When real estate investors purchase a house, one of the last things they think about is the doorbell – especially these days.
You may be flipping the property or making it a rental. Either way, there is almost always some rehab. Rehabbing requires so many other things to worry about. The big money goes into:
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Framing
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Electrical
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Plumbing
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Roofs
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Flooring
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Kitchens and Baths
And much more than just some rinky-dink doorbell...
Often the doorbell goes in with the staging – to make people feel like the house is completely done.
Maybe you never even buy a doorbell. Most renters these days have smartphones, so they can just text ‘I’m here’ to the building occupants. Doorbells would just be one more expense you don’t need.
Time to Rethink Doorbells
Like so much about housing these days, there’s a new product on the market. This new product might just change your attitude about doorbells.
The product is from a company called, appropriately, Ring. They have created a wireless, Wi-Fi enabled, video doorbell.
Here’s a video of how it works.
Think this might be something just for homeowners? Think again.
Let’s start with flippers. Flipping a house often means leaving it vacant for extended periods of time. Many of the houses people flip were not exactly the most attractive house in the neighborhood prior to rehab. They may have been a crashpad for drug dealers or some other less-than-desirable resident.
Do you think the bank or previous owners will notify the occupants of the pending sale? Um… not so much.
Maybe those people who used it as ‘low-income’ housing won’t be too excited about someone remodeling ‘their’ pad.
Wouldn’t it be helpful to see who is approaching your flip, no matter where you are?
Think about it this way: Remember that this is the era of people buying cars because they like the cup holders. Adding a video doorbell might greatly increase the curb appeal, and the value, of your flip.
Apartment owners may also find these doorbells handy. Not so much as a doorbell, but as a monitoring system for who comes in and out of the apartment.
In the case of the apartment building, you might not want to be notified of everyone who comes in and out. But for a few dollars more, the doorbell can upload videos of everyone who comes into the apartment onto a cloud server. Those videos will be saved for six months.
For those of you who think the ‘undesirables’ mostly come out at night (they do), Ring has a solution for that. Although it’s not a team of Navy SEALs guarding your property, Ring borrows some of the SEAL’s technology...
The Ring camera has infrared LED night vision technology. You can watch both good and bad guys from your phone, any time of the day or night.
Not Your Average Doorbell, Not Your Average Doorbell Price
Let’s face it, a doorbell with its own video camera, motion sensor and Wi-Fi capability is going to cost a little more than $9.99.
The price for a Ring Doorbell is $199 at most retailers.
If you want the cloud service to record who comes over, you will pay $3/month or $30 annually.
The alternative video doorbells are about the same price, but don’t have the cloud features.
The doorbell is easy to mount and comes with its own proprietary mounting tool. A unique tool makes it difficult for a thief to try to remove the device.
If a thief does manage to take it, the folks at Ring provide a lifetime guarantee against theft. In other words, they will replace it if it is stolen.
Don’t worry about the doorbell running out of juice either… the camera can be powered either by a battery, or better yet, by the existing doorbell cables that are hooked to the main power source for the house.
Real estate investing is not cheap. Your investments are VERY valuable. That’s why it’s really important to protect them in all sorts of ways. The new video doorbells are one way to do just that.
Will You Be Ringing this Bell?
If you’re gonna give this a go, we’d like to hear about your experience with Ring in the comments section below.
Protect Your Investments – Whether through security technology like video doorbells or legal structures like LLCs and Land Trusts, make sure someone else can’t profit from stealing your hard work.
Go the Extra Mile – Differentiate yourself from your competition with little extras like video doorbells or programmable thermostats.
Avoid the Need for Security – Keep a low profile, even when you are striking it rich in real estate.
JP Moses
is a real estate investor in Memphis, TN, with experience ranging from land lording to note buying, rehabbing, and wholesaling. However, wholesaling is the area that he enjoys most and where he bring the most experience and expertise to his students.