Serious Renters + Holidays = A Shot at Extra Cash
I recently read a little quip from a realtor I follow on facebook. He says “Sellers: buyers that are looking in the holidays are SERIOUS!” His point is that this is a great time to list your home for sale because the people who are looking to buy right now aren’t “looky-lou”s. I agree with him. And I will argue that the same goes for the rental market. Anyone currently looking for a rental is serious and many of the people looking right now will be moved into a place before the first of the year.
This year especially. Why? Because if they live in a home that gets foreclosed on they don’t have a choice. And from the looks of things, there will be foreclosures before Christmas. Now, could the federal government introduce or even pass legislation that would stall foreclosures until after the first of the year? Sure. They have certainly done equally drastic things in the past. But if you gamble that they will and they don’t you could lose much more than if gamble that they won’t and they do.
Last week was one of the hottest weeks in our company’s history when we talk about homes renting. We saw a flurry of applications with quick move-ins and many of our clients are now collecting handsome rent checks. Especially those clients who were aggressive with their pricing and presentation of their homes.
Now, I am going to offer a dose of realism. We don’t necessarily anticipate that our December numbers are going to beat our October or November numbers. But I do know this: they won’t be zero. In fact, we already have four homes where the leases have been signed with December move-in dates!
If you have thought about whether to buckle down and get that rental property ready for move-in now or whether to wait and be ready for the first of the year my advice is simple: err on the side of winning. Get it ready now and place it on the market, you might just collect a few thousand dollars more in 2010 and start 2011 with a head start!
