Owners often struggle with finding a tenant for their home. Most often the problem is the market, but not always. Sometime the problem can be with how you manage the first impression.
Whether you are trying to find a job, or trying to find a tenant for your home, first impressions are very important.
First impressions are so important when it comes to showing your rental home to a prospect.
You need to remember that your house is not the only house for rent in your area. Renters have many options. You are competing against other owners for the best renters. One way to beat your competition is to have a professional attitude and to make a good first impression.
You need to show that you have a professional attitude. A professional attitude communicates to your prospect that you will meet their needs quickly when a maintenance problem occurs. A professional attitude also says that you know what you are doing and have confidence in your ability as a landlord. A professional attitude is something that a professional property management company has an advantage on most self managing owners.
You need to return your prospect’s call as fast as you can. This is one of the worst mistakes self managing owners can make. The first thing your potential tenant thinks when they can’t reach you is how are you going to fix maintenance problems if you never return your phone calls. Your potential tenant wants to feel like you think he is important. He wants a red phone line straight to you. He wants to be able to reach you on a moments notice. A good prospect will only call once before throwing your phone number away and moving on to one of your competitors.
Always have your paperwork ready. Your rental application and rental contract should always be carried on you. A huge error is to not bring your paperwork with you and when the prospect is emotionally attached to your property and ready to fill out a rental application the worst thing you can say is, “Uh… I forgot to bring the rental application with me. I will call you back later when I find it.” This is a great way to lose a potential tenant. You will call him back later, but he will not return your call because he has called one of your competitors.
The first impression is key. Always call potential tenants back as quickly as possible. When you give a tour of your rental house, let your professional attitude show. You should wear professional clothing. You should have everything in order. Remember to bring your rental contract and rental application with you to the showing.