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Tag: Helpful Tips & Tricks

Winter Checklist for Landlords

Posted on by Stephanie Aviles

For Philly landlords, winter is more than hot chocolate and mistletoe. It’s making sure your properties are protected against seasonal events that can damage property, harm tenants or cause expensive repairs if not addressed before freezing temperatures occur. We invite you to use the below guideline to prepare your rental properties for whatever winter brings.

Yardwork

Clear all sidewalks, stairs, and yards of fallen leaves. When wet, autumn leaves turn into slippery surfaces which may cause serious falls for tenants, as well as to pedestrians, for which you are legally responsible. Even if there is only one tree on your property, wind and ice can bring down dead limbs, damaging roofs, cars, power lines, and anyone who happens to be there at the time. If you aren’t sure of the stability of the tree, call in an arborist for a consultation. Trees located too close to buildings can also provide access to your attic for squirrels and raccoons. 

Gutters

Nat King Cole’s version of “Autumn Leaves” is swoon-worthy. But there is nothing romantic about clogged gutters. They need to be cleaned twice a year and now, when they are stopped up with leaves, is an important time. While you are up on that ladder, repair damaged gutters, detached downspouts, as well as any roof issues you spot.

Exterior and Foundation Inspection

Check the foundation, patio, walkways, and entry points to ensure they are free from leaks, cracking, or damage. Winter’s colder temperatures attract rodents looking for shelter indoors. They can cause a great deal of damage destroying wiring, harboring diseases, and chewing through drywall. Seal up any exterior points of entry before rodents take up residence.

Winterize Outdoor Hookups

Outside garden hoses and spigots can freeze and break. Detach hose connections and drain all liquid before storing hoses for the winter. Then, turn off the outside water supply and bleed the lines to ensure no water remains that could freeze and rupture the fixture or pipe.

Chimney Cleaning

If the property has a fireplace, hire a professional chimney sweep to inspect and clean chimneys and vents. This helps prevent chimney fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. Review fireplace safety with tenants to avoid smoke-filled units, false fire alarms, and related problems.

Prepare for Snow Removal

If your rental property lease doesn’t require tenants to be responsible for snow removal, hire a snow removal service to avoid financial liability for a tenant, pedestrian, or mailman falling on an icy patch of pavement.

Check for Cracks

Windows and doors can leak cold air into your rental property. Do not depend on tenants to seal off these air leaks. Visit the property when temperatures drop and check yourself. Attics, crawl spaces, and open areas can also cause warm air to be lost if there is insufficient insulation. 

Winterize Pipes

Frozen pipes are a costly repair. Signs that pipes are frozen include a lack of running water, odd smells, and the accumulation of frost on the exterior of the pipes. Installing adequate pipe insulation and help prevent frozen pipes.

Service HVAC Systems

Having working heat during the winter months is a basic right to tenants and the system needs to function properly to prevent an emergency. Consider a service contract with a reputable maintenance specialist to ensure your systems are running smoothly all year long. We recommend a bi-yearly HVAC inspection to look for any new tears or breaches, deterioration, insulation falling off, or ductwork falling. At Solo, we typically schedule our inspections in the spring and fall, right before winter hits.

The furnace filter should be changed at the start of winter and then again in spring. This is just a simple matter of following the furnace operating manual to find the appropriate filter type, size, and rating, then determining the filter’s location in the furnace, and swapping it out.

A dirty or clogged filter not only hinders your indoor air quality but makes your furnace work harder, costing you money. It also shortens the life of your furnace. Make sure you Clear the area around your furnace so it will run more efficiently. This allows for enough air to be used for the combustion of the heating element as well as safe and smooth operation. 

Change Thermostat Batteries

Fresh batteries in the thermostat ensure your tenants won’t wake up freezing some cold winter morning. And the furnace won’t need to work that much harder to restore a comfortable temperature. Tenants are typically responsible for replacing batteries on thermostats that are beeping during their tenancy but be sure to check them during move-out walkthroughs and replace them as needed.

Reverse Ceiling Fans

Warm air rises. So, if possible, reverse the property’s ceiling fans or reach out to your tenants and remind them to. This forces warm air back down into living spaces to help regulate the temperature more efficiently. Especially if the home has vaulted or high ceilings, tenants will appreciate the added heating savings.

Check Your Detectors

Checking and testing smoke and carbon monoxide alarms is critical to the tenant’s safety and the protection of your property. If you do not have the correct amount or proper devices, now is the time to correct it. At a minimum, each floor needs to have an alarm but check with your local code guidelines to ensure compliance. Also, check with tenants to see if they have removed alarms that were going off too often due to everyday cooking.

