Spring is here in full swing and other than the allergies, everything should be rocking around your apartment. People are out walking their dogs, picnics and barbecues are starting to happen more frequently, and you will slowly see folks sunbathing at the community pool. As we dive into spring with all of our might and head towards summer, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, you might have done a number of things around your apartment to get yourself braced for the cold of winter. The time has come to change things back to the way they were before that.

Stop Using the Flannel Sheets- You can put away your flannel sheets, thick down comforter, and the extra blankets that you have had on top of the couch. Hopefully your apartment has a little extra storage either in your master, entry, or patio closet to store these things. Pop open the windows and let the fresh spring air in. Turn off the central heat and put away and store the space heaters. Make sure that you wipe all dust off of the space heaters before you store them in a clean DRY place off of the ground.

Spring not only brings showers, but it also brings flowers. Guys, whether it’s your girlfriend, wife, fiance, sister, mother, best friend, etc, be sure to take the ladies of your lives flowers to decorate their apartments. Ladies, You wouldn’t sit around waiting for guys to bring them, go out and pick some up and add a ton of color to your place with spring flowers. And guys, you could decorate with flowers too…It would impress the ladies and you’d look more sophisticated.

Other Plants- If you had moved your plants inside during the winter, you can start taking them back out on the porch for some spring sun. They’ll enjoy it, but make sure to water them too. The community pool may soon become bustling with activity. Remember to keep in mind that you are sharing this pool with other people and families so be respectful of others. Try not to splash the sunbathers and clean up after yourself.

Location is all important. You need a location that will attract a lot of tenants so that when one tenant moves out you will easily be able to find another. No tenant means no income and you will need to fork out to cover the mortgage. Good locations are near universities, good schools, employment centres and good areas. The best way to start finding a good location is to speak to your local rental agent. They have the experience of knowing what rents well. A nice-looking house in a not-so-good area won’t rent well on a continuous basis.

Rental property has to be in good condition. There has been an increase in rental properties as homeowners who have been unable to sell their house have rented our their house and the market is competitive. And you want reliable, trustworthy tenants who care about their accommodation. The property therefore needs to be maintained to a good standard. When you look to buy rental property you need to budget enough to decorate it to a good standard in neutral colours, and an ongoing basis you will need to maintain the decor to keep the property in good condition.

Be sure to buy a rental property that has it’s own parking. Tenants can pick and choose their rental property these days and the majority want their own parking. No parking often means no tenant or a tenant moving on after only a short time. There are ongoing outgoings that must be factored in when you are buying rental property. The income needs to cover the mortgage, 3 months worth of rent to cover void periods, insurance, tax, maintenance costs and management costs.

If you are managing the rental property yourself, be available, return their calls promptly and deal with any problems as soon as you can. If you are using a management agency then keep in close contact with the agency to make sure that everything is in order and to check that your tenants are happy. Buying rental property should be considered a long term investment. Keep money aside to cover void periods and be prepared to invest some time in it. The key thing you must do is research the location, have enough cash aside for maintenance and then attend to it regularly.