In the world of media and television shows Do-It-Yourself home repairs, maintenance and renovations is a hot topic. Many home owners are choosing to undertake this style work themselves instead of engaging professionals.

However, the reality in the world of managing investment properties is a completely different scenario. When owning an investment property, property investors and managing agents have a duty of care to the tenant to ensure that all repairs, maintenance and renovations are undertaken by a professional, licensed and insured tradesperson.

This year we will see some major changes introduced to tenancy law. @home will certainly have a say as representatives of our clients and we encourage you to do the same. If you own an investment property in Tasmania, it is in your interest to read and have an understanding of the changes and how they will impact on you as a property investor. Below is the brief forwarded to our office as an interested party.

We are looking for the best to join our team and our search starts here, we will look as long as it takes to find you because we know you are out there!

Is this you?

You are looking for a career not a job, you want to be challenged, you want the opportunity to advance and be recognised, and you have a desire to provide exceptional customer service.

You have excellent time management and computer skills, a welcoming manner and most importantly, you work well in a team environment.

You know the importance of the responsibility and trust placed in you to manage your client’s most valuable assets.

You wish you could wake up every morning excited to go to work.

The Grass is Greener!

Are you working in an environment where you are not appreciated, not heard, overloaded with tasks and expected to perform under extreme pressure?

Do you spend most of your days putting out fires and dealing with complaints?

Do you take your work home with you or find you are still at work late at night or on weekends?

Do you look at the pile of paperwork in front of you and feel overwhelmed?

From all of the team @home we would like to wish all of our clients, customers, contractors and friends a fabulous Christmas and new year. We hope that you will take some time out with your family and friends and relax ready for the exciting new year ahead.

Setting your New Year’s Resolutions

Many prospective investors often overlook one of the key aspects of research when purchasing a property, which is to ask their property manager what they should consider when looking to purchase a good investment property.

When purchasing an investment property you need to ask yourself “If I was a tenant what would influence my decision to rent a property and call it home?”

As we enter into the warmer months of the year we find that the lawns and gardens of our rental properties will start to grow much faster than the winter months.

If you have your lawns and/or gardens maintained on a regular basis (as an inclusion of your tenancy agreement) then you/we may need to consider advising the lawn maintenance person to attend the property at more regular intervals (i.e. once a month to once a fortnight).

Like many products or services, Management fees as a percentage can be a poor indicator of actual cost.

The first question many property investors ask is "what is your management fee?" The second question, “how much rent can you achieve?”

The most important aspect to consider when trying to achieve the ‘best deal’ is to understand the long term effects rather that the short term costs. You should also look out for hidden costs that will often be the difference in percentages from one organisation to another.

Do you have an investment property in the Launceston area? Or do you know of an investor that requires a professional property management service? If so, please do not overlook Launceston's most experienced Property Managers.

Our office is currently running at 98.5% occupancy and we have a huge list of waiting tenants on our register that want to rent a home through an agency that provides exceptional service...that's us!