Landlord Insurance – An Expense Worth It

Every shrewd landlord knows that a landlord insurance is vital to his rental property business. Although it is not a legal requirement, it can save you from several heartaches. It may be an expense on the one hand, but on the other hand, it provides peace of mind and security against any unforeseen damage to your investment property. The trick here is to know how to obtain a substantial coverage at a more affordable rate. This way, you can protect your property investment while protecting your profitability. If you are on the verge of buying a new coverage or renew an old one, consider these three tips to help you get a more affordable policy.

How To Get A More Affordable Landlord Insurance

1. As with purchasing any other big-ticket commodity, you… Read the rest

What are Lease Options?

Lease options is short for “Lease with the Option to Purchase”. As the name suggests, two events are expected to take place – the lease and purchase of a property, where the latter action is at the discretion of the buyer/tenant. In this contract, you as the seller are bound to sell, but the buyer/tenant is not bound to buy.

How Do Lease Options Work?

By paying a valuable consideration upfront, the buyer/tenant gets an option to buy a property at an agreed price at the end of an established period of lease, typically one to three years for residential properties, but could get longer due to the present credit environment. The consideration, which is often nonrefundable, is usually at two to three percent of the market value of the home. This is preferable for… Read the rest

Increase your Investment Property Rental Income

This pool adds the extra element to any house.  This will guarantee that your rental home will be rented out fast and will provide maximum rental income.  The pool is not only deep, but can go deeper and deeper. With your perplexed mindset within it you can escape reality. Stylistically, it’s very pleasing to the eye and will be asked upon from any guest who visit your place.

Sleep Well At Night By Getting The Right Investment Property Insurance

How would you respond to the catastrophic news that your multi-unit apartment has sustained severe damage due to a tumultuous windstorm or a fire? Will you say:

“Oh! That’s bad to hear, but everything will be okay since I got it covered.”

“Shucks! Is the insurance I got sufficient to cover against the damage?”

“Oh no! I have not yet gotten insurance. How am I gonna recover from this? ”

You do not want to be uttering the last two statements, right? Sleep well at night knowing that your investment property is appropriately covered for such losses due to unwanted events like fire, windstorm, lightning, explosion, riot, and unwanted business scenarios such as loss of rents, loss of money, and the like, by getting the most appropriate investment… Read the rest

Understanding The Scope of Investment Property Tax Deductions

One of the perks that attract investors to put their money in investment properties is tax incentives. No other investment vehicle offers this much tax advantage that rental property investment can offer. These deductions can significantly mean your profit or loss. However, those new to their role as landlords, and a few old-timers often unwittingly pass up on the opportunity to make tax savings from their property investments because they do not know the extent of the exemptions. Cash in on this exemptions by familiarizing yourself with what are covered in investment property tax deductions. If you own small residential rental property(s), then you can enjoy the following tax deductions:

Investment Property Tax Deductions For Owners of Small Residential Rental Properties

Depreciation. You, as a landlord, can recoup the cost of… Read the rest

Like any other insurance, a landlord insurance is a real estate investor’s way of managing risks against uncertain losses. Can you soundly sleep at night if you are unsure of whether or not your 8-plex is insured correctly? If your tenants are compelled to move out due to fire, does your insurance cover such loss-of-rent? Before any untoward event happens and regret shows up, take the time to understand what is (or is not) covered by your insurance policy. Insurance may add to your expenses and takes off some amount from your bottom line. However, it also helps you sleep soundly at night knowing that your property is protected from unforeseen losses.

Here are some points to help you grasp crucial factors to consider when arranging for insurance for your investment properties.

Knowing How Much Liability Protection To Carry

… Read the rest

Entrusting Real Estate To Investment Property Managers

With your investment property acquired and ready for occupancy, all you need is a company to manage it so that your little cash machine can start streaming money into your bank account in your absence. However, entrusting your investment to another company is not easy. The choice of a property manager can mean your profit or your loss. With the numerous investment property managers available, the selection process is not made any easier. For this reason, it is important that you set certain criteria based on what you need.

Criteria for Choosing Investment Property Managers

Marketing Flair and Knowledge of the Local Market. One of the primary responsibilities of your property manager is marketing your property to prospective tenants. The company can do this more effectively if they know what the… Read the rest

Many posts ago, we discussed the merits of taking in Section 8 tenants. Many landlords a lured to rent out their properties to these tenants because HUD’s Section 8 has made things easier for them in terms of minimizing late rental payments; property protection; minimizing turn-over; and shortening vacancy periods. If you want to your rental property business to be virtually stress-free, then follow these steps:

Prepping The Rental Property For Section 8 Tenants

Getting the rental property ready for inspection by interested Section 8 tenants would obviously be the first thing to do. Stage the home to make it more appealing and do not forget about curb appeal to lure them inside. When renovating properties for these type of tenants, go for durability over grandeur. Remember that there is a mandatory Section 8 inspection, so forget… Read the rest

REI Doors Open To All

The relative ease of entry is luring more and more people to turn their hands to real estate investing, or REI, not to mention that information about running the lucrative housing business is all over the Internet; you just have to discern which tips and advice to follow. It requires little, some would even say zero, capitalization that is why it is welcoming to beginners. Less capitalization also means lesser risk for losses for the newbies. However, the most enticing lure why people get into REI is the substantial profits that could be raked in in a relatively short time if you get things right.

ROI in REI

One of the most common measures of the quality of an investment is the Return on Investment or ROI. It… Read the rest

Rental Property Tips From the Squirrels

Brrr…. Right now, squirrels are cozying up to one another’s company, sleeping and eating the days of winter away. As a landlord, you should be doing that too, instead of heading down your rental property in the cold just to address some issues that may have been prevented had you emulated the foresight of the rodents. Next time, to keep you snuggled down in your sofa reading a page-turner, remember to follow these rental property tips before the next winter arrives.

Arrange a maintenance check just before the cold bites so that unnecessary inconveniences can be prevented. Maintenance checks may sound bothersome for some tenants, but if you explain to them how they can benefit from such, it will warm their hearts.

Rental Property Tips To Keep the Electric Bill Down

Fireplaces and the… Read the rest