Finding a Tenant in McDonough, GA

McDonough, GA is ideally located. The town is sliced by Interstate 75 which makes in it easy for people to get to the freeway and into Atlanta or Florida. As a result of its location, many people have bought houses in McDonough over the past eight years that I have lived here. The town appears to be striving and the number of hotel rooms that have been built in the last three years offers some proof of that. Equally good has been my experience owning a rental over the last five years.

When I bought a 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom house in 2005, it did not take me long to find a tenant - a single mom with three children, two of whom would be living with her. Since that first family I have had three other families living in the house. Each of the previous tenants had some dislikes about the house - the chief of which were the many colors - but generally, everyone has liked the property and its location. The house happens to be located half a mile from a Super Wal-Mart and less than a mile from I-75.

My latest attempt to find a tenant, however, proved tougher than I thought it would. Unfortunately, due to marital problems and an eventual separation, the last tenants left the house in the middle of April. All attempts to find a tenant by May 1^st failed. In my desperation to find a tenant for June 1^st, I learned some lessons which will prove helpful to anyone looking to find a tenant in McDonough, GA.

Here are some things to remember:

1. If the house is located in a subdivision, post a "For Rent" sign in front of the house and one at the entrance to the subdivision. I had only posted a sign in front of the house at first for the drive-by seekers and wondered why the inquiries about the house were so few. After placing a second notice at the subdivision's entrance I immediately grew tired of the number of calls I received - while at work.

2. If you post an ad on Craigslist, include pictures, the street address and possibly the square footage of the property. Many people from out of state or out of town may be interested in your property and will call. However, you will save yourself from wasted calls by including as much information as possible.

3. If you love colors, do not assume that your prospective tenants will. Additionally, do not paint the foyer or living room green. My rental property has several colors. When I bought it, there were many colors and I did not spend the money to change them. I lost many prospective tenants because of multiple colors in the house and some particularly because of a green foyer, hallway, living room and dining room.

4. Treat the rental property as somewhere you would live. When people come looking to rent they want to feel comfortable that your place can be called their home. Clean the carpet, get rid of mold, dust, wipe the counters and floors and clean the bathrooms. Generally, make the house presentable. And,

5. If possible, leave a door open. Many prospective tenants will call and desire to see the property. If you are at work or elsewhere, it is difficult to get to the property for every interested party. I was able to leave one garage and the side doors open. Consequently, I had many people look at the house and my only contact with them was a phone call. That worked out beautifully.

I have found tenants for June and based on my most recent experience, I will do better next time - finding a tenant in McDonough, GA. I hope you do too.