Preparing A House For Rental: Keyrenter’s Make-Ready Experience

Preparing a rental house involves more than just finding residents. It requires long-term thinking and meticulous attention to detail to ensure a property is in the best condition possible to provide a high living standard.

Keyrenter’s make-ready experience was carefully designed to transform a property into an attractive, livable space that stands out in the competitive rental market. From thorough inspections and necessary repairs to professional cleaning and stand-out marketing, every step maximizes the property’s appeal and rental value, while striving to minimize vacancies and maximize income.

In this article, we’ll review Keyrenter Arkansas’ make-ready experience in detail and share how we’re helping landlords save dozens of hours from move-out to move-in. We’ll make clear how consistently updating your property is the best way to turn a rental property into a profitable investment that helps you build long-term wealth through real estate.

Keyrenter’s Make-Ready Experience For Rental Properties

Property Inspection

Our make-ready process starts with an in-person visit and a thorough initial inspection. We walk every corner of the house and take pictures of everything in it: the front view, walls, appliances, furniture, yard, structure, etc.

These pictures are not for advertising purposes. They go directly into our system and can be shared with homeowners through their online portal. We use them as a reference to assess the property’s condition, determine what areas present blemishes or are in a suboptimal state, and conclude what needs to be repaired for the home to be as appealing and livable as it can be.

All the information and pictures collected will be used and shared with owners as we determine the punch list of items we need to complete before deeming the property move-in ready. 

Vendor Bids

Once we have completed the initial inspection, we’ll ask our trusted network of vendors for a quote on the repairs and upgrades needed to elevate the property’s value and desirability on the market.

We’ve worked with our trusted vendors for several years. Thanks to our long work history and economies of scale, Keyrenter is granted preferential rates for repairs and maintenance work. This is incredibly beneficial for our clients, who save time and money by working with our team. Once we’ve received these quotes, we’ll reach out to the owners, and arm them with the information needed to make an informed decision. 

Owner Approval And Funds

Soon after, we’ll present owners with both the inspection’s findings, what we consider to be the most urgent repairs and upgrades before renting the property to a new tenant, and the cost to carry out the repairs as per our vendors’ bids. Owners will then have the option to ask questions, provide feedback, and approve the make-ready work.

Then, before starting, we ask that owners transfer at least 50% of the total funds for the repairs through the online Owner’s Portal, with the remaining balance to be cleared by the time the work is completed.

While repairs and upgrades may seem costly, they should be thought of as an investment toward meeting high rental standards, which in turn attracts higher-quality residents willing to pay a much greater rent price.

Vendor Scheduling & Work

If the cost is higher than our agreed-upon spending limit and, once our team has received owner approval, we’ll coordinate efforts with our trusted vendors to complete the make-ready work efficiently, within the projected timeline. 

For the most part, we strive to finish maintenance work within 7 to 14 days after the property has been vacated so homeowners enjoy as little vacancy as possible. That said, our main goal is to leave the property in excellent condition to attract high-quality residents interested in multi-year, long-term rentals, which results in higher returns for our clients.

Property Cleaning

With repairs out of the way, next on our to-do list is deploying a professional cleaning team to clear leftover debris from the make-ready work, polish everything from floors to windows, and make the property sparkle. After all, a spotless home sets the stage for successful showings and leaves a lasting impression on prospective residents.

Marketing-Quality Photos

The last thing we’ll do before listing the property online is to deploy our professional photographer to take marketing-quality photos at our cost. Those specializing in real estate are worth the investment since they know how to highlight a home’s best features using the right angles, lighting, and equipment to create inviting and vibrant images.

High-quality pictures make or break a listing since they increase the number of views and overall exposure, leading to quicker rentals. They also raise the perceived rental value of a property and attract higher offers from better suitors. Lastly, pictures are also the central aspect driving prospects to envision living in the house, request more information, and schedule a self-guided tour.

Marketing & Advertising Leasing Experience

With 75% of the process complete, we’ll make sure a thorough marketing description is uniquely crafted and describes the property and all it has to offer in great detail. Then, our team will syndicate the listing to 50+ high-traffic marketplaces such as Zillow, Trulia, and others. We usually start working towards this 60 days before the previous lease expires to reduce vacancy periods and increase rental income for our clients. 

By leveraging our presence in online real estate marketplaces, we ensure the property garners attention from a wide pool of prospects, increasing the likelihood of attracting applicants and securing the ideal resident in today’s competitive market.

At this stage, our make-ready process starts merging with our leasing experience, which you can read through to understand better what your dedicated property manager and our team will do next.

Move-In Inspection

Once we’ve secured a highly qualified resident, wrapped up the paperwork, and set a move-in date, our team conducts one final property inspection to confirm that the home is ready and in neat condition for the new residents to move in.

During this inspection, we’ll once more take pictures to keep as evidence that the property, its appliances, and components were in neat shape at the time of the move-in. This serves as the new starting point to assess potential damages and liabilities during the move-out, after which Keyrenter’s make-ready experience starts all over again.

Keyrenter Makes Rentals Simple And Worry-Free

Keyrenter’s make-ready process is meticulously designed to be as transparent, stress-free, and hands-off for homeowners as possible. Starting with a thorough property inspection, we identify and address all necessary repairs and upgrades while determining if they’re the product of damages or deterioration and who’s responsible for what. Then, our strong network of trusted vendors completes the work, while professional cleaning and high-quality photos maximize the property’s appeal throughout our marketing and advertising efforts. 

Ensuring a property is in top condition before the start of a lease enhances the resident’s experience, makes them want to extend their tenancy, and maximizes rental income on behalf of owners. Keyrenter’s goal is to provide long-term, worry-free property management for landlords that saves them priceless time and effort, while also increasing the earning potential of their investments for years on end.

If you’re a landlord interested in optimizing your rental property’s potential and delegating the day-to-day operations to a professional, schedule a discovery call with our local BDM through Keyrenter Arkansas’s website and find out about all the ways we can help you grow your portfolio.