Investing in a rural property in the Houston area offers perks you won’t find in the city. If you haven’t considered rural investing, here are seven reasons that might change your mind.
When you buy a single-family home in an urban area, you’ll likely own the land as well. But you probably won’t acquire any land when you buy a condo or townhouse, especially if it’s in a gated community.
In most cases, condo and townhouse purchases make you the owner of the structure only. That’s why condominiums have associations that require fees. Part of that money pays the salary of whoever takes care of the property.
Not owning the land might seem like a benefit because you don’t have to pay land taxes. The downside is you won’t be able to modify the grounds by planting trees, bushes, and flowers, or making other modifications.
Buying property in a rural Houston region is more likely to come with land. In rural areas, you can find properties built on parcels between 5 and 500 acres for the same price you’d expect to pay for a home in the city.
City dwellers want to be close to shopping, restaurants, and entertainment. Being able to walk to Midtown or Montrose to grab a coffee with friends and see a movie is important to them.
People who prefer to live in rural areas aren’t as concerned with being close to the downtown if there’s at least a gas station and convenience store nearby. When your rental property in the city isn’t within walking distance to Houston’s nightlife, you have to provide incentives for people to rent from you.
Those incentives might include lowering the rent or covering utilities. When your rental property is in a rural area, people don’t need incentives to settle for seclusion; they’re looking for solitude and privacy.
It seems cruel to reject tenants who have dogs or cats since their animals are part of the family. If you’re going to allow pets, take comfort from knowing that people usually let their dogs stay outside in warmer weather. In a rural area, it’s almost guaranteed that dogs will spend most of their time outside.
When a property is large and fenced in, dog owners are more likely to let their dogs hang out in the backyard. That means the animals will have less time to stay in the house, get bored, and chew up the baseboards and walls.
Although puppies are notorious for chewing through baseboards and anything else they can find, adult dogs may do the same when they’re bored. Being outside to stalk birds and squirrels dismisses boredom.
There are some animals you don’t want on your property because of how destructive they can be. Create a pet policy that specifically prohibits other animals that love to chew (such as rabbits). Rabbits can do far more damage than dogs.
It’s probably best to create a pet policy that specifies the animals you will allow and places a blanket ban on all others.
In the city, your neighbor’s house has a direct effect on the value of your home. For example, when a neighbor doesn’t maintain his yard or the siding is peeling and cracking, you’re living next to an eyesore.
Nobody wants to live in a house surrounded by unmaintained buildings. When your neighbors don’t take care of their homes, it becomes harder for you to rent or sell your property.
In a rural area, however, neighbors are spaced farther apart. Deteriorating buildings can affect the overall value of homes in the area, but they’re not usually as drastic. When people don’t have to look at deteriorating houses every time they walk out their front door, they’re less likely to be dissuaded from renting.
City life is demanding and stressful for many people. Commuting to work on trains and buses, sitting in an office all day, and coming home to rest and repeat puts many people permanently on edge. Daily life in the city can be complex and chaotic.
For rural dwellers, day-to-day life rarely rises to that level of urgency. A lack of nearby conveniences compels people to plan their trips into town, which reduces much of the chaos.
When people are more relaxed, they’re less likely to become upset and take their frustration out on your property. The American Psychological Association says everyone feels stress, but those who live in urban areas are less likely to feel they’re doing a good job managing it.
People who live in urban areas are also more likely to cite work as the cause of their stress as opposed to the people who live in rural areas.
It’s not uncommon for people to punch holes in the wall when they’re angry and stressed. Most landlords don’t learn their tenants destroyed the walls until they move out you discover unexplainable holes in the walls.
Some tenants patch the holes before leaving, but they’re still visible and not everyone repairs them properly. There’s no guarantee that a tenant won’t damage your property, but renting rural property might reduce the risk.
Many people are downsizing and decluttering their lives to move into tiny homes surrounded by nature. The compulsion to be surrounded by wild beauty is catching on because it alleviates symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Whether you’re looking to buy a tiny home or a standard home, nature is more abundant in rural areas than in the city. Tenants will enjoy the benefits of nature even if they don’t know it.
The best renters are those who pay rent on time and don’t destroy your property. Retired people usually fall into both of these categories.
With age comes maturity, and you’re less likely to encounter an older tenant who wreaks outrageous wear and tear on your home. They’re also less likely to cause problems with neighbors.
Retired people want the peace of rural living. They make great renters because they usually receive the same amount of money each month.
Most know how to budget their money, and know there’s no room to overspend. They’re mature enough to know rent comes first. Retired tenants also don’t have to worry about losing income by losing their job. If they have a job, it’s supplemental to social security or disability.
Property management isn’t for everyone. If you’re a busy Houston investor, Green Residential can help you manage your property so you can get back to investing.
We’ve got decades of experience helping property investors just like you turn their property into passive profits. Contact us today for a free analysis to see how we can help!
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