The Show Must Go On

Whether you are attempting to handle the leasing of your own property, or if you are going to hire a knowledgeable management company like Utopia Management, leasing an occupied property has a few difficulties.
The biggest concern when leasing a property comes when the rental property is occupied at the time of advertisement. While we, as professionals, and you, as homeowners, want the property advertised as soon as possible in hopes of getting a signed lease before it becomes vacant, the showing of an occupied property can be problematic. As a professional property management company, we take great care of all occupied properties and the occupants, whether they are tenants or owners. We schedule our showings around their availability, and always give at least 24 hours’ notice to guarantee time for the occupants to ensure the following important factors are taken care of.
Removing all unnecessary items from the property will aid us all in showing potential tenants how large, and open your property really is. We need enough furniture in the room to show the purpose, but we should still have substantial wall and floor space visible. For example, we would definitely need a dining room table in the dining room; however instead of the extended table with the insert and extra chairs, a table with 4 chairs is plenty to define the room, and accentuate the size.
In addition to that, the bathroom and kitchen countertops should be free of all clutter. We do not want any potential tenants to assume a lack of storage space, or for them to focus on the disorder instead of the wonderful aspects of the property. This also applies to closet spaces. A closet may have room for hundreds of articles of clothing, but its’ imperative to remove all unnecessary clothing items. This aids you by allowing perspective tenants to see the enormity of the closet without distractions.
The last important factor is cleaning before the showings. Perspective tenants are going to want to see that the property they are looking at is well taken care of and maintained. We do not want to present the property in such a way that the perspective tenants are concerned that any issues at the property wouldn’t be resolved, should they arise.
Keep the property clean, and clutter-free, and don’t forget to give it a thorough cleaning before showings to ensure it shows its’ best!