Hot Tips on Gaining the Upper Hand in the Rental Market.

As most house hunters would know, between December and March is the busiest time of the year to be looking for a rental property.
If you are currently looking, you know that you are competing against university students, job changers and families with school age children.
So here are some hot tips to get your foot in the door first.

Drive past the properties you are interested in prior to booking appointments, you will generally get an idea if a place will be suitable or not just from looking from the street, you don't need an appointment to do this and best of all, you won't be wasting time booking appointments if you feel the property isn't going to be suitable.

If you're keen on a property, have your application filled in and ready to hand to the property manager at the inspection. You can download application forms for our properties from the Elephant Property website. Photocopy your identification and credit check and have it all ready to go. Also ensure your credit report and pay slips are current, we do require that your credit reports are no older than 2 months and that you provide your most recent pay slips.
It is also handy to have a rental ledger from your current property manager or landlord, and make sure you give a heads up to your references to expect a call, not only is it courteous but it also gives them time to prepare.

Following these steps should help you get that winning edge on your competitors.

Written by Jamin Gillman - Assistant Property Manager at Elephant Property

REIT stats for December rental properties across Tasmania

The REIT stats for December have been released. (Real Estate Institute of Tasmania www.reit.com.au )

Vacancy rates dropped in Launceston to 1.8% and increased 0.1% in Hobart to 3.2%

Average time for an agency to rent a property in Launceston was as follows
Less than one week: 33.3%
1 – 2 weeks: 47.6%
Greater than 2 weeks: 19.1%

Average time to rent a property in Hobart was as follows
Less than one week: 6%
1 – 2 weeks: 48%
Greater than 2 weeks: 46%

If we can help you with any of your property management needs in Launceston or Hobart - please let us know! Phone Elephant Property today on 03 6334 6399 (Launceston) or 03 6223 2011 (Hobart).

First real estate Super Bowl ad in 20 years

So this week saw the quintessential American sports event - the Super Bowl. The most talked about thing in real estate circles since then has been real estate group Century 21's Super Bowl advert - the first time a real estate group has had an ad in 20 years.

It had flash and celebrities and Donald Trump - but how effective will it be for them long term?

What do you think?

What your house might look like if you had 19 kids!

Every Monday I feature the houses from TV shows and movies. Have you seen the reality series 19 Kids & Counting? It follows the Duggar family, which has become famous for having–you guessed it–19 kids (the show was originally called “17 Kids & Counting”). They’ve had two more babies since this photo was taken in 2007 and, as Michelle Duggar says in the show’s opening, “Yes, I delivered them all myself.”



Follow this link to view the rest of the story

Most memorable holiday movie houses

By Julia of Hooked on Houses

I took a (highly unscientific) poll on my blog and was astounded by the number of tweets, Facebook comments, and emails that came pouring in on the topic, too. People feel strongly about their Christmas movies!

Here's how my readers rated the movie houses. See if you agree with them.



Ralphie's house in "A Christmas Story" was filmed in Cleveland, Ohio, and has since been turned into a museum that you can visit -- and buy your own leg lamp

Follow this link to view the rest of the story.

Rental Stats from the REIT for November

The REIT (Real Estate Institute of Tasmania www.reit.com.au) stats for November, have been released.

Vacancy rates rose slightly in Launceston to 1.9% and decreased in Hobart to 3.1%.

Average time for an agency to rent a property in Launceston was as follows:
Less than one week: 12.5%
1 – 2 weeks: 56.3%
Greater than 2 weeks: 31.2%

Average time to rent a property in Hobart was as follows:
Less than one week: 5.8%
1 – 2 weeks: 61.5%
Greater than 2 weeks: 32.7%

If we can help you with any of your property management needs in Launceston or Hobart - please let us know! Phone our Launceston office on 6334 6399 or Hobart on 6223 2011.

Final Luncheon of the year

Rather than giving our fabulous team gifts this year before the Launceston team headed to our end of year lunch we stopped at KMart and bought presents for people in real need this year. Thanks to the staff at KMart for their help and for wrapping the gifts for us!

Elephant Property Christmas Hours

Both Elephant Property offices will close at noon Friday 23rd December and re-open at 9.00am on the 3rd of January.

Kristy in our Launceston office and Ally in Hobart will be available for enquiries, viewings and urgent maintenance during this time on: 6334 6399 (Launceston) & 6223 2011 (Hobart).

Wishing you a sensational holiday break and an unforgettable 2012!

Kirsty, Megan, Bella, Pam, Karen, Carrie, Jessica, Kristy, Jamin, Ally, Catherine, Mon, Nick & Nicola.
(the ever growing Elephant Property team!)




image by Kevin Dooley

REIT stats for October rental properties across Tasmania

The REIT (Real Estate Institute of Tasmania www.reit.com.au) stats for October have been released and there’s exciting news all around. Vacancy rates dropped from 2.0% to 1.8% in Launceston and rose slightly in Hobart from 3.1% to 3.2%.

Average time for an agency to rent a property in Launceston was as follows:
Less than one week: 22.2%
1 – 2 weeks: 55.6%
Greater than 2 weeks: 22.2%

Average time to rent a property in Hobart was as follows:
Less than one week: 6%
1 – 2 weeks: 48%
Greater than 2 weeks: 46%

If we can help you with any of your property management needs in Launceston or Hobart - please let us know! Phone Elephant Property today on 03 6334 6399 (Launceston) or 03 6223 2011 (Hobart).

The first Elephant wedding is afoot...

A few happy snaps from our recent luncheon to celebrate Launceston team member Jamin's upcoming wedding (in just a few days)!