My Business Tips – by Regina Mangan

Having been in business since 1997 I have learnt so much along the way.  I have learnt from my successes but more so from my mistakes.   I would like to share some tips with you today which I hope you will find helpful.

1                                             Be authentic. Be yourself.

2                                             Establish yourself as the expert, through traditional and social media.

3                                             Be different and don’t be afraid to stand out.

4                                             Surround yourself by great people, positive people and people who are better at stuff than you are.

5                                             Hire the best people you can, don’t settle.

6                                             Benchmark against the best in your industry.

7                                             Make a plan, set goals and targets.  Keep going back to them.

8                                             Invest in good software for your CRM and financial management.

9                                             Ensure you have up to date financials ALWAYS.   Things can change and you need to have the information to make sure you react fast.

10                                         Keep knocking on doors.   Some will eventually open.

11                                         No doesn’t always mean no.  Don’t give up.

12                                         Get out of your office. Network, network & network, building new contacts is very important to your business.

13                                         Be confident in yourself.  Exude positivity.

14                                         Don’t necessary be the cheapest in order to win new business.  Price is not always the deciding factor.   Some business just isn’t worth getting.

15                                         Keep true to your promise and your principles.  Create your own culture that everyone in your organisation understands.

16                                         Get out of your comfort zone; it’s totally necessary if you want to achieve great things.

17                                         Get a good mentor.   Their experience and knowledge can be invaluable.

18                                         Go with your gut instinct; it’s there for a reason.

19                                         Make sure you have a good relationship with your bank, talk to them.

20                                         Enjoy what you do and have fun.

Tips on how to rent your property

Doing it alone or getting an agent

In most instances, the first decision you’ll need to make is whether you’re going to be handling the rental yourself, or will you be utilizing the service of a lettings agency.

The positive of a lettings agency is that you don’t have to worry about dealing with tenants directly and worry about collecting rent.  An agent will source the tenants; take care of the weekend calls because the boiler has broken and all of the stuff that takes up a lot of your time.

It will cost you extra, but the fees are 100% tax deductable.  It’s fair to say that the standard of service you’ll receive from different letting agencies is variable. It’s important to ensure the agent is licensed and bonded.  This makes sure your money and your tenant’s money is safe. Make sure they have the resources to provide a good after care customer service. They should have an efficient maintenance department and accounts personnel who follow up on late rents.  More importantly it is very important they pay over the rent to you on time.  Check out their website also it’s a good way to gauge their marketing ability.

Get your advertising right

The first route to finding a suitable tenant is the advertising of your property. It’s therefore important that you give the right impression not only about your property, but also the sort of tenant it is suitable for.   For example if you don’t want pets make sure your advert states this.  If your property doesn’t suit families make sure you state this also.   This will save a lot of time wasting for both prospective tenants and yourself. Good photographs that showcase the property in its best light are essential to attracting the right interest.  Also doesn’t a picture paint a thousand words.  Daft is Ireland’s busiest property website and so it is one of the best forums for renting your property no matter where it is located.   Premium adverts with Daft assist in getting it let swiftly as they give your property a better position when prospective tenants search. If you are using an agent, make sure they have a very good presence on daft within your area.   Check the advert yourself to make sure that you are happy with how your property is presented. Your agent should also be advertising the property on their website and within their shop front.

Do your homework

When it comes to tenants, you cannot do too much research on them – make the wrong decision and get the tenant from hell, and it can cost you a fortune (and your sanity).

So ask some questions. Ask about why they are leaving their current home, and whether they can provide references. The answers here may be more informative than you’d imagine.

And follow up on those references, really check them vigorously. ID verification is extremely important.  At bookaroom.ie we make sure to get copy passport or driving license along with PPS number.  You can’t beat experience when it comes to really checking out a prospective tenant.   Often pure gut and instinct is the best means of making sure you have the right tenant for your property.

For further information contact: Regina Mangan http://www.bookaroom.ie/ on regina@bookaroom.ie

Or call 051 85 81 82.

My first blog

Tomorrow is a new day. After two long hours of getting my account set up, I am now ready to join the blogging world.   I have a new intern in bookaroom.ie and this great guy Philip is going to set up his blog.  His blog will be called "Intern Philip".  This blog will be an eye into the interesting day of an intern in a busy property letting office.  The uncut version so should be interesting.

I am looking forward to blogging about Property, fashion, food and the interesting people I meet. 

I know this is a short one, but at least I have now started.

I hope to take inspiration from my fabulous friend Bonzie. Now there is a blog to read, especially if you like everything fashion.

For now Regina.