Apartment Rental & Home Buying Tips

Moving to Boston?

Boston is a beautiful city if your moving there Prop2GO wanted to give you a little bit of a reason why it is worth living there and the best way to go about finding a home, enjoy!

Boston became a city in 1822 and ever since becoming one of America’s oldest cities it has given a great amount of social history and is a must see for everyone. Whether it be to take in some history on the city or see Fenway Park or Cheers Pub Boston is a great city to live in. As a region Boston has nearly 600,000 residents and holds some of the best impatient hospitals, numerous cultural and professional sport organizations.

If you are moving to Boston, what better way to find a place to live in Boston Apartments then through Prop2GO. Boston Apartments for rent carry a charm that most cities don’t have with its historic feel throughout. Move to Boston today to see what everyone is talking about.

When you go to Prop2GO you will find a large amount of residential and commercial property for sale lease and rent in the Boston area. Prop2GO offers the residents of Boston a software solution to finding suitable living easily. Prop2GO is the name to know!

Prop2GO Hit the States this week!

Well it happened! Prop2GO is now in states and we are proud about it! You can find apartments available in all of the major regions of the United States. Currently we already have 100′s of listings on our site and we can’t wait to get 1000′s! We will be adding more cities to the United States but as of right now you can view property in the follow areas:

Apartments Denver
Apartments Boston
Apartments Austin
Apartments Chicago
Apartments Cleveland
Apartments Dallas
Apartments Detroit
Apartments Honolulu
Apartments Houston
Apartments Kansas City
Apartments Las Vegas
Apartments Los Angeles
Apartments Miami
Apartments Minneapolis
Apartments Nashville
Apartments New York
Apartments Orange County
Apartments Philadelphia
Apartments Phoenix
Apartments Portland
Apartments Raleigh
Apartments Sacramento
Apartments San Diego
Apartments Seattle
Apartments Seattle
Apartments SF Bay
Apartments Tampa Bay
Apartments Washington

Until Next Time!

Affordable Housing programs in Nova Scotia

We recently had a person come to us asking if we had any information on affordable housing in Nova Scotia and what is available. I did some research and wanted to post this information that I found on the Nova Scotia government site, it just gives a short intro of what is available and also a bunch of links that can help you in getting funding to take advantage of these programs. Enjoy!

The provincial government offers a number of programs to help lower income households maintain, acquire or rent safe, adequate and affordable housing. We also have grants and loans for home repairs and additions, as well as mortgage funds to purchase or build modest houses.

Our programs will be of interest to low-income households, seniors and persons with disabilities.
Programs and resources

* Affordable Housing Projects
Between 2002 and 2012 Nova Scotia and its partners will be investing over $196 million dollars in affordable housing.
* Help for people who want to rent affordable housing
Programs to provide safe, adequate, and affordable rental accommodations for families and seniors on fixed or low incomes.
* Programs for Homeowners
Programs to help lower income households maintain, acquire or rent safe, adequate and affordable housing.
* Housing Programs for Senior Homeowners
Programs to help seniors stay in their homes.
* Housing Programs for Persons with Disabilities
Programs for low-income persons with disabilities.
* Programs for Landlords
Programs to help landlords offer safe, adequate and affordable housing for lower income households.
* Programs for Developers of Affordable Housing
Programs to promote the development of affordable housing for people with low to moderate incomes.
* Shelter Enhancement Program
This program supports shelters for women, children and youth who are victims of family violence.
* Off-Reserve Aboriginal Housing Trust Fund Programs
These funds are being delivered through various Aboriginal off-reserve groups.

What do you want to see?

We at Prop2GO are always looking to improve the site and the service. We take pride in how much time and effort we put into the software and site and want to make sure our users are just as happy with it as we are. So why not go right to the source and ask you! What do you want to see in Prop2GO? If you have any idea’s or concerns about the site we want to hear them! We want to make sure you get the easiest and best use out of the site and we want it to be at its full potential. SO don’t hold back lets hear them. We want to know what YOU think!

