4 Questions To Ask Yourself Before Becoming A Landlord

Investing in real estate is one of the most dependable ways to build wealth, but it’s important to know all the ins and outs before getting into it. Set yourself up to be successful by researching and making sure it’s the right choice before you purchase your first rental property.

In the midst of your research, ask yourself these four questions before starting your journey as a landlord.

Do You Have Enough Time?

Being a landlord isn’t as easy as buying a property and finding tenants; there is a lot more to it than that. If you are going to update the property before finding tenants, you’ll be taking calls and coordinating contractors to come out to the property. Once you have tenants, they’ll call if something needs to be fixed or something goes wrong, and those calls could come any day at any time. As the landlord, these are all things you will need to handle quickly to keep your tenants happy.

Remember, the more properties you own, the more calls you’ll take and the more issues you may need to handle. 

How Will You Screen Potential Tenants?

Making sure you choose the right tenants is important because you want to make sure they will take care of the rental and pay their rent on time. While it might cross your mind to let whoever replies to your online ad first move in immediately, that is not the smartest idea. As the landlord, you want to screen prospective tenants by performing background checks, checking credit scores, confirming income and job details, and calling previous landlords to make sure they’re the right fit.

Do You Have Legal Counsel Lined Up?

While you hope to never have to call your lawyer, it’s important to have one lined up that specializes in landlord-tenant issues. If nothing else, having a lawyer review your leases and ensure all paperwork complies with local laws is helpful. There may come a time when you have a tenant who doesn’t pay their rent, and in this case, an experienced lawyer will be a huge asset. 

What Is Your Why?

Understanding why you want to be a landlord is important for success. Are you doing this on the side to make extra money, or do you want to do it as a full-time job? Will the time you’re putting into being a landlord and the potential issues that could come up be worth it? Keeping your why at the forefront is important as you purchase your first rental and continue becoming successful.

Becoming a landlord is hard work, but the rewards will be huge if everything works in your favor. If you have any questions or need recommendations about how to start investing and becoming a landlord, reach out to us! We are always here to help.

High-Value Home Improvement Trends for 2022

Homeowners are constantly looking for creative ways to distinguish themselves from the competition and increase their home’s value. Home improvement is one of the most effective ways to upscale your property. 2022 brings a distinct set of home improvement trends that all real estate investors should keep in mind.

Bringing the Office Home

With remote and hybrid work becoming the new norm, homes need to be multipurpose even more than before. In order for their homes to seamlessly transition between an office space and their comfortable homes, owners are enhancing their home offices and even transforming their kitchen countertops into professional workstations.

The Cozy Outdoors

Homeowners in 2022 want the comfort and convenience of their indoors to spread to their outdoor patios, porches, and even backyards. Large fireplaces, unique gardens, and elegant seating areas protected from the weather by pergolas are all elements that could enhance these outdoor spaces.

An Accent of Wallpaper

Buyers are looking for ways to showcase their individuality, and wallpaper is stepping up to the plate. A cost-effective option that can save homeowners quality time, wallpaper is used as a bold accent piece to catch visitors’ eyes and pop against the rest of the home.

A Personal Spa

Tranquil, spacious, spa-like bathrooms are taking the home improvement market by storm. Consider calming bathrooms with huge bathtubs as the focal points and numerous cabinets and shelving to keep the space orderly and clean.

Home improvement is undoubtedly a worthwhile investment for first-time and seasoned homeowners. Follow these 2022 trends to add value to your home and entice new buyers. If you need help selling your home or are looking to become a homeowner, contact us today!

What Does TALK Property Management Do?

When investors hear the term property management, they may just think it’s a company that maintains the property and deals with the tenants. But at TALK Property Management, we do so much more than that! Our property management services include marketing the property, finding tenants, maintaining the property, and accounting. 

Marketing 

If you have a vacant property and don’t know how to advertise your Austin property to prospective tenants, TALK Property Management can do that for you! We create a complimentary Comparable Market Rent Analysis to provide a recommended rent based on the current market. This helps you optimize your monthly rent and may reduce vacancies. Lastly, we market your investment by photographing your property, writing an enticing description, and advertising it using social media marketing, email marketing campaigns, yard signs, and more. 

Tenants

When you choose TALK Property Management, we find you reliable tenants through a rigorous tenant screening process (always complying with the Fair Housing Act). If the tenants turn out to be troublesome, TALK Property Management will attend eviction court proceedings on your behalf. We send a “Notice to Vacate” if rent isn’t received by the third of the month, then file eviction on the eleventh if it’s still not received. We enforce all provisions of your lease. 

Maintenance 

TALK Property Management maintains your Austin property, as well. For minor repairs and maintenance, we use local, reliable handypersons and licensed professional vendors for significant issues. If you have one, we work with your Home Warranty company for any extensive repairs or replacements like HVAC systems to make the process easier and less costly for investors! When we have access to your property, we use a licensed locksmith to handle all locks and ensure your property is up to the Texas Property Code. We ensure the team we use on your property provides the best quality and service.

Accounting

Besides the essential property management services, we go above and beyond to make real estate investing easy for our Austin investors. We utilize a professional software and accounting system to help manage your property’s finances. This means we send you a monthly statement on the tenth of each month with copies of any paid repair bills. We can also send a year-end summary statement and 1099 to help make your taxes easier. Lastly, our software makes it possible to send funds directly to your bank the first business day after your tenant paid rent. 

 

At TALK Property Management, we want your real estate investment to be a success, which is why we pride ourselves on our quality services! Reach out to TALK Property Management–we are here to help: (512) 721-1094 or dbrown@talkpropertymanagement.com.

