Marietta Square Plans to Open Food Hall
This is exciting news for anyone who loves the concept of food halls and open markets. Atlanta has found popular success with similar endeavors such as Krog Street Market and Ponce City Market. Kennesaw has a similar development, dubbed Kennesaw Marketplace, slated to open in phases this year. But, the Marietta Market will fill a geographical need for foodies who don’t want to venture across town to find plentiful options in a single spot.
The project will convert an empty 18,000 square foot warehouse located just off the square into multiple restaurants and storefronts. Current plans detail 3 larger restaurants and 8 smaller kiosks, between 400 and 800 square feet each, with a central bar serving craft drinks.
One of the kiosks will be a fully restored 1922 streetcar similar to the kind that once transported passengers between Marietta and Atlanta. The streetcar will lend to the appearance of the turn-of-the-century train depot theme.
Glass garage doors will open to a patio in good weather to provide open atmosphere dining.
Anyone who has tried to score a table at the small restaurants crowding the square, only to suffer long waits, might be excited by the addition of new options that don’t require reservations. And, a big plus is the short walk from the center of the square to the market. Now if only there were a parking fairy that could magically help you find a close-by spot…
The Marietta Square Market is set to open in the Summer of 2018.
Essential Maintenance Tips For Any Property Owner in Atlanta
As a property owner in Atlanta, it is your duty to ensure your property remains safe and in perfect shape for occupation. Experienced owners, therefore, schedule routine inspection and maintenance, to enable the tenants remain comfortable and prevent the repair costs from becoming exorbitant due to long periods of neglect. If you are a landlord in Atlanta, the following are a few useful rental property inspection and maintenance tips.
DIY Property Owner Hacks
Before the tenant moves in:
i. DIY or Hire a property Management company
First, you must decide whether to carry out the property inspection and maintenance by yourself or contract an experienced Property Management firm. Both options have pros and cons. For instance, while DIY will help you save some money, it will consume your time. Still, at the end of the day, the onus is on you to settle for the alternative you prefer.
ii. Identify the right repair and maintenance contractors
DIY property management does not necessarily mean you carry out the actual repairs. Some damages might just be beyond your skill scope. For this reason, you must identify a reliable property repair and maintenance contractor in Atlanta that you can call upon if and when the need arises.
iii. Schedule the property inspections
The saying prevention is better than the cure couldn’t be truer than in the case of property maintenance. Therefore, plan to inspect the property at different times such as before a new tenant moves in, after the tenant moves in, as well as at the end of the lease agreement. These inspections checks will help to identify the defects or damages on the property and also prevent potential future costly disagreements between you and your renters. Moreover, indicate in the lease agreement that you will have to conduct scheduled and at times impromptu inspection visits on the property, and the amount of alert notice you need to give the tenant before accessing the asset.
When the tenant moves in:
i. Educate your renters
When a tenant moves into your property, give him or her an information pack or a manual of the things he or she should do to safeguard the property from damage. Furthermore, make it clear to the renters what action they need to take in the event the property needs repair or maintenance.
ii. Respond swiftly to repairs or property damage concerns
As a property owner in Atlanta, when a tenant informs you of damage or breakdown, do not delay in responding to it. In fact, do not overlook problems or postpone the repairs until the time for the scheduled maintenance. Such a delay might result in costly repairs. For instance, lags in attending to tenant concerns about a leaky faucet can lead to an all blown out bathroom emergency.
iii. Keep up with the routine property inspection and maintenance
During the life of the lease agreement, continue making the routine inspection of the property and watch out for any potential problems. What to look for during your inspection:
a. Check for leaks or signs of water damage
Examine the roof, walls, and floor for any signs of water damage. Common indications would include spots and stains on the ceiling, and discoloration or peeling of the wall paint. Also look for water pools around the toilet, the hand-wash basin, sinks, windows, showers, boilers and water heaters. In case you come across signs of water damage, get a professional plumber to repair the property.
b. Test the smoke detectors
Once every month you need to check the hard-wired and battery-operated smoke and carbon detectors to guarantee that they are in sound working conditions. An easy way of testing these devices is pressing the test button to verify that the alarm works.
c. Clean the roof, guttering, chimney and furnace
Properties situated near tall mature trees get leaves, twigs and debris falling on their roofs, gutters, drainpipes, and fireplaces. Besides making the property unattractive, the buildup can clog the gutters, chimneys, and drain pipes, resulting in more structural damage to the property. In such a situation, your solution as a property owner in Atlanta can be to cut down the trees or hire competent Atlanta roof cleaning contractors
d. Look for signs of pest infestation
If there is anything that tarnishes the image and reputation of a rental property, it is pest infestation. Look for any signs of mosquitoes, bedbugs, mites, termites, bees, ants and pesky rodents. If you notice any sign that indicates a current or previous infestation, consider extermination. Even if the building does not have signs of infestation, plan to carry out extermination at least once or twice a year.
