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What to Look for with a Rental Before You Sign the Lease

Jan. 8th, 2011
in Real Estate
by Lee Cole

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So, you’ve found the right apartment or house, and you are all set to sign the lease. Not so fast! Whenever you sign a lease you obligate yourself to make the rental payments for the period of the lease, usually one year. So, let’s say the rent is $1,000 per month. Whenever you sign a lease, you’re obligating you to ultimately pay the owner $12,000! You won’t have to reside in the house or apartment, if you don’t like it. But you do absolutely have to pay the lease. There is not any getting away from it. So, it is good to make certain this is a property you would like to dwell in for the lease period.

The first thing you should do is to inspect the home or property carefully. Should you not know much about building, then you should get a friend, or the friend of a friend, to look at the home for you. You want a record of what doesn’t work, and what shape things are in. It’s easy in this digital age to take pictures. So, why not get a camera, or even your cellular telephone, and take pictures of the whole place. In that way once the lease is up and you are in a position to move, you can actually show the owner that you weren’t the cause of the dent in the side of the stove.

Yet another thing you need to be conscious of is the number and thickness of common walls. Common walls are the ones that separate you from the other tenants in the building. The more common walls you’ve got, the easier it will be to hear the people or gals next door. Common walls are usually thinner and transmit more sound in older buildings, so be especially aware of that.

Be sure you understand how the amenities of the home are used. If it is a quadruplex, for instance, make sure that you know who has got the rights to the garage, if any, and the yard. Also, exactly what is the deal with the laundry? If this is a more recent, more costly building, then how about the gym and concierge services? Will they come included, or do you’ve got to pay more?

Always you should definitely can shoulder the rent! The hardest situation is to discover a great place and then arrive at hate it in a few months since the rent is killing you. One common percentage is no more than 30% of your take home pay. That’s your cash after taxes. If the rent is a touch too steep, ask the landlord if they’ll lower it, particularly if you take on some of the responsibilities around the property-say, mowing the yard, cleaning up, doing repair work, showing the area to prospective tenants, etc.

Lee Cole has been involved in the real estate business for over twenty years, in both sales and rentals. You can find out more about Gwinnett property management and Duluth homes for rent through these web pages.

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