’t have a ton of repairs to do the day before you move out.  Things like repainting walls, or cleaning carpets, may take a bit more time and will also be easier once you’ve moved all of your belongings out, so plan around taking care of those as soon as each room is packed up.

Sharing Spaces…and Chores

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Having a lot of roommates seems like it could come in handy when it comes time to clean up and do chores around the house, but don’t be too quick to lessen your own workload because of that. Everyone is different and has different habits, so working towards taking care of the same thing (your home) can get tricky. You all need to be mindful of the fact that you’re living with other people, and be responsible with doing your share of the household chores.

We’ve all seen friends and we all know that Monica and Rachel are the classic example of roommates who are very different, but they always made it work. Just because you and your roommates go about doing things differently doesn’t mean that there need to be any issues! Take a night of the week where you can all sit down and figure out which chores you all need to partake in and figure out how to divide them. Make some sort of a “master list” with all of the chores that need to be done every single week (or day) and divide it up. Make sure you have things like dusting, mopping, sweeping, wiping fans, emptying the dishwasher etc. You can all try and compromise to pick chores you prefer, and then divide up the rest of the work. This way everything is split up equally and one person isn’t stuck taking care of your home. Maybe you can set “standards” of some sort as to how things are done so that everyone can be happy. For example, you can all agree on loading all the big dishes on the bottom of the dishwasher, or making sure not to use pure chlorine when cleaning sinks. There all kinds of little things like this that people do differently, so setting a standard way to do this keeps everyone happy. If you aren’t happy with something, speak up! It’s silly to keep these things to yourself because you’re going to have to deal with them alllllll the time.

It may seem a bit excessive, but you and your roommates should consider putting things on a sort of list that you keep up for all of you to see. This can help when you start forgetting who was responsible for what chore, and whether your own was done. Having it as a constant reminder will make you more inclined to do it so that you can check off that you’ve done it. A chore list can also serve as a way to get a routine going; who knows, you may end up not needing it after a while!

TLDR; do your chores.

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(Indoor) Garden Party

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September is officially upon us, meaning it’s time to say hello to fall, and goodbye to summer (and summer gardens). No need to worry though, we’ve got you all covered as far as starting your indoor garden for fall. Having an indoor garden is easy and a great option if you live in an apartment or house where you don’t have the opportunity to have your own outdoor foliage.

The cooler weather doesn’t mean you need to forego your garden all together, starting an indoor garden is a piece of cake. Unless you’re looking into setting up a garden with a UV light (which is also very doable!), find a spot in your home that gets a lot of sunlight. Windows, windowsills, and glass doors are a perfect spot to set up. Try to pick a spot that you know you’ll see regularly, so you don’t forget to water your plants. Watering is something you need to consider when you’re picking the right pots to use, too. Considering that your plants will likely drain some water, pick pots that have a tray of some sort to catch the water and ensure that no damage is caused. Now that we’ve covered the basics, it’s time to pick what kind of plants you’ll have in your indoor garden. Flowers are a bit tricky because they’re all pretty seasonal and require more care, so you want to try to focus on herbs. Herbs are great because you can choose some that you use regularly, so you won’t have to buy them every week at the grocery store. Parsley, thyme, oregano, basil, and rosemary are all common household herbs that can easily make up your indoor garden. All of these can usually be purchased at your local grocery store or gardening center (try Home Depot or Walmart) so you won’t have to search far and wide to get your garden together.  Having a few of these grouped together will also help brighten up any room and add some life once the darker months are in full force.

Aside from looking nice, there are a few different benefits that you can take advantage of if you have an indoor garden. As we all learned in elementary school lessons on photosynthesis, plants release oxygen into the air, so having plants indoors will help increase the oxygen levels into your home. Indoor gardens also provide you with a natural purifier, meaning you can get rid of the noisy (and unnatural) air purifier you’re currently using. The soil in the plants pulls in everyday toxins from the air, and converts them into food for the plants, so it’s a win-win situation. Now that you’re getting rid of your air purifier, you can also go ahead and get rid of your humidifier, too; having plants indoors can create a natural humidifier from the water vapor that they release. Seeing as the cold months can bring dry skin, respiratory issues, and colds, you may want to consider making a mini garden in your bedroom to help you fight these inevitable battles.

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Property Manager Monday

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Due to the nature of the arrangement, you’ll most likely be dealing with the management personnel from the property you live at pretty frequently. They’ll be the ones handling your rent, your maintenance requests, and the overall experience living at that property. It’s hard to know whether or not you’ve found yourself a good property manager until you move in, so it’s important to do some research before you get yourself in too deep.

