Tag Archives: real estate

Baby Love

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Some parents (or expecting parents)  may seem concerned about the process of baby proofing a home that isn’t theirs, but if done correctly, it isn’t difficult at all.

Start off by talking to your landlord about the property. If your landlord has lived in the home before, they may be able to tell you which room would be best suited for the baby (i.e. if a room is too cold, or too noisy); this way, you’ll know which room you should focus on most. Though it’s really only an issue in older homes, find out what type of paint your landlord used to paint the walls in the home because lead paint has been proven to be harmful to babies. If your landlord did use a paint brand that contains lead, paint over it with a newer paint that won’t harm the baby.

Take a look at common household things that may pose a risk and fix them up so that your baby won’t be harmed. The cords on blinds can be extremely dangerous for babies (and young children) because they can easily get tangled in them and be strangled. An easy baby proofing fix for this is to tie and secure the cords high up so that there is absolutely no risk of the baby being able to reach them. If you use something like Command Hooks, you won’t have any wall damage leftover once the cords can be let down. As far as wall sockets, you can purchase covers that can’t be removed by babies at places like Home Depot, or even Target. For cabinets, buy locks that only you or other adults in your home can open. A lot of these are made of strong magnets or adhesive, so you won’t need to worry about repairing the cabinet when you move out. You may also want to consider snap on locks for cabinets; they cause no damage and are easy for you to install. These kinds of locks can also be installed on refrigerators and toilets.

Don’t think that because your home is a rental you can’t make it safe for your baby! Follow the right steps and safety will be ensured.

baby proof

Love Thy Neighbors

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When you move, aside from getting a new home you also get a new vicinity, and with that comes new neighbors. Your neighbors are the people you’ll have closest to your home at all times, so it’s important to have a good relationship with them. If you think about it, neighbors are like distant roommates…

Don’t think we’re saying that you need to be the best of friends with your neighbor (though this may happen); you should just try to get along as best as you can. Be mindful of the fact that you have your space that you’re entitled to, and they have theirs. You wouldn’t like it if their dog messed up your lawn, or if they left their lawnmower blocking your driveway, would you? So don’t let it happen to them! Treat your neighbor as you would like to be treated.

 

Just like with roommates, there’s a chance you and your neighbor(s) may have some issues with each other at some point or another. Most likely this will just be something silly, like one of you had muneighborssic on too loud, or something along those lines. Before complaining to your property manager or a higher authority, talk to your neighbor, first! Your neighbor isn’t going to know that the music was bothering you unless you tell them; once they know that it’s bothering you, they can lower it. This same thing goes for you, too! Respect when your neighbors have a complaint and don’t let it happen again.

Neighbors are especially helpful if you’re moving to a completely new place and don’t know anyone. They can tell you all about the neighborhood and what you need to know, making the move a lot easier for you. Make it a point to introduce yourself whenever new neighbors move into your neighborhood, remember- you’ve been there too!

Deposit Dilemmas

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If you’re renting a home, you most likely had to pay some amount as a security deposit when you signed your lease. The security deposit basically covers the repairs that need to be done once you’ve moved out of your property. If nothing deposit was damaged and needed fixing, you’ll get the sum of your deposit back. But if you move out and left something broken and needing repair, it’ll be deducted from your deposit; as the saying goes: you break it, you buy it!

How can you avoid having tons of money being deducted from your initial deposit?

Well, for starters, take care of your home! This one is pretty obvious, but it shouldn’t be left unsaid. Another important thing to do is check the home for damages when you move in. Your landlord will most likely give you some kind of form to fill out where you can list the existing damages in each room of the home, so that they know what repairs they’re liable for. Although this is a good place to start, there are a lot of things that you won’t notice until you’ve lived in the house for a bit of time. For example, you might not use the garbage disposal until a week or so after you’ve moved in, only to notice that it does not work properly. Make note of things that you notice do not work, and notify your landlord immediately. If your landlord is aware that something doesn’t work, and that it isn’t your fault, you won’t be held accountable for the cost of repair when you move out.

Now, if for some reason you did manage to break something on your own, and you know it’s fixable, do it yourself! If you accidentally knocked your window blinds down right before moving out, just go buy a new set and put them up on your own. Though it will cost you some, it definitely won’t be as much as what would’ve been taken out of your security deposit.

 

Are your utility bills too high?

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We’ve all had that moment when we look at our utility bill and cannot believe that it’s that high proceeding to ask ourselves how it’s that high. The smallest of things could be making your bill ridiculously high, and we’re going to tell you how to change that.

  1. energyLights! Always turn lights off when you leave a room and when you leave your home. It may seem silly, but you’ll definitely see a drop in your bill if you start turning lights off instead of leaving them on all of the time. This same thing applies to ceiling fans! If no one is in the room, turn the fan off. For outdoor lights, you can get motion and light detecting lights that’ll only turn on at night time and when someone is there.
  2. Use timers! Timers are awesome because they take the hassle of turning things on and off away from you. At this day in age, just about anything can be set up with a timer. You can program your air conditioner to only be at lower temperatures when people are home, and rise up when no one is home. This prevents wasted electricity. You can also get timers for appliances that you use regularly, like coffee machines. Instead of making your coffee and forgetting to turn the machine off, program it to turn off when you’re leaving for work and have already had coffee.
  3. Don’t wash everyday! This applies to washing dishes, and laundry. Avoid washing loads of clothes and dishes everyday, or every other day. Not only do these appliances use water, but they also run for a pretty long time and use a lot of electricity in the process.

Who should you lease from?

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When you’re considering what kind of property to rent out and make your home, you should also consider who you’re leasing from.

Usually, your options will be a property manager or property management firm, or an individual landlord. Just like everything else, both have their ups and their downs.

