How important is it to have a garage?

[Jana Colgin]

I am narrowing down SFH properties in preparation for my first purchase. Of the 4 at the top of the list, two have an attached garage, and two do not. The houses with garages are $15,000 more. Is it worth a $15,000 higher list price to buy a house with a garage? I'm not looking to flip, but to buy and hold. These houses are in NC, so there's not much in the way of winter weather. I'm assuming it's easier to find tenants if your rental has a garage, but that the monthly rental income would be similar. Or am I wrong, will the house rent for a higher monthly rate with a garage? All advice welcome, thank you.

[Lynn McGeein]

We do have one property in Raleigh without a garage, but it does have a sizeable area with an access door tall enough to store a lawn mower and some other items in part of the crawl space and also a large area under the deck for storing outdoor furniture, etc.  As long as there is some form of storage, especially if house has a yard and tenant is responsible for mowing, a garage is preferred, even if tenants do not use it for vehicle.