Should You Consider Property Management Services?

The ongoing property maintenance of a rental can be a lot to manage however it’s key to protecting your investment. With over seventy years of experience, a strong network of resources, and a hands-on approach to property management, Solo can help you manage your rental property effectively. We know that no property or owner is the same so we custom tailor our services to your needs. Contact us to learn more.

5 Things To Consider When You Decide To Reappraise

Posted on by Solo Team

Featured image: Mint colored Rowhome in Philadelphia. Image: Cara Stapleton for Solo Real Estate

When it’s time to sell your house or refinance your mortgage, reappraisal should be on your radar. Just because your bank appraised the house when you bought it doesn’t mean its value is the same — throughout your ownership, many things could have happened to increase (or decrease) what it’s worth to lenders and potential buyers. The purpose of a reappraisal is to determine a fair market value. If you’re looking to sell or switch to a different interest rate, you’ll probably need to reappraise. Here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Sentimental Value Isn’t Value to Your Bank

Potential buyers might have a little patience for your insistence that your home has sentimental value — as a buyer, it can be nice to see that a home’s current owner has formed a strong bond with it. But an appraiser will not be impressed by your starry-eyed remembrances of beautiful Thanksgiving dinners or that time Uncle Ralph got stuck in the chimney. So keep the nostalgia to a minimum when the appraiser is in your house.

2. Appraisal Prices are Based on Recent Sales

Think of it from a bank’s perspective. If you were lending money for a home sale, wouldn’t you be more comfortable knowing how much you could sell it for now? Appraisals are based heavily on recent sale prices for homes in your area. Every neighborhood is a market, and though every home within that neighborhood has value, what’s important is the value of the homes that have sold recently.

3. You Get What You Give

That being said, your home’s value isn’t dependent on recent sales in your area, particularly if you’ve made improvements while owning it. Major improvements to your home — a newly remodeled kitchen, a finished basement, a new roof — can often increase its value, especially if those improvements are unusual for the neighborhood. Don’t embark on an ambitious project the day before the appraisal arrives, but if you’ve completed major work, let your appraiser know.

4. You’re a Great Resource

Before your appraiser arrives, do your research. Compile a list of recent home sale prices in your area. Note any similarities or differences your home has that could raise its value. Make a list of all improvements you’ve made since moving in, and include the cost to you. Do some research about your school district: Good schools can make an enormous difference in an appraisal.

And when the appraiser visits, don’t hesitate to share what you know. If you installed a new roof, tell the appraiser. If you installed solar energy panels on the roof, make sure he sees them. Let the appraiser know that you’ve done your research — and have put a lot of sweat equity into your house.

Image: Cara Stapleton for Solo Real Estate.
Philadelphia rowhomes with colorful shutters and planter boxes. image: Cara Stapleton for Solo Real Estate.

5. First Impressions Matter

All the home improvements in the world won’t matter if your home looks like a wreck. Prepare for an appraiser’s arrival how you would for a potential buyer: mop the floors and ensure everything is neat. Remember, too, that part of an appraiser’s job is to verify the fundamentals of your home: how many rooms there are, how many closets, etc. That means he or she will be going into places you might not usually show a guest. Ensure you can enter your walk-in closet without tripping over a pile of clothes. Clean your basement to ensure your appraiser doesn’t get a mouth full of cobwebs when they examine it. The last thing you want is for your appraiser to leave with a bad taste in his or her mouth.

Curious to know what your home is currently worth? Drop us a line and we’ll be in touch right away!

Sam Radbil is a contributing member of the marketing and communications team at ABODO, an online apartment marketplace. ABODO was founded in 2013 in Madison, Wisconsin, and now has apartment search engines for cities across the country including ABODO Philadelphia apartments. 

How-To: Recycling in Philly

Posted on by Solo Team

One aspect of sustainable urban living in Philadelphia that we try to highlight is recycling. Not only is recycling a fairly simple process, not much different than throwing out your garbage, but it can also help us reduce our environmental footprint.

The city has supplied recycling bins to residents since 1993. While the program has grown immensely in the past two decades, the supply of bins does not always meet resident demands. To help you navigate the world of recycling in Philadelphia, we’ve assembled a how-to guide for getting your bin and what you can and can’t recycle.