As always we have lots of new properties on the site and we want to make sure you are aware of it. We have had A LOT of property added in our Apartments Toronto section, Apartments Vancouver section, Apartments Winnipeg section, Apartments Edmonton section, and Apartments Calgary section. Until next time!

Rent Your House: Tenant Screening, Landlord Laws, and More

I found this article on MSN it was written by Grace Bloodwell. Here she explains how there are benefits to renting your home and what they are and the steps to take in order to have a successful rent. And make sure your not stuck with problems when the tenants leave but money! I will be posting articles like this regularly to help our Prop2GO users gain some tips and tricks around property rental, leasing, buying and selling. Enjoy the article and until next time!

Do you have investment property that you’d like to rent? Or are you traveling and need to rent your house while you’re on the road? Whatever the reason, renting your home for part of the year, or for a longer period of time, generates great income. Because you are renting your home, as opposed to a property specifically designed for renting, you will want to be more careful with the terms you set in the lease.

It’s a good idea to start by checking out the rental agreements and other forms available at formsgateway.com - these forms are a great starting point for anyone who wants to rent property of any type, and can be easily modified for any situation.

Here are the steps I recommend if you getting ready to rent your house:

1. Consider hiring a rental agent. A rental agent will take down the information pertinent to your house, advertise the listing, review any potential tenants that submit an application and present them to you. The rental agent will likely charge a fee, ranging from a half-month to a full-month fee for this service. A half-month fee represents one-half of one month’s rent, while a full fee equals one month’s rent. When and if your rental agent secures a suitable tenant, this amount will be deducted from the amount you receive from the tenant at the signing of the lease. Agencies usually choose one of three options: charging only the landlord a full-month fee, charging only the tenant a full-month fee, or splitting the fee between the two (two half-month fees). Make sure you are clear on the fee structure before you sign any contracts or make any agreements. If you decide against a rental agent, you may want to invest in property
   

   management software, which should include free rental forms,  to help you stay organized.

2. Tenant screening: credit, employment, landlord verifications. If you have a rental agent, she will perform a credit check, call past references and verify employment and wages as part of the tenant screening process. After the review is complete, she will present her results to you and, based on that information, you can choose to accept or deny the applicants. If you do not have a rental agent, you can follow these tenant screening
   

   steps yourself, but you will need an agency to perform the credit check. Pay careful attention to the rental applicant’s credit and employment history. If the potential tenant has poor credit or is not making enough to afford rent comfortably, you should consider finding a different tenant. If the rental applicant’s past landlord (not present) gives a poor recommendation, think twice.

1. Length of lease. Once you have decided on an rental applicant, determine the duration of the lease. After signing the lease, it is difficult to terminate the contract.
2. Furnished or un-furnished. Decide whether you want to let the tenant use your furniture or if the apartment will be delivered vacant.
3. Pets or no-pets. If you do not want pets in your home, make sure to include that information in the lease. If, on the other hand, you have a clause in the house rental agreement allowing pets, make sure you put a limit on the number and kinds of pets.
4. Deposit, deposit, deposit. If your tenant has questionable credit, has a pet or is using your furniture, make sure to ask for a hefty deposit. Even if the tenant has perfect credit, gainful employment, is a non-smoker and has no pets, you will want to take a deposit. If the tenant can pay first month, last month and security, you are smart to take it.
5. Inform your neighbors. If you are renting out a home that has been your long-term residence, be sure to inform your neighbors. Regardless of the length of the lease, neighbors may get confused when they see strangers using your garage, so send a letter or make a house call to prevent any problems.

How to find a good Investment Property?

While find a spot to live a person always has in the back in their mind is this going to be a good investment? Is this something I can make a profit off of? Can I maybe rent some of the property to someone? I found this article on MSN.com it is written by Liz Weston. She discusses the importance of finding a good investment, the importance of not overpaying, and also how to get the most of your property with getting a potential rental income.  Enjoy.

