Elk Grove, CA: Rent the House Furnished or Unfurnished? (apartments, tenant, renters)

[redpenlady]

My brother and I need to rent out our Mom's 3 BR 2BA house in the Laguna Creek suburb, Elk Grove area. The house is 1,322 sq. feet and in very good shape, though it has some dated wallpaper and only dirt in the back yard. It's within walking distance of schools and parks.

We are wondering if we should rent it furnished or unfurnished? The furniture is dated, by about 15-20 years. So, if you are a landlord, do you know how this would affect which tenants we might attract?

We appreciate the feedback of landlords and/or renters who know the rental market south of Sacramento, CA.

Thanks!

[CptnRn]

If it is close to a university, or other transient population, it could be more attractive furnished, otherwise most people will probably prefer it unfurnished.
But count on the furniture probably being trashed.

You could offer it either way, but be prepared to put the furniture in storage or sell it off

[Electrician4you]

Unless it's some crazy nice furniture and you plan on making it some executive rental I would either sell the furniture or put it in storage. Most tenants have their own furniture.

[NoMoreSnowForMe]

The only reason to rent it furnished in CA, in Elk Grove, would be so you could collect 3 times the rent in a security deposit. In CA, for unfurnished rentals, you can collect max 2x rent for deposits. For furnished, 3x the rent is the max.

I used to live in Davis, and worked in Sacramento. I know where Elk Grove is (went to some park there one time for a civil war reenactment), but that's about it. I don't remember if there is any kind of tech business there. If there is, and there are Indian immigrant techies that look for rentals in the area, they would want it furnished.

Otherwise, normally, houses are not rented furnished.

What you could do is offer it furnished, since it already is, but also say in your ad that you will remove the furniture if they want it unfurnished. Furnished the security is such and such, unfurnished it's such and such.

I think I'd take that tack first, on the off-chance that you won't have to move the furniture. See what type of tenant responds.

if there is a tech industry nearby, with bus service from your house to it, I'd call them up and let them know you have a furnished rental. Ask if they have a relocation department. My experience with Indian techies, is that the husband comes and gets a short term rental or hotel room and starts the job, then sends for his family, and they look for a house for the family. They look for furnished rentals, whenever possible.

I had tiny studios, so I would rent month-to-month to the husbands until their families arrived, then they would move out.

Anyway, it's a thought.

Either way, I'd advertise it as either furnished or unfurnished with the corresponding security deposits. I would assume you don't really care if the furniture gets trashed, but you would have a bigger deposit available in the event of major damage.

Oh, and something to keep in mind: The owner i used to work for told me he used to rent some furnished apartments, and it was a pain because tenants would want to exchange pieces of furniture here and there, or would just get rid of some of his stuff. Just something to think about. Again, if you don't really care about the furniture it's no big deal, although, if they want you to keep picking stuff up piece meal, it would be a pain. Though, I don't see this happening with Indian techies.

I don't mean to be offensive regarding mentioning Indian techies, as opposed to Chinese techies, etc. My experience in Santa Clara, was that other cultures didn't look for furnished apts.

Good luck!

[redpenlady]

Thanks for your thoughtful response. This is a real help. Yes, there's a division of Apple in Elk Grove.

[redpenlady]

Thanks for the help!

[redpenlady]

Thank you for your insight!