2007 Inverts Some Home Sellers Into Landlords


by Mark Nash - Date: 2007-04-11 - Word Count: 387 Share This!

For many real estate opportunity seekers of 2006, the reality of a quick-flip at market-high prices is beyond a glimmer of hope. With mounting negative cash flow from holding an over-priced property for months on end, the hold and wait recipe has now transitioned to renting until the market bounces back to pre-2006 price levels. Applying a tourniquet to cash wounds is number one for home sellers who thought the market would return for over-priced properties with the spring market in 2007.

Tread carefully, advises Mark Nash, author of 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home. That newly renovated and freshly painted short-term investment could become an expanding financial nightmare if not managed properly as a rental. Novices to landlording should remember that finding the right tenant to care take their investment should be their number one priority.

-All prospective tenants should complete a lease application that includes a release for a credit check. Don't skimp on a credit and previous landlord reference verification.

-Security deposits are non-negotiable. Reducing or omitting one will cost you plenty down the road.

-Forget pets. People can be rough enough on property, pets add to the wear and tear.

-If you plan to market and show the property near the end of the lease term, plan on having the tenants vacate before showing begins. Tenants don't care if you sell, they'll block showings and leave beds unmade and dirty dishes in the sink.

-Consider short-term rentals for the newly relocated, home owners renovating their home, or those"homeless" after exiting their last and gaining possession on their next, or the growing number of ex-homeowners that are going through a life change such as divorce, death of a spouse or partner or wait-listed for a skilled-care facility.

-If you're new to landlording, contemplate hiring a property management company to interview, lease and manage your rental day-to-day. They're experienced in the pleasures and pitfalls of rental properties.

-Factor in that renting your buyer-beautiful home won't bring you positive cash flow, it will just soften the financial hit you've been taking.

-If you're not up to renting, bite the bullet, look seriously at sold comparable's from the last six months, and price your home right, and it will likely sell. Maybe not at that big fat profit you were looking for, but the monthly hemorrhaging will stop.

Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved. Mark Nash


Related Tags: market, realty, home, selling, estate, news, real, trends, conditions, buying, mark nash, 1001, bubble, realtors

Mark Nash is a Chicago based residential real estate author, broker and columnist. His advice, analysis and tips have been featured on: Bloomberg TV, CBS News, CNN, Fox News Channel, NBC News, The New York Time, The Washington Post, Business Week, Parade, and Smart Money Magazines, The Library of Congress, Washington, D. C., http://www.HGTV.com, and http://www.RealtyTimes.com. Nash's annual survey "What's In, What's Out with Homebuyers" is utilized by more than 500 news organizations in the U.S. and Canada.

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