We started another recurring series, our Rental Resources Weekly Recap, two weeks ago and after a lot of clicks we’re bringing it back. In this series, we recap the articles and resources we’ve been posting on the RentJuice Twitter account since we’ve been tweeting a few times per day with the best tips, posts, and resources we can find on the internet. So without further ado, here’s a recap of the last week: Continue Reading…
Tag Archive - Research
Real Estate Internet Marketing: Common Mistakes
Our team attended RE BarCamp Boston last Friday and gave a presentation on common internet marketing mistakes. It was great to see so many real estate agents taking notes on the facts and tips we shared, but we wanted to make that information available to all real estate agents who were not able to attend the conference.
First, we live tweeted the event under the Twitter hashtag #rebcbos, so the sequential tweets are available. It’s easy to find – in Twitter search just type in “#rebcbos rentjuice” and you’ll see our info from that day (or by clicking here).
However, it’s difficult to tweet an entire 45 minute presentation chock full of internet marketing facts, so we’re going to share the presentation in a recurring blog series called Real Estate Internet Marketing: Common Mistakes.
Here’s part 1 called The First Real Estate Internet Marketing Mistake is Haste: Continue Reading…
Benefits of Renting: Flexibility
On our @RentJuice Twitter account we tweeted a link to a great post busting some myths about renting. But it got us thinking back to a book some members of our team read called Who’s Your City? by Richard Florida. Specifically, the book subtly makes the case for a major benefit of renting – flexibility. Here’s a great quote:
First Time Renter? Here are Some Great Renting Tips
The other day we came across this article in the San Francisco Chronicle that focused on tips for new renters. Most of these tips are also a great reminder for people who have rented before and are looking at new homes or apartments to rent. And reading the article made us realize that if you’re a renter or a landlord, you have to put your detective hat on and really do your homework on the people with which you’ll potentially be signing a lease. In the article we spotted some strong tips like this one focused on inspecting common areas of a rental property:
“If the hallways and elevators are dirty or the grounds overgrown, there’s a risk the landlord will also take a long time to make any repairs.
Ask some of the residents about the landlord or property manager. You might get details you wouldn’t hear otherwise, like odors from the restaurant next door or the upstairs neighbor’s dog that barks all day when the owner is away.”
And here’s another important tip we liked focused on checking a landlord’s financial situation:
“If you’re renting from an individual, you can check out his or her financial situation by sifting through district court records for any foreclosure actions, judgments or bankruptcy filings. You can also contact your local Better Business Bureau to see if there have been any complaints filed against the landlord.”
The two quotes highlighted here are some of the softer tips that renters often overlook. And yet it’s a great reminder of how incredibly important it is to approach the rental process like a detective – both for a prospective renter and for a landlord who needs to do their complete due diligence on a renter before they sign a lease.
Renting in the perfect neighborhood
One of the most important aspects of choosing your next rental apartment is the characteristics of the neighborhood you’ll adopt. Sure, the apartment itself is essential, but keep these tips in mind when you’re picking what areas of a city are right for you.
- Demographics of the residents. Are they retired people? College students? Families with kids? Do you see a lot of people walking dogs? Spend a day getting a sense for the people who will soon be your neighbors. A great online resource for this is Yahoo Real Estate’s Neighborhood Profile. Here’s the results for my old neighborhood in San Francisco, for example.
- Availability of parking. You may not drive, but you may buy a car in the next few years. Better yet, guests who visit will need a place to put their car while visiting. It also can be quite frustrating when you’re moving in/moving out, and you’ll need some place to put a van or truck. Go visit the area at night (when residents are parked) and during the mid-day (when business traffic is usually parked). Rush hour times, when meters are just being turned on or off, is usually an odd time to assess parking. We’re also excited for the launch of SpotScout, which promises to be an online marketplace for parking spots. (Go pre-register there to be posted on their launch.)
- Nearby amenities. Make sure there’s some convenient way to get to a grocery store, a gas station (if necessary), a laundromat, a coffee shop, a drycleaner, and some go-to restaurants for a quick bite. You’ll always regret living in an apartment where you can’t get at least the basics on a daily basis. For this, simple searches using your address on Citysearch, Yelp.com, or even Google Local will do.
- Public transportation. Have to get to work or to a friend’s place? Don’t forget how important it is to make those trips seem convenient. Unless you’re working from home, you’ll truly value the ability to get to and from with ease. The best part is: find this information is really easy. Google has created Google Transit to help with planning trips using public transportation, including schedules and transfers. Give it a whirl using your prospective apartment address and another useful address (like work or a friend’s house).
- Crime activity. Another great indicator about your neighborhood is the level of crime activity. It’s incredibly important to live in an area you trust to be safe in your daily life and welcoming to guests. Try using some of the visually pleasing search tools available on Everyblock, which is a service that streams local activity from public databases around your area. The only limitation is that it’s only available in a few major metro areas in the US. If your city isn’t there, you can try searching against your local police department database.
- Major construction and noise. Understand any current or upcoming major construction in the area you’re searching. Often times, residents will move into an apartment not knowing that the building across the street is scheduled to be demolished and they’re faced with months or years worth of an awful view or (worse!) the sounds of drills and cranes early in the morning. Along these same lines, make sure your apartment or house isn’t directly near a highway or commuter railway system, as these can cause tons of noise or a vibration of the entire unit. It’s best to ask your broker, landlord or other residents in the area about this; EveryBlock also provides a stream of important building permits issued for your area, and these give insight into upcoming construction work.
There are several other things to think about — including the balance of commercial and residential property in the area, or how long other residents have lived in the area — but in general the list here should get you started. If you have other ideas, we welcome them as comments below!
