How do I quickly turn over a property?

[Greg Smith]

I just bought a house and the long term tenant is moving out.  How do I minimize vacancy?  I need to:

1) get rid of the tenant,

2) get rid of all the old junk, 

3) clean, 

4) repair, 

5) paint, 

6) find a tenant, 

7) screen prospective tenant 

8) get them in   

It seems like I have to do it in that order, right?  I could potentially advertise early but I wouldn't have pictures until the house is in order.  Is the answer just to work fast or are there tips of the trade and best practices?  does anyone have a process manual you follow to make sure nothing is overlooked?

[Matt K.]

Don't advertise early in case you run into issues with tenants or your contractor. Also, pro pictures are cheap, have someone come out and do that once it's done.... made a huge difference when I listed one of mine.