When were introduced to a new person in our lives, or visit a new client, we all know that first impressions count.

When people are looking for a houses to rent, or flats for that matter. In all cities and that includes mine, its competitive, people who are looking to rent in Bristol are looking for the best bang for their buck.

However, time and time again, when letting agents and landlords offer their properties to the market, the pictures need something to be desired. One of the principle senses we have is sight, we react immediately to what we see, more so than what we read.

So why do so many take so little attention with the presentation pictures. No one is expecting you to be a pro photographer, and often all that most agents have is point and shoot cameras, heaven forbid some agents just use their mobile phones.

Often the first and sometimes the only picture you see is the outside of the property. WHY? Actually more people are interested in seeing some good internal shots, like the living room, kitchen or bathroom, for many people the kitchen is actually the essential picture.

For rental property statistics actually show that greater interest is generated by a picture of a kitchen or living room.

As I have already said, we are not all pro photographers; however we can improve how we take and present pictures.

• Firstly Check the settings on your camera are appropriate for what you are shooting.
•  Make sure you have as much light as possible in the room.
•  Avoid shooting from the door way and pointing the camera at the window.
• Even with tenant’s in situ, try placing the furniture in the right places, and having a general tidy up before taking your picture, after all no one really likes to look at other people mess.
• Bathrooms PLEASE I implore you, remove the bleach and cleaning bottles, it takes a few seconds and makes your picture look so much better.
•  Take more pictures than you need, from various angles, then review and choose the best ones. It costs you nothing.
•  Learn how to crop pictures and stitch them together to give a much bigger and wider angle picture of the room.
•  Tenants love bigger rooms, make sure you capture that.
•  Tenants want to see the benefits of renting your home over another, so make sure you highlight the benefits
•  If it’s possible create a mood with your picture.
•  Take your time, don’t just point and shoot. Review what you see through the lens.

In these difficult times for Bristol Estate Agents, many have overnight changed from your local experienced, knowledgeable etc etc estate agent into your local Bristol Letting Agent, propounding to be experienced, knowledgeable etc etc. I guess you have got my drift.

Read more:- http://www.bristol247.com/2011/04/05/kevin-cox-property-management-is-far-from-money-for-old-rope/

When prospective tenants are looking down the ad’s in either the newspaper or as in most cases these days. You have mere seconds to attract their attention.

Despite rising rents in Bristol or any other city for that matter people looking for property to rent, want the best that their money can get, so it still remains competitive out there

You have to make sure your property stands out. With the right pictures, and words.

You need to capture the tenant interest in the first few seconds.

With your description, you need to include the benefits and features of the property in the first few short punchy sentences.

Try something like this.

4 Bed 2 Bath Semi-Detached House With Off Street Parking with Large Rear Garden Located in XXXXXX

It’s short punchy and gets the main benefits across, you can then go into greater detail further into the description. That when you have the opportunity to write something more creative, and set the scene.

Get it wrong, and you for sure will miss out on potential people to view. We all know that the hardest part is getting people through the front door.

As thousands of runners, in all shapes and sizes, ages and speeds, geared up for the Bristol 10k on Sunday, I got to thinking about how being a landlord had similar parallels.

Read more:- http://www.bristol247.com/2011/05/17/kevin-cox-like-bristol-10k-runners-landlords-need-to-prepare-for-a-marathon/

Now I know that not everyone is a great fan of IKEA furniture, mostly thinking it is cheap badly made and seldom lasts.

Depending on the range and how well it is assembled, I would have to disagree with the first paragraph.

However there is one thing that I would not choose to buy from IKEA and that is there beds.  Not because they are poorly made, simply because of their size.  For rented accommodation I do like to see some form of co – ordination when it comes to furniture especially in the bedroom.

The major problem with IKEA beds is, if you buy an IKEA bed you have to buy the mattress as well, or as you will find if you buy a UK size mattress it won’t fit! You will have a gap all around the side as UK mattresses are marginally smaller, by about 3 inches.  A classic example of that is the very popular MALM bed which many landlords purchased, because of it competitive cost, only to find out that the

One of the firms I used to work for was, a major player in renting property to students, and they would always choose to buy the classic old style box framed beds made out of 50mm x 25mm framing with a stiff cardboard covering over, with a cheap end mattress on the frame itself.

Due to the extra curriculum activities that some students get up to in their bedrooms, these beds just did not last, more than a couple of years, once the framing and cardboard sag, it just simply ruins the mattress spring formation, the mattress sags and the first thing ingoing tenants ask for is a new bed.

