Rental Trends

This biweekly sponsored column is written by the experts at Gordon James Realty, a local property management firm that specializes in residential real estate, commercial real estate and home owner associations. Please submit any questions in the comments section or via email.

If you are moving and considering renting out your home rather than selling, there are a multitude of details to consider before renting out your home, such as should you hire a property manager or rent it out yourself? Regardless of your decision, here is a checklist to get your house ready to rent.

This biweekly sponsored column is written by the experts at Gordon James Realty, a local property management firm that specializes in residential real estate, commercial real estate and home owner associations. Please submit any questions in the comments section or via email.

Reality shows, speaker circuits, how-to courses and book deals hype the dream of buying a house with improvement potential, revitalizing it and selling it for big profit. How much easier can making money be? According to these “experts,” one house can return as much profit to the savvy investor as an annual salary.

This biweekly sponsored column is written by the experts at Gordon James Realty, a local property management firm that specializes in residential real estate, commercial real estate and home owner associations. Please submit any questions in the comments section or via email.

Finding and selecting a property management company to manage your most valuable asset(s) is no small feat. The stakes are high — you’re looking for a firm or person you can trust to take care of a very valuable investment, maybe even your own home. And not everyone uses the services of a property manager, so recommendations from family or friends may be hard to come by.

This biweekly sponsored column is written by the experts at Gordon James Realty, a local property management firm that specializes in residential real estate, commercial real estate and home owner associations. Please submit any questions in the comments section or via email.

Real estate investments should be made on their potential to produce a good return (ROI) and consistent cash flow. Experienced real estate investors use financial metrics such as net present value, internal rate of return, and capitalization rate to evaluate real estate investment opportunities.

This biweekly sponsored column is written by the experts at Gordon James Realty, a local property management firm that specializes in residential real estate, commercial real estate and home owner associations. Please submit any questions in the comments section or via email.

Income property owners are likely aware of federal Fair Housing laws, but they may be less familiar with D.C.’s ban on discrimination based on appearance or other additional anti-discrimination protections that exist throughout the D.C. metro area.

This biweekly sponsored column is written by the experts at Gordon James Realty, a local property management firm that specializes in residential real estate, commercial real estate and home owner associations. Please submit any questions in the comments section or via email.

Trusting your valuable property to tenants is often a difficult enough step. When you live far away from the property, being a landlord is even more challenging. Many owners worry about whether things are going smoothly and struggle to stay informed without racking up big travel bills to check on the property. If there are problems, it can be difficult to manage repairs or legal issues from hundreds of miles away.

This biweekly sponsored column is written by the experts at Gordon James Realty, a local property management firm that specializes in residential real estate, commercial real estate and home owner associations. Please submit any questions in the comments section or via email.

Real life isn’t a day at the beach. But investors interested in vacation or resort properties can see that day at the beach in their future. Today, we look at the implications and advantages of investing in vacation property.

This biweekly sponsored column is written by the experts at Gordon James Realty, a local property management firm that specializes in residential real estate, commercial real estate and home owner associations. Please submit any questions in the comments section or via email.

How much can rent increase in Washington, D.C.?

This biweekly sponsored column is written by the experts at Gordon James Realty, a local property management firm that specializes in residential real estate, commercial real estate and home owner associations. Please submit any questions in the comments section or via email.

A recent report estimates that the D.C. metro area will grow by 1.5 million people and add 1.1 million jobs in the next 30 years, and that growth is likely to bring plenty of opportunity for area property investors.

This biweekly sponsored column is written by the experts at Gordon James Realty, a local property management firm that specializes in residential real estate, commercial real estate and home owner associations. Please submit any questions in the comments section or via email.

Renting out property can be a solid financial investment but to see the best return on it, consider how to be a good landlord. By implementing best practices, you will see lower vacancy rates, more quality tenants, and increased word-of-mouth referrals.