Best Practices on Getting Your Memphis Property Rent Ready - article banner

Before you can advertise your Memphis rental home and find a good tenant, you need to make sure your property is ready for the rental market. If you list a home that isn’t move-in ready, you’re going to waste a lot of your own time and money. Tenants are looking for homes that are clean, functional, and attractive.

As professional Memphis property managers, we’ve been effectively marketing, showing, and leasing rental homes for years. We’ve come up with some best practices based on our own experience that will help you have a better experience getting your own home rented.

Here’s what to do when you’re getting your property rent ready.

Rent-Ready Means Attractive Curb Appeal

When prospective tenants drive up or walk up to your property, they will expect to see a home that’s well-maintained, attractive, and inviting. If you’re renting out a single-family home, make sure the lawn has been cut, the bushes are trimmed, and the yard has been cleaned up. There shouldn’t be any debris in the driveway, and no one wants to see bent and drooping blinds in the windows or cobwebs on the front door. Clean up the trash bins and sweep the front walkway. Make sure the driveway or walkway is free of twigs, branches, and personal items.

If you’re renting out a unit in a multi-family building, you want to be sure that the exterior is bright, clean, and easily identifiable. Take a look at the common areas and make sure they’re clean and inviting.

Conduct an Inspection to Make Sure Everything Works

It’s important that everything in the property is functional. Before you list the home or start taking marketing photos, walk through the property and do a complete inspection. Turn on all of your appliances, test the plumbing, and look at the electrical functions before you put your home on the market. If you’re showing a property to tenants and the doors aren’t locking or a window is cracked, they won’t want to hear your promises to fix these things before they move in.

A move-in ready home doesn’t have outstanding repairs. There’s no deferred maintenance. Schedule and complete all the work that’s required before you list and show your property.

Clean your Memphis Rental Property Professionally

Hire professional cleaners to come in and thoroughly clean your Memphis rental property before you rent it out. The floors will need to be scrubbed if they’re hard-surface and steam-cleaned if they’re carpet. Make sure there aren’t any stains or deterioration that would indicate the carpet should actually be replaced.

Tenants will expect kitchens and bathrooms that shine, and ask your cleaning crew to pay attention to every minor detail. Dust the ceiling fans, wipe down the baseboards, and pull the appliances away from walls to sweep and dust behind them.

When you provide a rental home that’s dazzling in its cleanliness, good tenants will be eager to move in, and they’ll also know you have high standards of cleanliness when it’s time to return the property at the end of the lease term.

Consider Some Basic Upgrades before Renting a Memphis Home

When you have a well-maintained home in a good neighborhood, you rarely have to renovate it.

However, when you’re preparing to put it on the rental market, it doesn’t hurt to make a few minor upgrades. Simple things like a fresh coat of paint or updated lighting can make a big difference. Even new hardware on the kitchen cabinets and drawers can make your property look modern and pretty. Consider making these small changes to attract the best Memphis tenants.

Prospective tenantsThese are some of the best practices we recommend when you’re preparing your property for the rental market. Feel free to contact us at CrestCore Realty for more great advice about Memphis property management.