What Investors Should Know About the Austin Real Estate Market

Austin has become one of the most desirable real estate markets this year, thanks to its ongoing growth. Many companies are relocating and expanding to Austin, which is causing people to relocate as well. More residents mean more people who need housing. This is the perfect time to become an investor in the Austin real estate market! Before you take advantage of the market, here’s what you should know about the local real estate market. 

Renters Can Afford More 

Since many people are relocating for Austin’s incredible job market growth, that means there are people with higher education and higher incomes coming to Austin. These individuals need a place to live, which means you can increase your monthly rent. According to Apartmentdata.com, the rental price for July 2021 was $1,422/month. But don’t go above the market average, then your property will sit vacant for longer. If you need help pricing your property, reach out to us! 

Occupancy Rates Are High

Occupancy rates have always been stable in Austin, but now they’re increasing. As stated in the Apartmentdata.com July 2021 stats, over the past 12 months, the rental rate growth increased by 9.4%, and occupancy is at 91.4%. This hot seller’s market makes homes unavailable for some due to low inventory or high price tags. This means they’ll continue to rent and renew their lease. This creates a unique opportunity for you. 

From that same data, areas all around Austin are popular for renters, which gives you several locations and price ranges to choose from. The most growth came from a combination of downtown Austin, South Congress, and Barton Springs. The other hot submarkets are University of Texas/Mueller, “outlying metro”, Round Rock/Georgetown, and Cedar Park, Leander, and Four Points. 

The Job Market Is Strong

The pandemic has made Austin an attractive home base for many big companies like Tesla, Google, Amazon, Facebook, Oracle, and more. Data from the Austin Chamber of Commerce show that in just June alone, over 20 businesses have relocated to Austin or opened their new business in Austin. More jobs = more people, and more people = more housing. 

Why Invest in the Austin Real Estate Market?

Some other reasons to invest in the Austin real estate market are: 

  1. Quality Education
  2. High Demand for Skilled Labor 
  3. Austin Has Plenty of Amenities
  4. Austin is an Active Community

 

If this all sounds good to you and you’re ready to invest, contact us today! Reach out to TALK Property Management– We are here to help: (512) 721-1094 or dbrown@talkpropertymanagement.com

A Realistic Look at Austin Investment Opportunities in 2020

If you are considering investing in Austin real estate as we approach uncertain times in the COVID-19 era, you need to be realistic and ask yourself the hard, honest questions. An economic downturn can offer opportunities for real estate investors where competition is lessened, and the number of those seeking rentals can increase. Investing in Austin requires a keen eye for opportunity, and now is the time to prepare to buy a rental property. 

First, an Austin investor needs to understand the current real estate market. Local REALTORS® have access to resources that an investor can use to study current trends. Consulting with an agent that works daily in Austin’s home buying and selling industry is key to making an informed decision. Recently, residential sales in the Greater Austin area have increased by 2.2% year over year, while the median price hit a spike of 11.7% compared to March 2019. The numbers indicate that the first of the year’s activities were on track to continue pushing the market to new highs. As the May selling kicks off, the housing market could start to see subtle or not so subtle changes due to COVID-19’s effect on the economy. No one has absolute answers, but we can strongly speculate a significant shift ahead. 

Second, those seeking to buy rental properties in Austin need to evaluate their financial situation honestly. Here are a few key areas to analyze:

  • Savings – can you cover at least three months of personal expenses, including having funds set aside for emergencies?
  • Job situation – are you in a stable position, or does your industry anticipate layoffs?
  • Assets – do you have assets that will become a burden and/or are you considering selling one or multiple assets first?
  • Liquidity – do you have readily available funds for a down payment, repairs, maintenance, and future mortgage payments?

2020 health concerns are creating unprecedented times but can also present opportunities for those intending on investing in Austin rental properties. For the realistic buyer, now is the time to prepare for those opportunities. If you need guidance from a local, experienced REALTOR®, contact Dona Brown and Talk Property Management. We serve in Travis, Williamson, and surrounding counties in residential sales and property management. Call 512-721-1094 for a free consultation

Mortgage Rates and Investing in 2020

Austin area investors have incredible mortgage rates to take advantage of, and even lower rates may be headed our way for home-loans. The Federal Reserve recently pledged to buy bonds and treasuries in an effort to stabilize the market this spring and, as a side-effect, will push mortgage rates downward.

In a time when rates are already historically low, how much lower can they go? It is possible that homebuyers could see a 30-year fixed rate of 2.75%, according to President of Naroff Economics, Joel Naroff, who recognizes patterns from previous years. The Fed launched similar efforts in 2008, which in-turn pushed rates down below 5% for the first time in U.S. history.

Mortgage rates are likely to either drop slightly or at least remain the same while the Fed keeps any sudden increases at bay. The reserve institution lifted its cap of $200 billion on spending for mortgage-backed securities (MBS). That move creates the additional buying power of the bonds and treasuries as noted above, and the market for these MBS’s is what impacts the current mortgage rates. 

For now, only time can tell the future, and what is current is that rates are low, staying low, and consumers should watch headlines closely to prepare for any changes in the market.

If you are considering buying a home or investment property, now is a great time to make a move and take advantage of the all-time low rates. The money you save on a mortgage can easily be pushed into renovations, flipping, and a property management company that will set you up for long-term success and sustainability. 

Are you in need of a recommendation for a reputable lender to answer your toughest mortgage questions? Contact Dona Brown; she has a vast network and years of experience to point you in the right direction. 512-721-1094. 

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