Renting out your Bellevue property furnished or unfurnished is dependent on you as a landlord and the kind of tenant you wish to attract. It is essential to consider both the pros and cons before you start looking.
Ask yourself: what specific demographic suits your Bellevue rental property?
Consider your prospective tenant’s needs. What particular stage of life are they in?
If they are a middle-aged family that has moved a couple of times, they might already own a number of furnishings, whereas recent graduates and young professionals who are trying to establish themselves in their careers might have limited funds to spend on furniture at this particular phase in their lives.
Let’s outline the benefits of a furnished and unfurnished Bellevue rental property.
Furnished Unit
Benefits:
Quick rent
If your Bellevue home is ready for a new tenant and already contains a sofa, dining table, and bed, then it is highly likely you will be able to find renters quickly. Most do not want the hassle of shopping, not to mention having to spend extra on new furniture. They will opt to rent a newly furnished property.
Option to use furniture
When a tenant leaves your Bellevue property, you’re able to decide what to do with the remaining furniture.
You can switch the furnishings from your own personal home or with your other rental properties. Extra furnishings provide you with unending options to renovate the look of your own unit or your other properties.
Tax deduction
You can list the furniture purchases as tax deductions. This incentivizes property owners to furnish their rental property, as you will pay less taxes.
What Does a Fully Furnished Home Look Like?
In a furnished property, a tenant can expect the following: a sofa, table, lamp, and coffee table in the living room. In the bedroom, a tenant can expect a dresser, bed, and a nightstand with a lamp. The dining room would constitute a dining table and chairs. For the bathroom, a shower curtain, wastebasket, and a bathroom mat would be expected. Kitchens should be equipped with dinnerware and cooking pots and pans as well as appliances.
Furnishing your Bellevue home will allow you to earn a higher rent compared to an unfurnished property.
Unfurnished Unit
Benefits:
Long-term stay
Tenants who invest in purchasing their own furnishings will likely elect to stay longer and renew their lease. It is more costly to move in with furniture; plus, the furnishings they bought are suitable to the look of their current rental unit.
Transfer of responsibility to a tenant
Tenants will be responsible for taking care of their own furniture. There will be no concerns about potential damages. There would also be no wear and tear issues to address.
Savings from not requiring insurance
Insurance of the furnishings in the property will be left up to the tenant.
This is one less financial obligation for the property owner, as they will not need to spend extra money on insurance or be held liable for the safekeeping of furniture.
Which to choose?
A middle-ground solution for whether or not to furnish your Bellevue property is to opt for a semi-furnished unit. How this looks depends on the property owner and what kind of furnishings they are willing to provide to their tenant.
The best approach, however, is to ask your tenants what kind of furniture they will need in your rental property. This saves money for both parties and provides the tenant with options. This is a more flexible option. Regardless, it is advisable to keep your furnishings minimal to give your property a clean and uncluttered appearance.
You can shuffle your furnishings around if you have multiple properties. On the other hand, if a tenant already has duplicate furniture, you can always rent a storage space to keep your extra furnishings.
Considerations:
Along with researching your target market’s needs, it also pays to check your own budget and consider the insurance, safety, and tax factors.
The following are other things to consider:
- Is a higher rent for a furnished home worth it to counter the damages and cost of additional insurance?
Granted, furnished homes allow a property owner to have a higher asking rate for the property rent, but insurance is also expected. If you have purchased expensive big-ticket items such as appliances, it pays to get insurance to attend to the potential damages.
- Is finding a tenant easily balanced by a quick turnover?
Sure, having your Bellevue home furnished saves you time from looking for prospective tenants, but it is also likely that your property will have more frequent turnovers.
Why?
Most of the tenants who prefer furnished units are younger and more on-the-go. This signifies that they have plenty of opportunities to move from one location to another. Attending to frequent tenant move-ins and move-outs can be time-consuming.
- Is the tax deduction an easy incentive for furnishing your property?
Carefully weigh if the tax deduction incentive is enough of a deciding factor.
Will it require you to take an additional loan on top of meeting your regular mortgage payments and an insurance plan?
If yes, leave your Bellevue rental property unfurnished or, at best, semi-furnished.
Conclusion
It is crucial to conduct due diligence before deciding if you should furnish your Bellevue rental property. Not only will it save you time and money, but it will also save you energy and effort.
Choosing not to furnish your rental property when the unit size is larger and designed for families will also be beneficial. Typically, this established demographic will not expect you to provide them with furniture.
If you have any further questions regarding the aforementioned points, contact us at T-Square Properties!