Check reviews online to see what previous residents of that property have to say about the management. The internet can reveal all sorts of things that you wouldn’t find out from visiting the property and speaking to the management. Ask around and see if anyone you know lives at that property and talk to them about their experiences with the management; have they had trouble getting in contact with the property manager? Do maintenance requests take a long time to fulfill? Does the management reach out to residents? Is the community well-equipped? These are all things that you should know before making the decision to move there or not. The management may come off as super nice and helpful, and that may be the case, but you really won’t know how residents are treated until you move in.

If the management at the place you’re interested in runs more than one property, check it out and see what it’s like. Consistency is very important, and you want to find a property manager that is consistent in making residents happy.

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Keep it Clean

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As someone renting a home, you’re not liable for all of the same maintenance things that a homeowner is. Because of this, you’re responsible for a different set of things, as stated in your lease. One of the most important things in the lease agreement (aside from rent, duh) is making sure that you take good care of your property and leave it as your landlord first rented it to you. A huge component of making sure that your property is maintained well is by keeping it clean.

Appliances pretty much fall into the group of things that we use regularly, so they should be cleaned regularly. Though it depends on the specific terms of your lease, it’s usually your landlord’s responsibility to make sure that your appliances are working well, and repair or replace them when they’re not. However, your landlord is not responsible for the daily cleaning and daily maintenance of said appliances. Things like microwaves, refrigerators, ovens, etc. are used pretty regularly, so you should be cleaning them often, too. If you don’t clean these things regularly, you’re gonna have a whole lot of cleaning to deal with when you move out. While they probably get more dirty than others, kitchen appliances aren’t the only things you should be cleaning. If you want to make sure that your dryer is functioning right, make sure you regularly remove the lint from it. Not only does this allow it to work properly, but it also helps prevent a fire happening from the buildup.

Downsizing – Size Doesn’t have to Matter

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When you’re looking for a new place, there may be a chance that you’re forced to compromise size for something else (like an awesome location). You shouldn’t be scared of downsizing! Embrace the situation and take it as a chance to change up your home, and life.

Since you’re going to have to reduce the amount of stuff you had from your previous home, make it a point to clean your life up. Get rid of clothes that you haven’t worn in over six months, because you most likely won’t end up wearing them. If you’re iffy about letting your stuff go, consider consigning it! This is an awesome way to earn some extra cash (that can be put towards your new home) and also a great incentive to get rid of even more. When you downsize, you really have choice but to get rid of things, so make the best of it that you can.

Take advantage of your newly acquired smaller space and make an awesome organization system. You know all those cool Ikea and Container Store closet systems? This is the perfect time to finally get one! A smaller space isn’t bad, it provides you with lots of room to be creative in your organizing. Think of it as a chance to finally make those Pinterest organizational DIY projects that you never really needed before.

downsizing

Sublease, anyone?

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So, you’re living happily in your apartment with three of your friends, when you suddenly get a great job offer that requires you to move cities…what’s the problem? Your lease doesn’t end for another six months and you can’t pay two rent checks each month. At this point, subleasing seems like the best option for you, and it probably is. How can you make sure the sublease process goes smoothly for you and your roommates?

We recently gave you the lowdown on subleasing, so you should pretty much know the basics of the process. Now, the task at hand s finding a subleaser who will fit in well in the dynamic if your home. Even though it’s your responsibility to find someone to take over your lease, your roommates should contribute to the search so that they can find a roommate that they know they’ll be happy with. Maybe you can ask around and see if any mutual friends need a place, or your roommates can post on their social media accounts that they’re looking for a new roommate. Whatever the case is, the whole process is easier for all of you if they help out.

Like we said before, it’s important to find someone who you can trust to take over your lease; but it’s also pretty important for your roommates to trust them, too. You’re not going to be living with whoever takes over your lease, but that shouldn’t mean that you care about who lives there. If the person who takes over your lease doesn’t feel comfortable with your roommates, they may encounter some issues along the way, and may even stop caring about taking care of your room and doing their share of the housework.

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Get a Move on

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A while back we brought you our best tips for making your move as easy as possible, you can read it here. Aside from packing up your stuff, what else should you take care of when you’re moving out of your home?

Make sure you clean up. Clean bathrooms, bedrooms, floors; basically everything. If your place was furnished, make sure clean furniture too. Aside from not wanting to leave the property trashed for your landlord, cleaning up can also help you avoid being fined once you move out. Typically lease agreements require that you leave the home as you found it (clean), so if you don’t you’ll be going against it. If there’s a stain in your carpet, steam it so that you’re not responsible for paying way more for it later. Same goes with things like tiles and floorboards. Do it now, or it’ll cost you more later.

Part of leaving your hopaint me just as you first got it involves making sure the walls and floors are in good condition. Seeing as the walls probably have holes from having had pictures or shelves, it’s up to you to patch them up. This sounds more complicated than it actually is; you can buy quick dry plaster and primer and have it all fixed up in no time. Once you’ve patched up the holes and little imperfections, find out what paint color the walls were first painted and touch up the color. This way the wall looks even and your landlord won’t charge you for any repairs.