People are always looking for an excuse to start over. The first of the year gives us time to make resolutions that typically last no longer than a few weeks. After we have moved on from that, we hold off until the weather changes to take our stand. For all those who are looking to hit the reset button again, spring is right around the corner. This is a perfect time to clean your business out and evaluate what has worked over the past few months and what needs improving.
The first thing you should do is start with your existing portfolio and move from there. Since we are on the spring cleaning mode, we should look to clean and update everything you may have been putting off for a few months. You should be cleaning your properties every year, even if there are tenants in the property. Spring gives you chance to throw out all of the clutter you may have been keeping in the basement, attic or garage. A good cleaning will give your properties new life and extend the useful life of them as well. You shouldn’t wait until spring every year to do this, but doing it now is better than waiting again until next year.
After you evaluate your holdings, turn the focus to your day to day operations. If there is something you would like to change about how you do things, draw a line in the sand and do it. This could be as simple as what time you wake up or as complicated as to where you allocate your marketing budget. You are not married to only one way of doing things. As an investor, you have the ability to change what you want about your business at any time. A day spent closely examining what works, what doesn’t and how you are going to change it can be the most productive day you have all year.
Spring is also the time to get the exterior of your properties in order. From planting flowers and grass seed to checking on your lawn mower this is the time to do it. Spring and summer for that matter come in pretty quickly and before you know it you will have to worry about cutting the grass every week. If you use a company to handle your yard now is the time to look to get a contract in place. You may be able to get a discount for the year if you agree to use them now before they get busy. Anything you can do to make your business more organized and easier for you moving forward should be your goal.
Depending on where your properties are located across the country, each change of season will bring a new set of issues. Dealing with landscaping and deciding which items you will finally get rid of and which you will keep are much more manageable issues than where to put the 20 inches of snow in your driveway. If you need motivation to tackle all of the tasks you have been putting off since December, the arrival of spring is the time for you.
