Target the Military with a Virginia Rental Home Investment

If you're investing in Virginia rental investment property, consider making the military the target of your rental strategy. Military persons can be excellent tenants due to their unique employment. There are a large amount of Virginia and area military bases and plenty of communities around them to pick and choose your investment property from - and your tenants. While military people may be deployed on relatively short notice, the steady stream of military people and their families in and out of bases ensures that you will have plenty of people to market your rental to. Focusing on the military can be a good one-time rental strategy or the system you base your property investment around.

Military people are unique tenants in that there are several safeguards that can ensure the integrity of your investment. They have a reliable income - a certain amount depending on their rank and specialties, paid regularly. They also have the option of assistance with their rent if they cannot pay it for whatever reason. They have an option where part of their paycheck automatically gets deducted and deposited in your bank account. If they cause problems for you or your property, you can contact their chain of command and their Sergeant or Commander will make them wish they never had that keg party.

The other benefit of renting to the military is the steady stream of renters that come through every base. While your tenants may only be with you for a few years or months, this turnover is more than made up for by the number of people looking for rentals. Often, your military tenants may have friends or acquaintances being transferred into the area that are looking for somewhere to call home.

Nearly every base has some sort of housing office or at least a communal bulletin board where you can stick a notice of a home for rent. If you rent long-term or have a number of rental homes, you may find it worth your while to get to know the people in charge of housing and establish a friendly working relationship with them. If you get a reputation with the local base of being a fair landlord, you should have no lack of renters for your properties. Another option is the many online directories you can list your properties on, like militarybyowner.com.

Renting your investment property to military people and their families can be rewarding if you know the ins and outs of the military scene and educate yourself on the laws governing military tenants. It's well worth considering focusing on military people as tenants, for the security and reliability of their income and the options you have to address problems above and beyond civilian law. If you have a rental property near a military base, this strategy could bring you tenants for years to come.

Carolyn Capalbo is an expert military relocation specialist and real estate agent serving Northern Virginia real estate. Visit Just4Real.com to find updated market information about areas in Prince William, including Chantilly VA real estate.