If you’re getting ready to look for a new home, be prepared to invest a good bit of time looking for property listings online and visiting properties in person. Whether you’re looking to live in a major city or small suburb, an apartment, townhome or single-family home, you’ll want to avoid wasting time poring over listings that won’t lead you to the right home for you.
To avoid wasting time reading through irrelevant listings or traveling to see multiple properties that are duds, you need to make sure the listings you review contain all of the information you need to make an informed decision about whether or not the property is right for you. Not only does a quality property listing help you weed out properties that don’t match your search criteria, but they’re also a strong indicator of a professional and well-organized landlord/property management company.
As you search for your next home, keep in mind that a good property listing should contain, at the bare minimum, the following information:
Property Details
All property listings should feature certain details front and center so potential tenants can quickly and easily determine if the property meets their needs. These main details include the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, square footage of the home, and a general idea of the floor plan including storage spaces. The number of bedrooms a property has is typically the most important property detail tenants use to determine if a property will work for them.
It’s also helpful to know some information about the location of the property such as it’s proximity to nearby schools, major highways, public transportation, and shopping.
High-Quality Photos
Every property listing you view should have several high-quality photos of both the interior and exterior of the property. There should be photos of every room in the property as well as any amenities mentioned in the listing. A property’s description may sound very appealing and appear to meet all of your needs, but once you visit it in person, it can become an entirely different story. Seeing recent property photos in a rental listing will ensure that you don’t waste your time touring a property that doesn’t interest you.
Property/Rental Policies
A proper rental listing should be upfront about any policies that the landlord has in place. Examples of such policies could include not allowing pets, no smoking in the property, the maximum number of tenants that can live in the home, and the length of the lease term. It is within your best interest to be aware of these policies, as at least one of them is usually a deal-breaker for most potential tenants.
Property Amenities
Most people who are in the market to rent look for certain amenities to be included in their potential new home. These amenities can range from central air conditioning to in-unit laundry to upgraded kitchen appliances. How many and what types of amenities you look for is completely up to you, but they should most certainly be part of the property listing. In addition to the amenities being stated in the listing, it should also specify whether or not the amenities are to be shared with other residents if it’s a multi-unit property. Commonly shared amenities are outdoor spaces, pools, parking, and laundry facilities.
Clearly Defined Costs
Of course, it’s important to know how much you’re expected to pay each month for rent, but you should be aware of other costs associated with moving into your new rental property. These additional costs can include utilities, pet fees, parking fees initial deposit, or cleaning fees. It’s also important to know if the fees are one-time fees and if anything is refundable at the end of the lease term.
Hopefully, this information helps you sort through the masses of real estate listings that are online these days and assists in directing you towards your new home. To view the properties currently available from Pro-Managed, click the Available Properties tab at the top of our website.
