Looking to Move into an Attached Home? Consider One of These 5 Types

Moving is said to be one of the most stressful events in a person’s life.  Because it’s so stressful, it’s important to do your homework before making any big decisions along the way.  Don’t let excitement or any other type of extreme emotion tempt you to rush through the process.  In order to help make this easier for you, I’m going to provide you with a list of five different attached homes for you to consider.  After reviewing this list, you should have a much better understanding of what will best meet your needs.

Before deciding which type of attached home you want, ask yourself, “What are my needs for a home?” If you are looking for something minimalistic and small, you may want a tiny home.  If you are looking for something elaborate, posh, and private, you may want a single family home.  If you are looking for something in between, you may want a condo.  In this article, however, I’m going to review just the five major different types of attached homes.  Regardless of your needs, there is something out there just for you that can make your living tastes come to life.

ATTACHED HOMES

These homes vary in style and use.  Attached homes usually come in the form of five different types of dwellings, which include the following:

Cooperative Homes: Cooperative homes, also known as co-ops, are used by people who possess shares in a business that owns the home.  This gives each of the unit-dwellers the right to live in a unit within the home.

Terraced Homes: A terraced home, also known as a row- or townhouse, are homes that are all a part of one long, continuous building that only has walls to separate each unit, not outdoor space.

Condos (Condominiums): Condos, which are akin to apartments and multi-family homes, are units within a building that residents have ownership of, not just units they are renting.  Condo setups can vary drastically depending on where the condo is located and what type of building the condo is in.

Multi-Family Homes: These types of dwellings are also similar to condos and apartments.  This is where someone rents a unit in a building that takes up an entire floor of the building.

Apartment Homes: Apartments are usually rented by residents and are housed in buildings that are specifically designated as apartment buildings.

Now that you’ve learned about attached homes, learn about semi-detached, detached, and portable homes here!

Do you want help with finding the right place for you? Reach out to me here!

What Home is Right for Me? Consider 1 of These 4 Types of Dwellings

Finding a new home can be overwhelming and stressful.  But, it doesn’t have to be that way! People often dive right into the ideas of where they want to live and what their home might look like before considering all of their options.  Never to fear, however.  I’ve provided four different types of homes you should consider before settling on any one specific type!

Attached Homes

Attached homes usually have multiple units and/or families in them.  Learn about each of the five major types of attached homes here.

Semi-Detached Homes

Semi-detached dwellings can usually be found in the form of a duplex (comprised of two units), triplex (comprised of three units), or quadraplex (comprised of four units).  Each one of these types of homes allows for people to either purchase or rent the units, while usually, people rent them.

Detached Homes

Single family detached homes are the main type of detached home.  They can range from mansions to small and almost portable homes.  Depending on the size of the home, the asking price vastly differentiates.  Sometimes, single family homes can be extraordinarily small, yet extraordinarily pricey.  Have you heard the common phrase, “Location, location, location?” You probably have heard that because that is usually what will draw and keep real estate agents’ customers with the agent and encourage the customers to purchase or rent a particular home.  The location is what will keep someone grounded in the process of finding a new home, and it usually is the tipping point for the customer between one home over another.

Portable Homes

The number of different types of portable homes are almost endless.  From mobile homes to tents, boat homes to tiny homes, each of these different types of homes offer unique, miniature amenities.

Mobile homes are usually the size of a trailer and are ranch-style, meaning that they are one story high.  They can be put on wheels and moved, but it is quite a hassle to do so.  Tents have ceilings, walls, and floors, but they are all made of some kind of fabric.  Boat homes usually float on water and can range from multi-millions of dollars all the way down to thousands of dollars.  Lastly, tiny homes are often built on trailers so that they can easily be moved.  They usually hook up to water and sewage lines in trailer parks, such as Kampgrounds of America (KOA), and moved anywhere you want, really.

Want help choosing the right home for you? Reach out to me here!

5 Ways to Add Value to Your Apartment Rentals

Adding value to your apartment homes will give you the opportunity to increase rent and show tenants you are available and willing to assist them with any need. There are numerous ways you could increase the value of your apartment homes. Here are five ways to do so.

1) Increase Rent 1-3% Annually

Make sure to stay on top of your competition. Research their amenities, apartments, and rents. You can even go for a tour of your competition’s apartments to see what they offer to their tenants. This will allow you to make educated assumptions of how much you can increase your rent. According to Blake Hilgemann of Time Magazine, “Make sure you know the rents in the area, researching sites such as Zillow, Rentometer, Craigslist, and the MLS if you have access. You may find there is plenty of room to increase your revenue a small amount each year (1%-3%) while remaining competitive.” With these tactics in mind, there are plenty of other ways you can increase the rent, as well, in such a way that will keep tenants with you instead of leave you for the apartment complex down the street.

2) Make Updates to Increase the Rent

Paint walls with neutral, earthy tones, and use accent walls to add a home-like feeling. These types of paints can add serious value to tenants. For new tenants, it will draw them in and will likely have them feeling at home just by entering the apartment. While with current tenants, it will show them that your are serious about increasing the value of their apartment homes. Replace aged appliances with new, stainless steel appliances. This adds a clean look that will add value to your tenants’ and future tenants’ apartments. This will likely have them willing to pay an increase on rent come the end of their annual lease agreement.

3) Add a Swimming Pool

Adding a pool to the property will pique potential tenants’ interests, as it is one of the first amenities tenants will want to check out.

Keeping a pool clean and chemically balanced is vitally important if you add a pool in your apartment community. Make sure to have it thoroughly cleaned weekly and have certain maintenance checks done daily, according to your pool guys’ recommendations.

4) Utilize Landscapers for Beautiful Curb Appeal

Keeping a landscape fresh and trimmed is an excellent way to add value to your apartment rental properties. Using a landscaper to do this for you will keep you in the seat of managing the property instead of doing it yourself and possibly wasting your time. This can be a great investment to draw in your audience.

5) Take Safety Precautions

Switch out utility equipment indoors and outdoors for increased safety. Keep outdoor lighting fresh and bright to light up the areas in which they touch. Lighting streets significantly reduces crime. Keep them on timers so that they come on right when it is getting dark. Make sure to change the timers with daylight savings times! Replace the bulbs with eco-friendly, energy-efficient bulbs to reduce costs.

Use bulbs that are around 2000-3000 kelvin to provide light that looks warmer and cozier for areas such as living rooms and bedrooms. Use bulbs that are between 3100-4500 kelvin for bathrooms to help wake tenants up in the morning and for work areas, such as basements. Use bulbs that are 4600 kelvin and above for security lighting outside and garages.

Hire a night guard to show tenants you take safety seriously. Wall in the community and install gates to enter and exit the community. You can event hire someone to screen incoming automobiles at the entrances of apartment communities for added security. These all help increase the safety and security in and around apartment communities.

These are all ways you can increase the value of your apartment rental properties and your profit at the same time. What ways have you increased your rental properties’ values? What are some ideas you would share with others? Tweet me @WDarrowFiedler with any questions or thoughts!

This blog was originally posted here.