Real Estate Information

Rental Properties: 10 Ways To Increase Income


What if you want better cash flow from your rental properties? You can't just raise the rents arbitrarily. If tenants leave, income goes down, not up. There are other ways, though, including the ones listed below.

1. Install coin-operated washing machines. Even if you don't have the money to do this yourself, you can find a company that will do it for you, and share the income with you.

2. Rent extra parking space. When I got tired of a renter's extra car, I just started charging a weekly fee. Then I didn't mind so much.

3. Raise the rent. Okay, we did dismiss ARBITRARY rent hikes as a cash-flow solution, but check on the rates for similar units. Are you renting at below-market rates?

4. Rent storage sheds. Especially if your apartments are small, your renters may need a place to store their things. Don't let them spend their money elsewhere. Put a few sheds on the property.

5. Enforce late fees. It is perfectly fair to have a fee for late payment of rent, and guess what? Those who are chronically late usually don't even mind - they just don't look at these things the same way as others.

6. Offer improvements for rent increases. If it's worth $25 more monthly rent to a tenant, install that dishwasher. Even on a credit card you'll pay less than that per month for it.

7. Install vending machines. If your rental properties are large enough, others will do this for you for free, and give you a share of the income.

8. Rent by the room. A four-bedroom house might make more money if you include all the utilities and rent by the bedroom. This has made a lot of fortunes for investors in college towns. It does mean a lot of management, however.

9. Rent-to-own sale. Usually there's a non-refundable deposit, and higher than market rents in these deals. When renters change their minds, as they often do, you got the deposit and better cash flow. This is great when poor cash flow makes you want to sell. You either sell or get the better cash flow as you repeat the process.

10. Reduce expenses. Every dollar of expense you cut goes straight to the bottom line. List every expense of your rental properties, and look at them one at a time. How can you reduce them?

Steve Gillman has invested real estate for years. To learn more, and to see a photo of a beautiful house he and his wife bought for $17,500, visit http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com


MORE RESOURCES:

Sydney Morning Herald

Real estate power broker dead of apparent suicide
CNN International - 1 hour ago
Steven L. Good was found dead of an apparent gunshot wound in his car Monday CHICAGO, Illinois (CNN) -- One of Chicago's most well-known real estate moguls ...
Real-Estate Executive Found Dead in Apparent Suicide Wall Street Journal
Chicago real estate executive kills himself, police say Chicago Tribune
Real estate tycoon found dead Straits Times
Chicago Sun-Times - WBBM780
all 43 news articles


New York Times

Tough '09 Is Seen for Commercial Real Estate
Washington Post, United States - Jan 5, 2009
By Dana Hedgpeth This year will be among the worst for the US commercial real estate industry, as unemployment leads to a drop of as much as 30 percent in ...
Commercial Real Estate Miami Daily Business Review
Commercial real-estate market faces worsening slump San Bernardino Sun
Debate over a commercial real estate bailout Journal Record (subscription)
NASDAQ - New York Times
all 95 news articles


Real Estate Channel

Real estate activity rebounded in Nov.
Bizjournals.com, NC - 2 hours ago
Philadelphia-area real estate activity in November rebounded from a low point during the height of the global financial crisis in October, but was still 23 ...
Bailing out the real estate market Boston Globe
Pending home sales plunge to record low in Nov. BusinessWeek
Pending home sales rose in November in Philadelphia area Philadelphia Inquirer
Dividend.com - istockAnalyst.com (press release)
all 650 news articles


Boston-area commercial real estate sales plunge
Boston Globe, United States - 13 hours ago
Now, real estate investors don't have data to guide them in pricing properties in the soft economy, making it less likely that buyers will come forward out ...
Office vacancies rise south of Boston The Patriot Ledger
all 4 news articles


Entertainmentwise

Tom & Katie Are Not NYC's Next Real Estate Moguls
E! Online - 19 hours ago
Are Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes trying to give Donald Trump a run for his New York City real estate money? If a new report is to be believed, ...
Katie Holmes spends $14m in six months in New York Telegraph.co.uk
Katie Holmes: Final Week On Broadway! The Gossip Girls
all 114 news articles


New York Daily News

New York City neighborhoods with the best real estate bargains
New York Daily News, NY - 9 hours ago
Now the tides may be turning, according to a new real estate study by Streeteasy, a website that tracks real estate trends. The good news: there are a lot ...
Manhattan housing up in 4Q, but luxury market down BusinessWeek
Streeteasy study finds home sales in Manhattan drop 34% New York Daily News
all 40 news articles


Real Estate Channel

Real estate icon Hal Ellis dies
San Francisco Business Times, CA - 14 hours ago
A legend in the Bay Area real estate arena, longtime area developer Hal Ellis died today at 77. Ellis was chairman of Ellis Partners, a company he started ...
Report: Tough commercial real estate market will linger Bizjournals.com
For Commercial Real Estate: Let's Make a Deal CFO.com Magazine
Region's real estate markets will struggle this year: Grubb & Ellis Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce (subscription)
SYS-CON Brasil - The Oregonian - OregonLive.com
all 61 news articles


Overseas Property and Investment News

Striking Declines Seen in Manhattan Real Estate Market
New York Times, United States - Jan 5, 2009
By JOSH BARBANEL For those New Yorkers who wondered what the Manhattan real estate market might be like without the ever-rising bonuses of Wall Street’s ...
Manhattan's Sterling Real-Estate Market Begins to Tarnish Wall Street Journal
NYC real estate defies gravity - so far CNNMoney.com
More Confirmation Real Estate Market is Tanking Gothamist
AHN - Sun-Sentinel.com
all 102 news articles


PerezHilton.com

Shaquille O'Neal boxed in by drop in real estate values
Los Angeles Times, CA - 23 hours ago
As everybody knows, the real estate market has tanked since then and Shaq just relisted his Miami home with a dramatically reduced price of $25 million. ...
Shaq' home back on market Bizjournals.com
all 13 news articles


New York Times

International Real Estate For Sale in Mexico
New York Times, United States - 18 hours ago
Oceanfront homes on Cozumel start at about $1 million, said Nancy Edwards, a broker with Cozumel Living Real Estate; condominiums sell for around $500000. ...

Real-Estate - Google News

home | site map | Contact Us | Privacy policy | Disclaimer
Copyright © 2006 realestategainer.com - contact us:- info@realestategainer.com