Rental markets will stay strong While first time home ownership will rise in 2015, thanks to households headed by 30-somethings bankrolled by greater job security and rising confidence in the housing market, younger Millennials leaving college dorms and their parent’s homes will keep the rental market robust. Americans in their 20s strongly prefer to rent in urban centers close to jobs and...
Housing Market Predictions for 2015: Part 1
With the New Year approaching, consumers, investors, industry experts, and policy makers alike all cast a critical eye toward the 2015 real estate market. 2015 marks nine years since the housing bubble peaked before crashing, and three years after home prices hit a record low post-recession. This recovery has been a slow one, and 2015 will continue the trend of slow growth, but the market is...
How to Market an Older Property (Psst, I think you mean historic home)
I live in an apartment in a subdivided house that was built in 1902. When I went to view the property I noticed right away that the building had seen some better days, but I was excited nonetheless. I grew up in a series of ramshackle farmhouses and my grandma’s own lovingly restored older house, so a unit in a building that’s obviously old makes me feel right at home. The leasing agent who...
Safe Holiday Decorating Tips
I was 19 and decorating my first apartment for Christmas and I had my heart set on a real tree. I checked my lease and there wasn’t a rule against live trees inside, so I picked one out and brought it home. My roommate and I threw a holiday party that year and invited our friends to make ornaments for the tree with colorful paper, glitter, and other tools commonly found in the elementary...
6 Tips for Showing a Rental Unit…Written by a Tenant
During my early twenties I moved five times in four years. My reasons for moving varied, but one part of relocating always stayed the same; touring rental units. For every move I made, I looked at 5-10 units each time, always in search of the perfect place to call home. There are a few key things a leasing agent can do before showing a unit that make prospective residents like myself much more...
When and Why Residents Move
I’ve moved four times since I left my hometown to attend college. Every time I sign a new lease, get all the boxes unpacked, and finally sit down in my new dwelling to recover from relocating yet again, I swear up and down that I’m not moving again until I decide to leave the state. Inevitably, two or three years later I find myself calling property managers and realty companies asking...
The One Thing I Want My Landlord to Change
I really like my landlord. I live in a tight rental market dominated by student housing. The unique challenges and joys of renting primarily to college students leaves some property managers and owners overwhelmed, particularly during turnover and at the beginning of leasing season. Finding a landlord in such a busy market who has the time, will, and resources to give individual attention to...