Ballad of a landlord .. Rant
- Thread starter mumbai
- Start date
Thats good to know. Hope I sail a similar boat soon!
My condolences
Ha ha, I'm actually the rare breed that still enjoys the job
- they day I stop liking it is the day I look for another job!
LOL ...Not malicious. Just really stupid. Hope they also secured it with sticky tape and bluetack in case if fell on one of the young'uns. Don't want young Cletus to grow up stoopid like his daddy.
Where is this property ? Sunnyvale ?
Fortunately, NO!
Great! At least one is out of the way!
Excellent, now you can focus on the one property
. How is the feedback on the Girraween property? Are you having people attend opens?
Excellent, now you can focus on the one property
How is the feedback on the Girraween property? Are you having people attend opens?
Good that you asked. I am surprised, but with at least 3 and sometimes 4-5 opens homes every week for a month now, I have not had even ONE application yet.
The feedback, I get, is just 1 group and very rarely 2 groups come for open homes. They said this is the case with other 'houses' in and around the suburb.
Is your PM following up people who have viewed the property for their feedback?
If I have a property that doesn't have applications flowing in through the doors I call everyone who has been to the open and asked them if they will be applying. If not, do they have any anonymous feedback that we could pass on to the landlord?
The information from these people is so valuable. They aren't worried about putting anyone offside as they aren't applying for the property, they have nothing to lose and will be very honest (don't get upset, but they will be!).
It may be something as simple as a dishwasher that puts you in the lead, you don't know if you don't ask the questions.
Would you like to share a link to the advertising for the Girraween property to see if any of us here can see anything that might help?
If I have a property that doesn't have applications flowing in through the doors I call everyone who has been to the open and asked them if they will be applying. If not, do they have any anonymous feedback that we could pass on to the landlord?
The information from these people is so valuable. They aren't worried about putting anyone offside as they aren't applying for the property, they have nothing to lose and will be very honest (don't get upset, but they will be!).
It may be something as simple as a dishwasher that puts you in the lead, you don't know if you don't ask the questions.
Would you like to share a link to the advertising for the Girraween property to see if any of us here can see anything that might help?
Good feedback there Sez. I will ask my PM that today.
This is the listing:
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-girraween-413928811
This is the listing:
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-girraween-413928811
As a self-manager, this is something I have done many times once I get the idea the person isn't interested for some reason. It has been helpful, though in the years past, mostly the problem in Brisbane was the houses without decks. That is not a quick, easy fix but always helpful in our planning.
The other question I used to ask was "how many houses have you looked at?". Often we would hear from those keen to rent our houses that ours was the best they had seen and often they would say they had not been looking for long, or they had been looking for a while.
As a self-manager the hardest thing for me is to gauge how much our houses should be renting for. Looking on re.com is helpful, but photos always look so much better than the real thing. I guess I should be attending open houses when we know we will have a vacancy. The few times I've done that, I've been shocked at how small the houses are because the photos use a fishbowl lens. I've learned to look for the telltale signs and shrink the room in my mind. Photos also tend not to show "shabby" very well.
The times we have had our IPs appraised by PMs we usually ask a little more and usually have got it. My son worked as a PM for a while and said "they don't really know". I guess it is not like a DVD that has a RRP and you know it is too high or too low. It is not an exact science.
I think the biggest problem is the photos (is that your new kitchen!?) and also the offers over tactic. Tenants aren't purchasers and so aren't so comfortable negotiating. They look for something in their price range. With offers over $410, people don't know what the price is and if it is in their price range so are likely to pass it over. It is the only property in the area advertised like that .
You're also not competing against many houses in Girraween (I searched exclusively for Girraween and not surrounding suburbs) that have the same set up as you (3bed one bath). This one here has ducted aircon (aircon and heating aren't mentioned in your ad?)
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-girraween-404929536
This one has obviously been fully renovated with a huge kitchen (and a terrible bathroom photo)
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-girraween-413958939
This one looks updated and spacious
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-greystanes-413930675
You never know what is going to do the trick but the first thing I would do would be to set a fixed advertising price and update the photos (open that external awning to let more light into the rooms so the photos don't look dark and focus more on kitchen, living, outdoor living and bathroom and less of the bedroom shots).
Wylie, you're absolutely right. It isn't an exact science! I can walk into a place and give someone a small range as to what their property will rent for but the final price is always determined by the individual who wants to rent it, the other properties, the amount of people looking, the weather and the location of the moon & stars! It always rents within my range!
. You're also not competing against many houses in Girraween (I searched exclusively for Girraween and not surrounding suburbs) that have the same set up as you (3bed one bath). This one here has ducted aircon (aircon and heating aren't mentioned in your ad?)
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-girraween-404929536
This one has obviously been fully renovated with a huge kitchen (and a terrible bathroom photo)
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-girraween-413958939
This one looks updated and spacious
http://www.realestate.com.au/property-house-nsw-greystanes-413930675
You never know what is going to do the trick but the first thing I would do would be to set a fixed advertising price and update the photos (open that external awning to let more light into the rooms so the photos don't look dark and focus more on kitchen, living, outdoor living and bathroom and less of the bedroom shots).
Wylie, you're absolutely right. It isn't an exact science! I can walk into a place and give someone a small range as to what their property will rent for but the final price is always determined by the individual who wants to rent it, the other properties, the amount of people looking, the weather and the location of the moon & stars! It always rents within my range!
