| Here's something for people who own rental | | | | college students, these students rarely take care |
| properties to give some serious thought to. A | | | | of anything, including these apartments. We don't |
| few years ago, our home burned down in the | | | | have to clean the carpets when they move out |
| San Diego fires, October 2007. October 22, to be | | | | and it only takes a few tenants to completely |
| exact. I imagine I will never forget that day, but I | | | | destroy your carpeting sometimes. We have |
| did get some valuable information, that I can pass | | | | owned the property for eight years and it's |
| on to landlords, property management | | | | working out great" |
| professionals and people who own apartments, | | | | I had never thought of this, and I would imagine it |
| condominiums or houses that they rent or lease. | | | | has never occurred to most property managers |
| I was looking for an apartment to live in and a | | | | or owners of rental property. I thought, that it |
| friend of our suggested and eight unit apartment | | | | was time for me to share what I have learned. It |
| complex that a friend of theirs had owned. I met | | | | seems like a pretty good idea and I would |
| with the property manager early the next | | | | suggest, that if you own a few properties, what |
| morning and noticed that the entire apartment | | | | would it hurt to tile the entire floor in one of |
| floor was tiled with 12 inch ceramic tile. I | | | | them, just to see what your expenses would be |
| personally do not like that much tile in a home, | | | | like over the next decade. |
| because it's hard on my feet and cold. The cold | | | | I don't know if tile laying these floors over time is |
| tiles will keep me cold and the home cold as well. | | | | better than carpeting, but it's worth looking into, |
| Carpeting seems to keep the house a little | | | | especially if you have a rental that seems to get |
| warmer than tile. | | | | turned over often, by that I mean people moving |
| Curious, I asked the property manager why they | | | | out in less than a year. |
| had tiled the entire apartment. I assumed, for | | | | PS. Try not to use glossy tile, because it is slick |
| some reason that this was the only apartment | | | | and with a little moisture can become a safety |
| that was like this in the complex. He replied with," | | | | hazard. Use a rough or textured tile that is |
| it's quite simple, as you see, we're located next to | | | | preferably light brown, the color of dirt. This will |
| a college and a large amount of our tenants are | | | | cut cleaning costs down even more. |