Becoming a landlord is a major undertaking. Most people think it mainly involves owning and leasing rental property to others, you can expect to wear a different hat at every point of your career. Here are some of the major roles you can expect to play as a landlord

Your main responsibility as a landlord is to get your apartments rented. Although you can hire an agency to do the work, this could mean taking a percentage off your profit. Some agents can charge as much as 10 percent for a commission in exchange for finding the tenant and writing the lease.

If you want to avoid the added expense, you need to learn how to market your own rentals and play the role of a realtor. This involves setting appointments with prospective tenants and making yourself available for showings. You also need to sell your property’s best aspects and make it more desirable compared to other rental properties in the area.

The Detective

As a realtor, you may also shift to the role of detective especially when weeding out bad tenants.

Avoiding problematic tenants can save you from major headaches down the road. However, it takes time, resources and a bit of snooping around to find the right tenants. You will need to gather information by talking to their former landlords, employers or neighbors. Find out if they are prompt with their rent payments, if they are tidy, know how to follow agreements and if they were respectful neighbors.

You will also need to play detective when fixing maintenance problems. Whether it’s a roof leak or unexplained odors, you need to search for the root cause of the problem to fix it and avoid major repairs or expenses later on.

The Repairman

Fixing broken locks, leaky pipes and clogged toilets are part and parcel of owning any property. Thankfully, you don’t need extensive construction knowledge to fix some of the most common home repairs. All you need is a set of handy tools; like a lock picking set, a screwdriver and a wrench. With these tools you can fix broken doorknobs, tighten leaky pipes and get toilets running without paying extra for a repairman.

It’s a good idea to learn some of these basic home fixes since you will encounter them on a regular basis. There are tons of how-to videos online and even classes offered by hardware stores (mostly large national chains like Home Depot and Lowe's). Just make sure to know your limit as a repairman and always leave major repairs to professionals.

The Therapist

Finally, your tenants will sometimes confide in you about their personal problems. This is unavoidable especially when handling disputes. You will need to learn how to handle hysterics and calm down your tenant enough to work out a solution.

Keeping a cool head can sometimes be difficult, especially when you get a call at two in the morning to handle odd behavior or activities. Whether it’s due to drunkenness or mental health issues, playing the role of therapist or counselor is one of the most surprising and at times, fun, parts of the job.

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    Homesgofast com

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