e. Scrutinize the Shower
Probe the area around the tub to determine if there is any loose caulk, or cracked and broken tiles. If you notice any cracks, replace the grout or caulking to prevent further structural damage resulting from the leaking water.
f. Check the Air Con and HVAC units
Take the time to inspect the filters of your heating and air conditioning units at least once each month, and replace those that are worn out or dirty. Dirty or inefficient filters can cause your energy bills to spike and in unfortunate circumstances damage your heating and cooling equipment.
g. Examine the deck
Go over the floor to verify that it is in good condition. If you find any damaged or missing wood or tile, replace or repair it. If possible, apply epoxy or any other reliable non-slip flooring paint on the deck, stairs and porch to prevent slips and falls. Remember, if a tenant sustains a Slip or fall injury on your property, you can easily find yourself battling legal claims.
h. Pay attention to the house exterior
Do not just focus on the interior sections of the house, but concentrate on the outside as well. Ensure that the walls are free of mold and damp. Furthermore, make sure that there are no weeds, shrubs, overgrown plants and or grass in the garden. Repair any broken garden furniture, fence or garden décor, and consider redecorating the lawn. Lastly, revamp the curb to ensure it has an attractive appeal.
Once you decide to be a DIY property owner, you must make effort to put in place processes. This will help you in terms of managing everything, most importantly your time.
We hope this helps!
8 Key Aspects That Need To Be Included In A Rental Agreement
After purchasing a rental property, most people usually experience problems in figuring out how they should get started as a property owner. Failing to specify all of your expectations and requirements in the lease is among one of the most common mistakes that landlords. Read more
5 Essential Tips For Hiring Property Management in Atlanta GA
If you’re seeking a property management company in Atlanta, GA, you have no shortage of options. However, trusting a stranger to manage one of your biggest investments can be a daunting task. Many property management companies offer roughly the same services at a range of prices, and the price doesn’t always reflect the value of services. A good property manager should be able to minimize expenses while saving the investor time and resources. Other than knowing the best restaurants around the Marietta Square, what questions can you ask to ensure a property manager has your best interest in mind? Read more
Live In Atlanta? – Join Our Growing Family!
Rent Appeal is growing, and frankly, we could use some help around here!
We’re looking for part-time help around the office – a few days a week during morning hours. Interested?
Well, then, let’s see if there’s any chemistry between us!
- Do you live near midtown Atlanta? Hey – that’s where we are! So far, so good.
- Do you hate cubicles and large, lifeless offices? Good! We have neither of those things. We’re a small, boutique, family business. No life-sucking, windowless boxes or drab, fluorescent lights here!
- Do you coordinate your scarves and shoes with whatever hair color you picked this week? Sweet! Creativity is the spice of life. We’ll never shoot down ideas, and ask the same of anyone we partner with.
- Do you enjoy drinking really good espresso while you’re “so in the zone it’s ridiculous”? We have really good expresso and you’re welcome to it, you go-getter.
- Are you British, or does your health or religion sway you away from coffee? No judgement here! You can drink our tea, or bring your better tea from home.
- Is your second language zeros and ones? (That’s computer speak, by the way.) Neither is ours. If you’re comfortable around computers, know the difference between a PDF and a JPEG, and can crunch some simple numbers, you’re in! We have a preference to Macs around here. But, we play nice with whichever circuit board you decide to tote.
- You don’t tote a circuit board around? You can use our spare Macbook… if you’re into that sort of thing.
- What’s that noise? Oh, we have a small dog named Gabbi. She snores.
- Do we have any other pets? Nope, unless you include children.
- Still on board? We admire your tenacity!
Rent Appeal Newsletter, January 2015
We have some big announcements for 2015. Here we go!
First, we wish Muriel Wonderly a very happy retirement. Her time with Rent Appeal was invaluable as she helped with startup tasks and served as our maintenance coordinator. Her go-get-em spirit will surely be missed around here!
To fill the maintenance role, we’ve partnered with a company called NightTenders, Inc. NightTenders provides phone assistance for maintenance requests around the clock, even on weekends and holidays. They come highly recommended by the NARPM community and they specialize in problem solving with the tenant before sending vendors on site. Here is NightTenders statement of what they do: Read more
10 Things You Need to Know About the Millennial Renter
Appfolio has posted this useful infographic on some facts about Millennials and their living and renting habits. If you’re marketing a rental property, this is definitely worth worth a read. Millennials currently make up a large portion of the rental market. Here are 10 things you need to know about the Millennial Renter.
