5 Home Improvements You Should Always Outsource

by | May 12, 2021 | Blog

All landlords are constantly looking for creative ways to increase their cash flow at the end of each month. Increased cash flow means more money to allocate somewhere else. As great as saving money is, you need to know where to draw the line.

There is a handful of activities that a landlord in Baltimore can do such as mowing the lawn, painting, or repairing a clogged toilet. However, once you get into specific niche repairs you open up a can of worms with the potential of costing more than expected. Even if you are handy it’s still risky!!! What typically happens is that you’re only putting a band-aid instead of fixing the real problem. You usually end up paying more for someone to fix any work you did. Saving money is great but you need to know the limits. Here are five property tasks you are better off outsourcing.

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Electrical

As a rule of thumb, you shouldn’t attempt to do anything that could potentially burn your property down. There is no such thing as minor electrical work. One false step can cause real potential problems. Even if you have some background working with electrical it doesn’t make you an expert. The cost of hiring a licensed electrician is worth every penny knowing you don’t have to worry about the property at night. There are plenty of things with the property you can do to save money and cut corners, but electrical items shouldn’t be one of them.
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Roofing

Know the difference between cleaning the gutters and repairing some shingles on the roof. Admittedly, it can be a pain in the fall to clean the gutters but that’s a relatively simple process. Once you start talking about fixing the roof this means carrying heavy bags on shingles on the ladder and then perform whatever task needs to be done. Keep in mind that any inspector or potential home buyer will notice shoddy work with the roof. If they see sloppy or unprofessional work on the roof it leads them to think that other things inside the house have been fixed that way. The bottom line is for you to hire a professional roofer to take care of your property.
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Chimney Cleaning

A fireplace is a great amenity in any property and will attract some tenants. Like many other things in a rental property, your tenant will not take care of things the same way you would. This isn’t to say they will trash the fireplace, but you can’t expect them to treat it like you! Every winter, professional cleaning is needed, it’s more than vacuuming up the remnants of soot and debris. Remember that every fire leaves particles and even chemicals that attach to the flue. It’s hard to gauge just how clogged and dirty it may be. You don’t want to have your tenants lighting fires unless you know the flue. So hire a professional to do the cleaning.
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Drywall

Can anyone repair a patch or hole in a wall? Probably but it doesn’t mean it will look good. There is a definite skill in repairing nicks in the wall to look smooth and clean. A blemish in the living room wall will stick out like a sore thumb. Patching or repairing a wall can create quite a mess with the debris and dust that spreads all over. You will be shocked at just how time-consuming this drywalling job takes. Outsource it to the pro, it will save you time and energy!
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Plumbing/Sewer

Unclogging a toilet is something every landlord can do and that’s a minor plumbing job. However, you need to know where to draw the line so you don’t create bigger, more expensive problems. A slow drip in a sink or a running toilet can add hundreds to the water bill so it requires proper attention. If there are pipes that need to be cut or fixed in the house this is an automatic call to a plumber. Even if it is just a patch job, you don’t want to do it wrong and get a call from your tenant in the middle of the night telling you the basement is flooding.

As a landlord, there are some items that you should expect to pay for. Know what you can do and understand when it’s important to pay to have things done right.

Having a low maintenance property is important for the stability of your investment. Ideally those repairs or improvements need to be done when the house is vacant so tenants are not disturb and work can be done faster. Thus it’s important for you to know What to Fix to Have a Great Rental.

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