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GETTING YOUR SECURITY DEPOSIT BACK

September 18, 2019
It is a common belief among renters that the security deposit paid at the beginning of their lease will never be given back, regardless of how hard they clean before leaving. We have all been a renter at one point or another in life, and at Graystone Properties, we try to give security deposits back to our tenants, as long as it doesn’t hurt the quality of our product. After all, goodwill is more valuable in today’s world than a security deposit. Here are a few tips to get your deposit back.

Schedule a Move Out Inspection
Scheduling a move-out inspection sounds like a no-brainer, yet so many renters miss out on this opportunity to talk to the landlord or property manager and discuss the damages to the apartment. Don’t expect to know whether you’ll get a full deposit refund or owe for damages at that very moment, but you’ll at least see what items the manager makes note of. If you can get a copy of the move-out inspection, even better.

Thorough Cleaning
Damages happen in both residential and commercial spaces. Anything can happen, from your child throwing their toy truck down the stairs hitting all the walls, the moving crew bumping furniture into the door frame, or that time you thought fostering a puppy would be fun until he peed on the carpet. You may find some cheap ways to fix the scuffs and light damage and get at least some of your deposit back.

PetsMart has heavy-duty carpet cleaners available to rent on a daily basis. Give your carpet a nice, deep clean to get out any stains. You’ll be amazed at what stains can be lifted up. To cover up small holes, look for Spackle at Home Depot. If you have the owner’s approval, you may be able to apply a small amount of matching paint over the Spackle to make it look good as new. All of this, along with general cleaning supplies, will cost you less than $100, which is far below the amount you gave as your security deposit.

Return All Keys
Sometimes an apartment complex will keep the same lock after you leave, if they believe they have all the keys. Forget to turn in every key and your security deposit will be paying for the locksmith to change locks.

Forwarding Address
You can do every single thing mentioned and still not get your security deposit if you didn’t give a forwarding address or contact information. Make sure a good phone number, email address and forwarding address have all been provided to your apartment manager before you move out.

The security deposit helps pay for the maintenance crew to do necessary repairs or cleaning, so the odds of getting a full deposit are slim, but if you can get two-thirds or even half of your deposit, that’s still a win in our book.

 


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OKC RANKED AMONG THE BEST CITIES FOR SERIAL ENTREPRENEURS

September 18, 2019
Oklahoma may be known for their livestock, oil, and a Broadway musical, but the state’s capital city might be gaining a new reputation. According to Small Business Trends , Oklahoma City is one of the best cities for serial entrepreneurs. Small Business Trends looked across the country to find cities where you can find large concentrations of serial entrepreneurs— those who have started three or more businesses prior to the one they run today. By weighing factors like “the percentage of serial entrepreneurs to the overall population in the metropolitan areas of the United States with over 50,000 people… industry clusters, lifestyle, infrastructure, costs and workforce availability,” OKC climbed all the way up to #4 for serial entrepreneurs! Oklahoma City’s ranking sits behind Salt Lake City, Miami and Denver, while beating out Dallas, Tampa, Raleigh, Orlando, Seattle and Portland. Oklahoma City has 2,422 serial entrepreneurs, which makes up .18% of the population. If you’re an entrepreneur looking for a professional office, check out our availability at Wilshire Gardens Office Park , or jump on our waiting list for Smartsuite Executive Offices!

NEW ADDITION TO THE GRAYSTONE FAMILY

September 18, 2019
On July 31st, Graystone Properties added the Wilshire Gardens Office Park, located at 425 W Wilshire Blvd., to our office portfolio. This property will be a key component to our future growth and we are excited to engage with our new tenants. Wilshire Gardens is a 4 building office park located between Nichols Hills and Broadway Extension on Wilshire Boulevard. From individual executive offices to large company suites, Wilshire Gardens is capable of hosting companies of multiple sizes. Graystone Properties plans to update the building’s facade, landscaping, office common areas and office suites. Nick Gray with Kevo Commercial represented Graystone Properties, while Amy Dunn with CBRE represented the seller, Rodger & Rodgers Living Trust. The property was purchased at $1,749,000 and was closed at The Oklahoma City Abstract & Title Company. More information about Wilshire Gardens can be found at www.wilshiregardensokc.com.

WALLETHUB CALLS OKC THE BEST LARGE CITY TO START A BUSINESS IN

September 18, 2019
If you asked everyone you know which large cities are the best for startups, you would probably hear plenty of mentions of San Francisco, Boston, Seattle and New York City. Despite those cities’ reputation as hubs for innovation and tech startups, those cities didn’t make the top 30, according to a new report from the personal finance website, WalletHub. WalletHub analyzed 182 U.S. cities across 19 key metrics, such as cost of living, office space affordability, startups survival rates, and quantity of investors. So, which city could possibly be No. 1? Oklahoma City took the top spot for the second year in a row. From the rise of coworking spaces to the resources provided by our chamber of commerce, it’s no surprise to see our startup community thriving.
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