My practical long term experience has taught me that the best type of beds to buy for any rented accommodation are the ones with metal frames and wooden slatted base with a reasonable mattress, not forgetting the mattress protector for the following reasons.

• Easier to move around
• Easy to store items underneath
• Metal beds are more sturdy less likely to break or be damaged
• They can be repaired and holes re-drilled if threads strip on fitments
• Slats can often be easily replaced
• Mattresses wear better and last longer on the slats
• Easy to transport and assemble and dispose of if necessary
• Very competitively priced in range of £100- £120
• Brushed chrome finish often compliments all ranges of furniture

If you have found this article useful, please feel free to comment and also browse my other articles.

If you are contemplating investing in Rental property in Bristol, or already have an existing portfolio why not contact me regarding my style of Property Management. I have over 20 years of experience in Letting and Property Management in Bristol. Contact me today on 0117 230 5056 or via www.igloolets.com

During the cold winter months tenants need to make sure they are aware of the responsibilities. Burst pipes and break ins can often be the Tenants responsiblity.

Check out why by reading my blog on Bristol 247

http://www.bristol247.com/2011/12/06/kevin-cox-how-tenants-can-take-responsibility-during-cold-winter-months-63638/

In Bristol on July 1, in time-honoured fashion, it’s the great student changeover day. Thousands of students career around the city, changing accommodation. As a Bristol letting agent and for letting agents all over the city, it’s a busy and often fun time for all – not just the students but agents alike – as we meet new faces and personalities, and have to say goodbye to the great and some not so great student tenants.

Read more:-http://www.bristol247.com/2011/06/13/kevin-cox-students-keep-the-noise-down-or-learn-an-expensive-lesson/

Residential investment landlords may be benefiting from rent rises but many tenants are now beginning to feel the economic squeeze.

Rent rises over the last 6-10 have been record breaking, despite the economic downturn and instability.

Many renters still unable to enter into the housing market as mortgages for first time buyers are for most still a pipe dream, and many anticipating renting for the foreseeable future.  However, this does offer greater flexibility for employment as the market changes into a more flexible environment. It has been suggested that by 2020 the number of people renting could rise to 20 percent.

The forecast for the coming months causes further concern, as we anticipating a cold winter, with many of the major utility companies already announcing higher fuel bill costs. This quite frankly is not good news for tenants who are already struggling, with the costs of running a home already escalating.

For many with stagnant wages and higher costs all round, many tenants are struggling just to make ends meet on a daily basis.  This is a recipe for many tenants to fall into arrears.

However, on the flip side of things landlords may well also be struggling, and may well need to income from property to live on, so will be less tolerant of tenants not paying their rent on time.

My advice to both parties is, enter into immediate dialogue as soon as a rent arrears problem arises.  Whilst it may well be a pain initially, agree to collect the rent each week or once every two weeks if it is a cash flow problem. Often the Landlord will be much more focused on redressing the issue of rental arrears than the tenant. Both parties need to be honest with each other, and work out a realistic plan. Too allow a tenant to fall into arrears of only one month will make it an even more uphill climb to redress the problem. Rather than undertaking legal proceedings it is always better to see if you can mediate things first.

Albeit, in the final analysis, Whilst it may well appear to be mean, to serve a section 21 notice on your tenant seeking repossession, it is a matter of being cruel to be kind.

If you are considering investing in Bristol or need assistance with your existing portfolio, I have over 15 years’ experience in letting and property management in Bristol, letting properties from studios to penthouses. Feel free to call me today on 0845 652 1428 or contact me at www.igloolets.com

Over the last few years the UK has seen financial disarray not seen since World War II. It has caused the housing market to grind to a halt, with the inability of first-time buyers being unable to obtain a mortgage, even though house prices have fallen.

Potential buyers are now being asked to save a minimum of 20% for a deposit, which is proving almost impossible for most, without the aid of the bank of mum and dad.

Read more:-http://www.bristol247.com/2011/08/01/kevin-cox-rents-may-be-soaring-but-landlords-cant-take-the-mickey-75593/

Landlords at times shy away from hiring letting agents to manage rental properties, assuming they can look after it themselves and save money.

However, despite what some landlords feel, property management is more than just an insurance policy, the occasional phone call to or from a tenant, and a quick lick of paint every so often. Many landlords often realise at a later stage just how much is involved.

Read more:-http://www.bristol247.com/2011/09/14/kevin-cox-rental-property-management-is-more-than-just-a-lick-of-paint-22809/