The idea of owning rental real estate seems to be gaining popularity as investors tire of the swoops and swoons of the stock market. As I pointed out in a separate column, not everyone has what it takes to be a landlord. But those who do may find rentals to be a good way to build wealth.

Once you’ve made the decision to buy rental property, your real work begins. Finding a profitable rental property usually takes time, connections and plenty of research.

Here’s what you need to know to get started:

Know your time horizon

As with any other investment, you should have a good idea how long you plan to own a rental property before you buy it, says Robert Cain, publisher of the Rental Property Reporter newsletter.

The longer you plan to own the property, the more you’ll probably need to invest in maintenance, repairs and improvements, Cain said.

“If you’re keeping it for 20 years, at some point you’re going to be putting a new roof on that property. You’re going to be putting in new appliances and doing some major repairs,” Cain said. If you’re only planning to own a property for five years, by contrast, you’ll probably want to avoid making any major improvements unless you’re sure you can recoup the cost with a higher sale price.

You also may face more investment risk with a shorter time horizon. Although your rental will almost certainly appreciate over 20 years, it could easily lose value in the next five, particularly if you’re buying in an overheated market. You’ll need a bigger potential annual return to make up for that risk.

For many small investors, long-term ownership makes the most sense, said Pat Callahan, an attorney, landlord and founder of the American Association of Small Property Owners. You’ll have plenty of time to ride out any swings in the market, and rental income can make a nice supplement to your day job. Find enough rental properties, and being a landlord may become your day job.

Develop a network

Experienced landlords find their properties in a variety of ways. Some hunt for foreclosures, making friends with city hall clerks or bank employees who know which properties are about to be sold. Some run ads in local newspapers. Others work with real estate agents who keep their eyes peeled for possible buys.

Several landlords recommended joining a local landlord or property owner’s association to make contacts. Callahan’s Web site offers links to local groups, as does the National Real Estate Investors Association.

“When you begin to own rentals, all the other investors start coming out of the woodwork,” said Sean Hoppe, a landlord in Pottsville, Pa., who owns 11 properties. “Through investor meetings, networking, etc., I can find out what is for sale.”

You also can try approaching landlords directly to see if they’re willing to sell, by calling the numbers listed on rental ads in the classifieds, by cruising neighborhoods looking for “for rent” signs or by talking to any landlords you know personally.

That’s how Bob, who asked that his last name not be used, bought his rental property near Albany, N.Y. The landlord of the three-unit building where Bob had rented for 15 years was tired of the hassles and ready to sell.

“We love (the area) and jumped at the chance to buy it,” Bob said.

So far, Bob and his wife have been pleased with their purchase. They raised rents and required security deposits, which caused the property’s less desirable tenants to leave. He also has a backup plan for the building in case he starts to feel like the prior owner.

“If being a landlord got to be too big a hassle,” Bob said, “we would just get rid of the tenants and make it our own place.”

Get your finances in shape

The better your credit, and the less credit card and other consumer debt you have, the better your prospects for getting a decent loan, Callahan said. Lenders usually require bigger down payments, higher interest rates and generally stronger finances when you’re buying rental property. That’s because they know people are more likely to default on investment property than they are on their own homes.

Landlords say it also pays to have a substantial cash reserve left over after buying a property.

Buying a home

So your on Prop2go and you just found a home that you would like to purchase here’s an article I found that discusses different ways of getting creative to get the cash needed to buy the house. Enjoy its a good read!

By MP Dunleavey

So you want to buy a place of your own but can’t figure out how to pull together the necessary cash and financing? If you’re willing to think creatively, there are several offbeat ways to buy your first home.

The fixer upgrade

When you can’t afford what you want, look for what you can afford and use it as a steppingstone.