Property managers or property management firms 

Property management firms may be more professional and efficient than individual landlords, because of the fact their duty is to take care of the property and make sure it is being run smoothly. But, you also need to consider that property managers may be more strict than regular landlords, since they have a lot of tenants and can’t be allowing people to break rules. Property management firms will most likely have websites set up for you to pay rent, put in maintenance requests, and contact supervisors, so they save you some time as far as going back and forth with your landlord.

Individual landlords

With individual landlords, you need to realize that their job is typically not devoted to running your property, so they may not be as efficient with things the way property management firms are. Buuuut, on the plus side, individual landlords definitely give you more personalized service than companies who are managing a ton of different properties at once. Also, individual landlords are usually more lenient as far as different aspects of the lease agreement, or if you have issues with paying rent. lease

Furnished vs. Unfurnished

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Many times when you’re looking for a rental property you’re given the option of getting your new place furnished, or unfurnished. Usually a furnished rental includes the basic furniture most people have in their homes: bed, nightstand, dresser, and desk in the bedroom, couch, love seat, coffee table, and sometimes a TV, in the living room, and some sort of a dining table.

What are the benefits of renting a furnished home?

With a furnished home you’re saved all the time and cost of finding, buying, and transporting furniture. You’re pretty much just responsible for moving your personal belongings into your new home. You also don’t have to worry about moving furniture out afterwards, either. Renting a furnished home is a great idea if you don’t know how long you plan on staying in the same town, because you won’t have the burden of transporting a ton of furniture from place to place.

Now, we all know that with a list of benefits there’s always going to be a list of cons, too.

Usually, if you rent a furnished home, your overall monthly rent will be a bit higher than if you were to rent an unfurnished home. This fee typically isn’t too high, maybe like $20 more a month, but it’s still something you should factor in. Another reason people sometimes opt out of renting a furnished home is because of the furniture itself. It would be impossible to have brand new furniture for every single tenant, so the furniture is used over and over again by tenants who choose to rent furnished homes. It’s also pretty standard, so you don’t really get to pick what kind of furniture it comes with.

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How much should you be paying for rent?

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It’s hard to set a standard price for rent based on just the property alone, so it’s up to you to determine how much you should be paying. You need to look at your personal finances, the property’s location and benefits, and similar properties.

As far as personal finances, you need to figure out how much you can pay without setting yourself back or living uncomfortably. For the most part, rent is typically 30% of a person’s income, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be less or more. Look at your income and consider what 30% of it would be, and if you’d be okay with paying that much. You don’t want to compromise a ton of your income to live in a place you can’t really afford, so make a wise decision.

The property’s location is also very important as location is a defining factor in determining property value. If the property is in a more expensive area of town, you’re going to be expected to spend a lot on rent. Same goes for properties in less expensive areas, they’re going to be cheap. If you’ve found a property and aren’t too sure if the price is right, look at the area and consider whether or not it’s an expensive area.

Looking at the location also helps because it helps you narrow down how much people are paying for rent in similar properties. Before finalizing how much you’re going to be paying for rent, do some research on the rental cost in properties similar to the one that you’re interested in. Be it area, number of rooms, etc., you’re bound to find properties that share some similarities with yours.

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Should you have renter’s insurance?

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In the realm of insurance, the renter’s variety is typically overlooked. Renter’s insurance provides you with liability protection while also covering your personal items that may have a risk of being damaged or stolen for various reasons. Some landlords and property management companies require renter’s insurance, while others leave it up to your discretion. However, if you’re not required to get renter’s insurance, you should definitely look into it. If you’re renting a property, it’s not your job to insure the property structure, it’s the homeowners.  Even though you’re not responsible for the structure, you are responsible for all of your belongings inside

So,  you’re probably asking yourself if renter’s insurance is actually worth it. Well, imagine that the home you’re renting is broken into, and your expensive television is stolen, if you don’t have renter’s insurance, you’re at a loss…but if you do, it’ll cover it! Renter’s insurance covers things like theft, vandalism, fire, etc. It’s not your landlords responsibility to reimburse you if something happens to your belongings; by law they’re not the liable party, you are.

insurance Of course, the topic of financials is also highly important to consider. Much like car insurance, you can receive a discount on renter’s insurance if you pay it all in a lump sum for the entire year. The biggest financial plus about renter’s insurance is that it’ll cover your belongings if something happens to them. You won’t need to dish out a ton of money to replace whatever was damaged or stolen.

Consider your possessions, and possible liabilities, and think about whether or not renter’s insurance is for you.

To get a pet, or not to get a pet? That is the question

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We all know that having a pet can be a lot of fun, but it can also be costly. Pets are a huge responsibility in a lot of different ways; you need to make sure they’re fed, bathed, have a place to sleep, the list goes on. If you’re considering getting a pet, there are a few things you should think about before making the big decision.

First of all, are you financially capable of taking on the responsibility? You need to figure out all the costs that you’re going to incur and see where you stand with your personal finances. Aside from your normal financial obligations, you’re going to have to make sure that you can take on vet bills, buying food, and the basic cost of owning a pet (grooming, toys, etc.). A big financial matter that you also need to consider is your rent; is your landlord going to charge more because you now have a dog or cat? Landlords are fully entitled to ask for a pet deposit or increase your rent if you decide to get a pet, because the liability increases on the rental.

Aside from the financial investment, you’re going to have to be willing to invest your time, too. Normally, people keep their pets for a long time, so that’ll be something you need to be sure you can do. If you plan on moving in the near future, it may not be the best time for you to get a pet because you don’t know where you’ll be living next and if pets are even allowed.

These are just a few basic things to consider, be sure to look at your specific lifestyle and see if you’re truly ready to have a pet before you end up doing something you can’t handle.

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