Why Do Rental Property Weedkilling Regularly

Hi, there! Joe White here from Grow Property Management, your trusted property management company in Philadelphia.

I’d like to share my perspective on something that’s been on my mind lately: weed control. Instead of sending you a long email, we’ve decided to send out a form to all the property owners to gauge their interest in having a company handle weed killing services. Weed control may not seem like a major issue to everyone, but it’s something I’m pretty fixated on, more so than any other investor I know.

There’s a story that highlights how important this is. Once, a contractor friend of mine was working on a duplex my wife and I own. He took me to the window and asked me, “What do you see?” I didn’t understand what he was getting at, so I looked out and said I wasn’t sure. He replied, “Weeds.” And suddenly, I saw it – an entire neighborhood that was being brought down by the sheer neglect caused by overgrown weeds.

This neighborhood isn’t the fanciest in Philadelphia, but it’s a place we love. However, the abundance of weeds had left the entire block looking rundown. That’s when I realized that one of the factors that can make a neighborhood less desirable is something as simple as the presence of weeds. The issue of weed overgrowth had a huge impact on the perception of the area, affecting property values, rentability, and overall appeal.

While I know that not every property we manage faces such a dire situation, I’ve learned that weed control can significantly improve a property’s appeal, even in more well-maintained areas. The most profitable properties that Grow Property Management oversees, particularly those my wife and I own, tend to have a common thread: attention to detail, including things like weed control.

I understand that some might think, “Of course, the properties you own are doing better-you own the company!” But I assure you, the staff and contractors we hire do not know which properties belong to us. The reason our properties perform better is because my wife and I actively take extra steps when they become vacant. We apply our knowledge and experience to make the property more desirable. One of the simplest yet most effective steps we take is weed control.

Weed killing is a small task, but it has a high impact. For a minimal cost, you can make a property more attractive, which directly increases its rentability, boosts equity, and improves the overall quality of the neighborhood. It’s such a small effort-spending a few minutes spraying weed killer, but it can yield significant results.

I truly believe that maintaining curb appeal through weed control not only increases the value of your property but also helps improve the neighborhood as a whole. Higher-quality tenants are attracted to well-maintained neighborhoods, and better tenants take better care of their homes, which further increases property values and equity. This ripple effect makes weed control one of the most cost-effective measures an owner can take.

Whenever one of our properties becomes vacant, we make decisions and improvements that not every owner may think of, including weed control. We regularly send out forms when a tenant moves out, offering different tiers of suggested improvements. The first tier includes essential changes that will directly protect the property and increase rent or reduce vacancy. The second tier contains strong recommendations, while the third tier includes suggestions that may not bring immediate returns but will benefit the property in the long run. Often, weed control falls into one of these tiers, typically costing under $200, and we recommend it be done once or twice a year.

We prefer to do weed killing in front of the house and along the block to create a more unified, well-kept appearance. While we don’t always get permission from neighbors, we’ve never encountered any resistance. Additionally, we address weeds and nuisance trees in the backyards. These trees may seem harmless at first, but if left unchecked, they can grow into massive problems. They can cause significant damage to properties, particularly in areas with limited access like city backyards, where tree removal can become very costly.

I’ve seen firsthand how nuisance trees can wreak havoc. In one of the properties my wife and I own, we had several trees that started out as small weeds but eventually grew into massive trees with roots that spread under the house. Despite cutting the trees down, the roots persisted and continued causing problems in the basement, which could have been easily avoided by simply plucking out the weeds early on or proactively using weed killer.

By addressing these issues early, you save yourself from much larger problems down the road. That’s why we’re sending out this form – to see if you’d be interested in having us schedule weed control for your property. We’ll coordinate with a company that offers services at reduced rates due to Grow Property Management’s buying power, ensuring that you get the best deal possible.

So, take a moment to fill out the form if you’re interested. You can specify how often you’d like the weed control done, and we’ll take care of the rest. Once scheduled, we’ll send a company out to handle the task for you, and you’ll be able to see the benefits in terms of increased rentability, equity, and overall neighborhood appeal. It’s a simple but powerful step toward protecting your investment.