Getting A Recycling Bin

  1. City-Issued Recycling Bins – The first avenue to explore when trying to procure a recycling bin is your nearest sanitation center. There you can get your bin which comes free with proof of Philadelphia city residency. There is a great article over on Billy Penn with tips on getting your recycling bin this way, a list of the Sanitation Centers so you can find the one closest to you, and accompanying phone numbers.It is recommended that you call the Sanitation Center before making the trek over there because, while 40,0000-60,000 bins are given out by the city each year, it is still difficult to keep up with demand, and many centers run out frequently.
  2. DIY Recycling Bins – For this route to recycling it is recommended that you label “Recycling” clearly on the bin or that you grab a city-issued recycling sticker for the container.If you aren’t able to procure an official bin, either because they’ve run out or you’re unable to get to one of the Sanitation Centers, you will be glad to find out that any bin up to 32 gallons is permissible for use as a recycling bin.
  3. Temporary Recycling Bins – A good holdover until you’re able to either get an official city issued recycling bin or establish your own container is putting your recycling out in paper bags. In some neighborhoods this is an acceptable method, although there is no guarantee that your recycling will always be picked up this way. This method should only be used as a temporary option, however, because it does come with a whole host of problems. These issues are particularly apparent in the winter or other bad weather conditions where bags are compromised and recycling is scattered through the streets.
  4. Alternative Recycling Bin Distributors – Many offshoot organizations also distribute recycling bins locally. A few of the groups are community development corporations and neighborhood associations. If you’re having trouble getting your hands on a bin, we recommend checking in with your local neighborhood association or CDC to see if they can help you out.
  5. Solo Real Estate Bins – We at Solo Real Estate are always looking for new ways that we can help create a more sustainable Philadelphia. With all of our projects and endeavors we strive to hold ourselves to the highest standard of sustainable practices. In light of our eco-friendly goals, we have our own program for doling out recycling bins. We provide these bins for our clients, tenants, and neighbors. To get a bin for your household you can check out our stock at Greensgrow in Fishtown, the Kensington Food Co-Op, neighborhood associations throughout the city, or even stop by our office at 2017 Chancellor Street near Rittenhouse Square to pick one up.  

Philadelphia Recycling Dos & Don’ts


The good news is, now that you’ve got your very own recycling bin, the hard part is behind you because in Philadelphia recycling is about as easy as disposing of your usual garbage –  something that we all have to do.

Philadelphia has a single-stream recycling system which is great because it means the days of sorting different materials and numbers of plastics are in the past. There are, however, still some do’s and don’ts of single-stream recycling.

Some major items found in most households that fall under the don’t recycle category include light bulbs, paper products like tissue, paper towels, napkins, and anything wax-coated. Another big one that people often overlook are food-soiled goods such as cardboard boxes and aluminum foil. Sorry folks, but those greasy pizza boxes are destined for the trash can. Some common plastics found in the home that are not recyclable are plastic bags, packing peanuts, and Styrofoam.

Green Philly also has a great guide of the do’s and don’ts of recycling on their blog.

 

Living Large in a Small Space

Posted on by Solo Team

As fall starts, Philadelphia will once again fill up with new students and young professionals moving into small starter apartments. In this post, organizing expert Lydia Martin gives five great tips on how to organize small spaces for maximum effect.

Reduce

In a small apartment, less stuff means less mess. Take inventory of what you own, setting aside what you really use and love, and then trim the fat. Remember the mantra “If it’s not beautiful or useful, get rid of it.”

Store

As you attempt to reduce, you’ll find items that you don’t use every day, but that you’re not ready to part with yet. Sentimental items, in particular, will fit this category. Maximize your space by moving these items into deep storage. A basement, attic, or self-storage unit will happily hold what your apartment can’t fit.

Digitize

Your media is best stored (not to mention searched for and shared) in a digital format. Scan the physical papers and photos lying around your space. Request only digital statements from your bank and unsubscribe from printed catalogs. Soon, your paper piles will disappear. However, remember to always back up to an external hard drive or an online program to ensure that your files are safe.

Prioritize

Living in a small apartment can lead to some difficult choices about what’s really essential. You might have to decide between a workspace or a dining space, for instance. Or between your favorite chair and your favorite bookcase. Just remember that your home will be better and more functional when it reflects your current needs and priorities.

Maintain

After working hard to reorganize your small space, you may forget that the most important work is yet to come. Maintaining your new system is key! Take a few minutes every day to assess your space, reduce the excess, and rearrange as you see fit. Tiny living is well worth it.

For more tips on organizing and small-space living, visit www.lydiamartinorganizing.com.