Case in point: Jamie Carroll and her husband bought an $80,000 two-family house several years ago. They renovated, sold it and invested in a $200,000 two-family place in a nicer town. In a few years, they’ll repeat that process and buy their dream house in the woods of Massachusetts.

Their first house was far from ideal, but the down payment was only $5,000, and the rental income allowed them to pay for repairs without incurring more debt. After the sale, they walked away with more than $30,000. Ditto in their new home, but the rental income is higher, so they’ll save more toward their next purchase — enough so that they can buy the new house and keep the rental property as an investment.

Pros: There are plenty of lower-priced houses out there in need of repair, and the income from a tenant can help both with repair costs and mortgage payments.

Cons: This method isn’t for the impatient or the status conscious. To save money, the couple did many repairs themselves, and it will be several years before they can settle into their dream house. Just be careful not to buy a place where the cost of repairs will eat up any profits you might make when you sell.

The shared load

If buying your own property is prohibitive, consider buying into a dwelling with shared ownership. There are several options here, with varying levels of complexity and commitment. One of the most common uses a legal form of ownership called “tenants in common.”

Case in point: In 1991, when the average San Francisco one-bedroom apartment was selling for about $250,000, Sharon Fisher paid $170,000 for a one-bedroom in a tenants-in-common building with five other units. “I couldn’t have bought real estate without this,” she says.

Fisher eventually sold her TIC share for a tidy $420,000 when her building went condo. However, she says it would have sold for less if it had remained a TIC, and she would most likely have had to pay the buyer’s legal fees.

Back in the new year.

Prop2go is back to work and we wanted to wish everyone a happy new year and hope everyone has a great holiday. This month we will be expanding our market into Moncton. We have had several new listings with real estate listings and apartment listings and are now offering a 2 for 1 deal! That’s right if you have some properties to put up on the site we will give you 1 free with each posting you have, only for 29.95 a month. We have a guarantee that your property will sell or rent and if it doesn’t in the first month the second month is free! Happy new year and see you all soon!

Decorating with the Color Blue

Found this article online, pretty cool, discusses how the color blue can really spice up your apartment.

Continuing our weekly trend, here is an article with some fantastic tips on how to refresh your home using the color blue! Bring the outdoors inside with a splash of sophisticated and refreshing blue!

Make a bold statement by using deep blue. If you can’t paint, curtains are a great effect for your walls (especially if they are floor to ceiling length).

For added excitement in a bathroom, replace the knobs on your vanity and/or medicine cabinet with blue ones (just make sure you keep all the screws and original knobs when it’s time to move out). White and blue bath accessories, artwork and towels would really complete the look.

Blue checkered details really add a lot of fun as well as a retro twist to any space. You can use this idea for pillows on a bench in your apartment or for cushions around your dinning room table.

Silvery gray and pale aqua is a perfectly glamorous combination for a vanity table. An ornate mirror makes an elegant topper, however if you can’t take down your mirror, removable stickers to adjourn your mirror will work.

For a beach themed apartment, you can use removable cushion covers from an outdoor patio set. A blue stripped rug and an antiqued painted coffee table add dimension to the space; as would blue stripes and fun accents like a nautical star or chandelier.

Also, don’t be afraid to mix a variety of patterns – just stick within the same color palette. A delicate blue-and-white curtain blends beautifully with a shag rug, toile quilt, and boldly striped cushions. My favorite pattern, besides the classic stripes, is damask. Having a piece in the room using blue damask instantly makes it trendy and chic.

Paint and furniture aren’t the only ways to bring color into a room; fun knickknacks in the same hue will do the trick also!

What’s the next color on the menu? Yellow! Soon we will post ideas for decorating in the powerful color of the sun!

Prop2Go a new feel.

We at prop2go are looking to update and have a new fresh idea for the site if you have any ideas or suggestions that you feel would benefit the look and feel of the site, comment! If you have an idea that works for us we will give you a 2 for 1 listing on your next apartment listing. Look forward to hearing those ideas!