GUIDE
Local businesses o er home improvement tips
2022 REAL ESTATE EDITION
HOME IMPROVEMENT AND MAINTENANCE
out for you and x it for a at fee of about $60. The reason I recommend that, a homeowner does not have to nd a plumber or an electrician immediately. You can call one place. Some are better than others. They are relatively cheap for a call-out fee and generally have quick turnaround times. I suggest researching their reviews and their coverage as they can be a real timesaver for owners. HOW DOES A HOMEOWNER CHOOSE A PROPERTY MANAGER? Every property manager has to be licensed as a Realtor, but every Realtor does not have to handle property management. The di erence is your agent will lease the property for you and work with you up to the point the house is leased. A property manager also will be the point of contact for the tenant for any issues during the lease. But a property manager can make an owner lose money depending on their practices. Properties that are merely listed on MLS take longer to rent. I suggest making sure they list on our MLS (that ensures other agents will bring their tenant clients) and make sure they answer their calls on the weekends, at least while it’s listed. Most tenants with agents look during the weekend, and I can’t tell you how many times we try to show tenants, the keys won’t work and because it’s a property manager that only works during the week, we can’t show the home.
too fancy. This will give an updated and clean feel. Try not to waste too much on landscaping. Make sure the property has a neatly mowed lawn and clean ower beds, but tenants don’t tend to care too much. Also, owners should not expect them to care for the yard as well as they would. WHAT ARE THE COLOR TRENDS IN THE RENTAL PROPERTY BUSINESS? Owners de nitely want to go as neutral as possible. They will probably have to repaint in between each tenant, so an easy-to-get, popular color like o -white for the walls is most cost-e ective. It helps brighten up the rooms and will match any furniture the renters have. For ooring, we saw a lot of grays over the last decade but that has started to become less popular, and classic wood colors are coming back. For carpet, light neutrals that brighten the room help the home look clean. WHAT KIND OF ESSENTIAL REPAIRS SHOULD A HOMEOWNER LOOK AT? WHAT WOULD BE A REASONABLE COST TO EXPECT IN AUSTIN? With what tenants pay for rent now, they expect everything to be in working order immediately. Having a trusty handyman on call is sometimes hard to nd, so I always suggest having a good home warranty, which costs about $500 per year. If anything breaks, for example a leak or a wall needs repair, or air conditioning, they call the contractor
COMPILED BY SUMAIYA MALIK
ASK A REALTOR
Monica Jones, a Realtor at Compass Realty in Austin, o ers advice to homeowners interested in renting out their property and shares what renters are looking for in a home.
HOW SHOULD HOMEOWNERS PREPARE THEIR HOMES BEFORE PUTTING THEM ON THE RENTAL MARKET? If the home is in pretty good shape, the best thing one can do is to make sure the walls are painted and the ooring looks nice. Also, get it cleaned by professionals. You wouldn’t believe the states some of these homes are in, and it can be a matter of hundreds of dollars if a home looks clean. If the carpet has stains that do not come out in the professional cleaning, get quotes on inexpensive carpet because you will probably have to [recarpet].
HOW CAN PEOPLE MAXIMIZE THEIR MONEY WHEN RENOVATING FOR RENTAL? If you want to put some money into the home, updated kitchens and bathrooms are always your best return. Painting cabinets and having counters such as granite, or stone counters that are more durable as opposed to formica, are what tenants care more about as opposed to backsplashes or new appliances. After the kitchen, the bathrooms are a great return on renovations. Ikea and Home Depot carry ready-made vanities. It doesn’t have to be
Monica Jones Realtor Compass Realty 2500 Bee Caves Road, Bldg. 3, Ste. 200, West Lake Hills 512-426-0972 www.compass.com
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NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION • JULY 2022
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