How to Maintain Your Palm Desert Investment Property over Time

We love working with investors who have a long term strategy. The secret to building real wealth with real estate, as you probably know, is buying and holding your investments for as long as it makes sense. The longer you hold onto your Palm Desert investment property, the more money you’ll likely earn with it. This strategy only works, however, if you continue to maintain your property year after year.  

By implementing good maintenance policies and practices now, you’re more likely to increase the value of your asset as time marches on. 

To maximize what you earn, you’ll need to know how to best maintain it through tenancies, tenant turnovers, and vacancies. You’ll need best practices when it comes to caring for aging appliances, deteriorating floors, weather-worn roofs, and landscaping. 

When we think about how to maintain your Palm Desert rental property over time, we’re likely to focus on preventative maintenance, high-quality vendor selection, and a willingness to partner with tenants and property managers in order to keep your property in excellent shape.

Focus on Preventative Maintenance with Your Palm Desert Investment

Preventative maintenance will be your best chance at effectively maintaining your rental property over time. When you pay attention to servicing your most expensive systems and you’re quick to respond to minor repair issues, you’ll prevent costly emergency repairs. You’ll also ensure your investment is in good condition over the long term. 

Here are some of the things we believe belong on your preventative maintenance checklist:

• Air filter changes. Inspect your HVAC system and take a look at your heating and cooling unit whenever you get the chance because replacing it will cost thousands of dollars. In Palm Desert, we have extreme temperatures that require a lot of air conditioning. You’ll want to keep your cooling system running efficiently. 
• Preventative plumbing. Always look for leaks and signs of water intrusion. Water can be problematic, whether it’s a burst pipe or an irrigation system that is out of control. Keeping your plumbing system in good shape will contribute to the long-term health of the house. 
• Inspect the exterior of the property. Look for tree branches that may be dangerously close to the windows or knocking against the roof. Check for foundation issues, gutter and drainpipe clogs, or any safety issues such as uneven pavement or loose handrails.
• Keep up with landscaping services and pest control. These things are easy to overlook, but they can contribute to better long term care of your property.

Inspections are difficult to manage in California because tenants have laws protecting their privacy. But, you can let tenants know that you’ll conduct a maintenance walk-through once or twice a year to make sure there aren’t any issues that need attention. 

This type of preventative maintenance catches problems right away and allows the systems and functions of your home to last longer. 

Protect Property Condition with Preferred Vendors

Maintaining your investment property over time will require you to work with a fantastic team of vendors and contractors. When you invest in relationships with these professionals, you’ll find you can take better care of your investment property. They’ll get to know your home and how it works. That personal relationship and expertise can help you take care of it now and in the future. 

It’s not always easy to find vendors when you need them. If you establish relationships before you need them, however, you’ll be able to count on immediate service and affordable rates. 

Vendor relationships provide an excellent reason to work with a Palm Desert property management company. These relationships are already in place, and you don’t have to worry about who is responding to maintenance issues at your rental property. 

Property managers have their own in-house maintenance teams or they have access to the best vendors and contractors in the area. These are licensed and insured professionals who stand behind their work. The long term care and maintenance of your investment property will require a great network of vendors. 

If you’re managing on your own, start gathering your preferred vendors early. Start with a plumber and then keep asking for referrals until you have a great team put together. These are the professionals who will let you know when attention is needed or a seemingly minor repair is actually something more serious. 

Work with Palm Desert Tenants to Maintain Your Property  

You’ll need to enlist your tenants when it comes to maintaining your rental property over time. They’re the ones who are living in your home and using its appliances and utilities. They’re walking across the floors and flushing the toilets and using the backyard. 

Palm Desert tenants have a critical role to play when it comes to maintaining your investment. While you’re likely to have many different tenants over the years, and all of them will have different levels of interest in keeping your property in great shape, you can still establish some expectations and assign some responsibilities. Tenants will come and go but if they’re all taking care of your property consistently, you can expect less deterioration, wear, and tear.

Explain to your tenants that you want to be informed right away if any repairs are needed. When they notice that something is broken or needs to be replaced, you want them to tell you as soon as possible. Those deferred maintenance issues are expensive. Sometimes, tenants will fear they’re bothering you. They’ll worry that a repair request is too minor. 

But, you still want to know what’s going on. Even if it’s minor. Deferred repairs always cost more than preventative repairs. So, don’t wait to respond. Take care of maintenance requests right away. It’s the only way to protect your property’s condition and value for the long term.

Your lease agreement should tell tenants what they’re responsible for. If they cause any damage, they’re obviously required to pay for it. You can also put them in charge of replacing air filters, batteries, light bulbs, etc. 

Well-maintained rental properties rent for more money and to better tenants. They also appreciate faster, leaving you with a more successful and profitable investment property over time. 

We can tell you more about this. Please contact us at Xepco Properties.