Showing Your Dublin CA Rental Property
Your phone and email may be buzzing with inquiries to visit your rental property in Dublin if you have now researched and followed all California and Alameda County laws in regard to renting out your property, set your security deposit and rental rates, made the home “rent ready”, and wrote and placed an attractive ad to get the attention of prospective residents.
Many new Landlords in Dublin, and throughout the Tri-Valley, think that they will spend about 30 minutes to show their Dublin CA rental property. This is almost never the case, even if you live around the corner. Showing your rental property, can drain your time in several ways, including initial discussions on the phone, applicant paperwork, and travel time to/from your property. Time management will become necessary to find a quality and qualified renter for your home. A few things to consider as you schedule your time and expenses for tax purposes are as follows per showing:
- For the initial phone conversation/interview, plan to talk 15-20 minutes
- You will drive to the property, meet tenant, and show all interior and exterior features, 25-90 minutes
- Next is the applicant paperwork, this varies greatly; anywhere from 15 minutes to 3 days or longer
- Car mileage: 57.5 cents per mile. If property ten miles away, then total mileage deduction would be $11.50 per each time driven
- Car gas – About one gallon per visit – about $3.00 per gallon
- Each showing will require 1.5 hours, $11 of wear & tear on car, and $3.00 in gas
One of the biggest traps new Landlords fall into, is showing the property once, and taking the first applicant who shows interest, with money in hand. It would be awesome if it were that easy, but, it takes an average of 7 to 15 showings to find a quality and qualified candidate. Based on the above numbers per showing, performing 7 to 15 showings will burn approximately 10-20 hours of your time, $80-$230 for wear and tear on your car, and $20 to $40 in gas.
The above information should give you a good understanding as to the time and costs required for showing your Dublin CA rental property so that you can plan accordingly. For more information, see our Landlord Calculator.
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