A Picture is Worth a Thousand Dollars

You’ve heard the old phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words,” but in landlord terms, that picture often translates to cold hard cash.   For many landlords, a one month vacancy can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars.  Including pictures in your apartment listings will dramatically increase the number of renters interested in your apartment.  You’ll also only receive calls from tenants who are truly interested in your apartment’s unique set of features, rather from all the rest who only want to see more detail than the listing provided.  The more renters you manage to interest in your apartment, the sooner the rent checks will start rolling in.

Try these tips to get some extra nice apartment photos:

Plan for Natural Light

Put some thought into when the apartment will get the most sunlight.  The more sunlight available to you when you photograph the space, the less you’ll rely on your flash.  A camera flash can often make your photos look either washed out or give them a yellowish hue common of artificial lighting.  Natural light will make your apartment look light, airy, and well, natural.

This room would photograph much differently in the evening, without the natural light.

Clean up!
Nothing turns off a renter like a photo of a cluttered or dirty space.

This kitchen is too cluttered to make a good impression on an apartment hunter.

Try Exciting Angles

When you’re looking through the view-finder on your camera, experiment with standing high on a chair, or squatting low to the floor, to achieve a view of the room with more of its features included in the shot. Alternatively, if you’ve got the budget, invest in a wide-angle lens. A wide-angle lens will help bring all the details of a room into one shot, and will result in beautiful, professional-looking photos that are sure to wow apartment seekers.

A wide angle lens allowed for the entirety of this living room to fit into one photo.

Highlight unique details!
Is there something about your apartment that makes it stand out from the rest?  Nice landscaping, a fireplace, a spiral staircase, stainless steel appliances, or any number of other features can really bring life to your advertisement when included in the photos. Don’t limit your photos to just the bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. If there’s a big closet, snap a photo to add more visual interest to your advertisement. Just remember not to go overboard! You want to make sure that there’s a good variety of images, but you don’t need more than 2 or 3 photos of each room at a maximum.

The exposed brick in this loft apartment makes a striking visual impact

Highlight Fixtures and Fireplaces with Night Photography
Light fixtures and fireplaces can look especially stunning at night.  If your unit happens to have either beautiful light fixtures, or a fireplace, you can highlight these features by turning them on and taking their photo at night.  You can even try capturing the glow of your fixtures from the street, looking in, to create the sense that the apartment is a cozy place to come inside to on one of Rochester’s many cold nights.

Photograph unique light fixtures in the evening when they can really shine

In Rochester, NY and the surrounding Metro area, there are several places that allow photos with apartment listing:

• Newdigs.com – When it comes to adding lots of photos, Newdigs is your best option.  Newdigs allows for unlimited photographs with all of their listings.  Newdigs is free for any apartment of less than 25 units.  (For buildings with 25 units or more, Newdigs is free until the end of the year.  In 2010 they will begin charging $95 per month.) Okay, we’ll admit we’re a little biased here, but we dare you to tell us differently once you try it for yourself.
• Craigslist.org – Craigslist is extremely popular because it is free, but landlords have to be selective about which photos you post, as only 4 are permitted per advertisement.  The free 30 day advertisement also offers a very large amount of text, sufficient for any apartment advertisement.
• RentRochester.com – Like newdigs, Rent Rochester is a locally based company.  They allow for several photos with their $35 per month, per unit advertisements.
• Rent.com– Rent.com’s solution for the small landlord allows for one photo per one month advertisement.  Actually, we should say it requires one photo, as it will not allow a landlord to continue with their advertisement until they add their one photo.  The pricing model is also a little different.  Landlords pay $15 per lead every time an apartment seeker contacts them regarding your advertised apartment, you pay $15, regardless of whether they rent.
• Apartments.com – Basic advertisements, $100, do not allow for a photo, but adding $5 in order to upgrade to an “Enhanced”  listing is well worth it in order to include up to 20 photographs.

Tenant Rights and Responsibilities in Rochester, NY

Whether you’re looking for your first apartment, or you’ve been renting for years, odds are you’re not aware of your rights and responsibilities as a renter.  Fortunately, our friends at the The Housing Council of Monroe County have compiled a document that renters can read online, or pick up at their offices at 75 College Ave, Suite 412.

Across Monroe County, roughly one third of all households are rental.  When you look at the city proper, 60% of Rochester’s 100,000 households are rentals.  For all those renters, the ‘Tenant Rights & Responsibilities‘ guide is a must have resource for making sure that you’re getting the most out of your renting experience.  In fact, there is even a hot-line you can call with your renting questions at 585-546-3700.

Here’s a few tips and resources from the guide:

• For month-to-month contracts, under New York State Real Property Law 232-b, proper notice to terminate a lease is a one-month notice, corresponding to the rent due date.  No reason for terminating the agreement needs to be given by landlord or tenant.
• All rental agreements, written or verbal, are binding once entered by a tenant and landlord.  There is no grace period to withdraw.  If you agree to rent an apartment and change your mind, the landlord can hold you liable for their losses, which can include losing your security deposit.
• If severe code violations exist such as serious heating, plumbing or electrical problems, severe fire or health hazards or lack of basic services in the dwelling, a tenant can terminate their rental agreement even if there is a written lease.
• Landlords can rent an apartment without appliances (stove and refrigerator) provided that they make it clear to the tenants applying for the apartment that they will have to furnish their own.  If landlords supply appliances, they have a duty to keep them in good working order.
• Most landlord-tenant disputes over deposits arise over the issue of damages versus normal wear and tear.  A landlord can deduct from the deposit actual cost of damages including labor costs.  If a tenant leaves an apartment unclean the cost of cleaning can be deducted.
• Landlords have a limited right of access to a tenant’s apartment.  The only exception to this is an emergency, during which, a landlord may enter randomly without notice.  In all other situations a landlord must work out a mutually agreeable time to enter, and provide at least a 24-hour heads up.
• Any self-help eviction by a landlord without a court order is illegal.  Changing the locks, removing a tenant’s possessions, shutting off the utilities to force a tenant out etc. are criminal acts under New York State Real Property Law 235.
• A landlord has no legal obligation to supply a tenant with off-street parking, storage space, use of a garage, use of yard and common areas, snow removal, garbage cans or garbage pickup.  If you live in a dwelling with two or fewer units a landlord can require you to perform basic outside maintenance such as cutting the grass.

Familiarizing yourself with your rights and responsibilities will make you a better tenant and save you a lot of aggravation and expense as a renter.  Since the majority of apartments in the Rochester, NY metro are owned by private individuals, renters should share this guide with their landlords to make sure they’re aware too.  Being a landlord is often a part  time job for the property owner, and it can be difficult for them to be on top of all the rights and rules.

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Introducing the Newdigs Rochester Market Blog!

Our goal at newdigs.com is to provide you with tools to make the rental market more easily searchable, transparent, and understandable.  In developing newdigs.com over the past several years, we’ve been asked a lot of questions by both landlords and apartment seekers.  The focus of the Rochester Market Blog is to provide answers and resources to Rochester, NY area landlords and renters about how to simplify their lives, make or save money, and take full advantage of the resources this wonderful community has to offer.

If you have any questions about renting or managing property, send them our way right away!  We’ll do our best to provide you with a timely answer or point you in the direction of someone who can.

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