“If I can make it there, I’ll make it anywhere, It’s up to you, New York, New York…”
“New York, New York” by Frank Sinatra
I remember living in New York City (NYC) when I was first out of college. All of the big buildings, happening things going on, the energy, the lights, so many people… it was amazing to behold. It seemed like everything that was going on in the news was happening right around the corner from my apartment. It was really cool.
But it was really expensive. Everything cost so much, especially compared to college life. After my first week of work, I went out with some colleagues and offered to buy the first round of drinks- big mistake!
“That will be $90.00, sir.”
“No, I’m sorry… There must be some misunderstanding. I only ordered 5 of them and we just got here.”
Weird look. “Um, it’s $90.00 sir.”
(Gulp) There goes this week’s money…
And that was 20 years ago. I hate to see what things cost now.
However, there was one great deal in NYC- the breakfast food trucks. You could get a coffee and a big bagel for $1.00 each. I’d line up every morning before getting on the subway to lock it in before heading to work. When an apple cost $4.00 at the bodega across the street, this was the way to go (maybe not health-wise, but you couldn’t beat the bang for your buck).
I remember one morning being in line behind an obvious tourist who looked like he had just gotten into town. He asked the food truck proprietor how much a cup of coffee was and did a double-take:
“$1.00??? Seriously? I’ve never paid $1.00 in my life for coffee!”
That’s when I knew this guy was about to have the worst vacation in his life.
I feel this way about rental rates in Charlotte. I was recently going through our list of tenants with expiring leases and was struck on how much rental rates had gone up, especially those who were coming off of 2-year leases. Rents have been climbing up for almost a decade, but have become more pronounced in the past two years.
As a landlord, this is great. Higher rents equal more profits. The question becomes how much more rent to ask for when existing leases are near their expiration and it’s time to offer the tenant the lease renewal terms. Is the strategy to ask for market rate (probably 10-20% higher) or keep the increase on the lower end (5-10%)?
Generally-speaking (if it is a good tenant), I’m a proponent of keeping the increase offer on the lower end and trying to keep the tenant in the property. Avoiding all the vacancy costs and keeping the cash coming in is usually the most profitable path, as well as the easiest. I don’t like good tenants looking elsewhere as new ones are not guaranteed to work out as well. However, if the tenant still decides to leave, then all bets are off and the house can be re-marketed at the higher market rate.
If I was a tenant in this scenario (once again, generally-speaking) with an offer of a lower than market rental rate on a lease renewal, I’d also look to stay and try to lock into a 2-year lease. Looking at the competition for rental homes now as well as the higher prices, it should be close to a no-brainer. It’s a win-win for both the tenant and landlord to keep near the status quo.
So while the New York City nightlife and dining choices are enticing, it’s probably best to enjoy the vacation and relish the $2.00 breakfast combo. Good deals in this market are hard to find, so it’s probably best to lock them in without complaint!
Happy Landlording!
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