I have been seeing many homes for rent due to homeowners not being able to sell their homes. This makes for more competition in getting your home rented. In the past, having signs in the yard was great, but these days you need to go all out and make sure all your bases are covered. The internet has been a great source of advertising. We always make sure our internet sites are updated and accurate with plenty of good quality pictures.

Customer service is essential. Tenants who are looking for homes feel appreciated when they are able to connect with their agent, so answering every phone call is very important. The agent should be asking a lot of questions such as what location, square footage, bedrooms, and if they have any pets. This will help narrow down what home is the best fit for them, and save the tenants and the investor a lot of time. Another way we keep tenants calling is by always making sure someone is answering the phones, when talking to people who are looking for rentals, they always tell me they are frustrated when they cannot get a hold of anyone on the weekends. Most prospecting tenants use the weekends to go looking for homes, as they have full time jobs during the week.

Another way to get a houses rented quickly is to make sure the investment home is in good condition. Not only by keeping up the inside and making sure it is clean and the carpets look great, but you can make sure and keep the outside clean and clear of overgrown trees and weeds. This is very important as curb appeal is everything. First impressions are lasting impressions, especially to a tenant. I have seen investors who would rather not do much if anything until a tenant is in place due to lack of funds. This is a huge mistake and the best way to lose a prospective tenant. I have heard many times from potential tenants that looked at a house down the street and it was so dirty they couldn't wait to get out of it. It is in your best interest to listen to your management company when they give you advice on what they think you should do. They are the professionals and know what is going on with your tenant as well as your investment.

Once a new tenant is in place, keeping that tenant happy can be just as hard as getting them to rent your home. When maintenance is required on the investment property, it is extremely important to jump on these issues right away. I see a lot of investors who don't check their messages for days due to their own hectic schedules, or go on vacation and forget to tell their management company. In most cases if you have a good property management company they will make the decisions for you. However, there can be some rare occasions that the investor needs to be contacted immediately.

Over all being a good investor requires research on good rental areas, making sure your investment property is properly maintained, keeping the tenants happy with quick responses and finding a great management company that will look out for your best interest.