Tips to avoid too many low quality calls for "for Rent" Ad
Whenever we put for rent sign on the yard and the relevant junction near to the House we are planning to rent, we get too many calls asking for simple questions. These questions can be "Is the house a 3 bed, 2 bath" and what is the rent per month. For example for one of my recent ad, we received almost 50 calls within 3 days and 7 high quality calls with 3 applying at the end. I am a bit reluctant to put the rent price on the yard sign as that seems to be more "exclusive" info for the neighborhood. I am thinking of having Google voice number with voice mail that explains basic info about that house. if they are still interested, then they can leave their number. I can call them back at our own leisure. I want to know whether anybody have any other tips to reduce the low quality calls where basic questions are being asked ?
^^ I've done this as well with positive results..
I've found pre-screening very helpful; I ask when the tenant is looking to move and if they're currently under a lease agreement. I'm surprised by the number of people who can't move for 2 more months at least. I don't set up appointments for those callers.
I also ask if they understand how much the security deposit is; it's in the ad, but very few read all the way through. I've since put it near the top, and people will still say they didn't realize how much it was and then ask about payment options. Next!
We don't have official open houses, but I schedule showings for the same day/time for those who can make it. I tell them to call to confirm a half an hour before the showing to get the address; if no one calls, my contractor doesn't go to the unit.
Over the years, this has cut way down on tire kickers. If a unit gets 20 calls, maybe 5 will get showings and 1 or 2 will submit apps. One is usually approvable.
Different methods work for different landlords in different markets.
Have your contractor show your unit will help you if you are a long distance landlord. Can your contractor tell the tenant who the owner is or how long you been a landlord if they ask because most tenants love to screen the landlord.
Joe Gore
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Scheduling tenants at the same time is a MUST. I learned VERY quickly that making a special trip out to the home for 1 tenant will lead you to a lot of wasted time sitting in your empty house.
I also have people confirm a half hour prior but that doesn't even guarantee they will show.
It should be noted that the cost of your unit will have a big effect on the amount of clueless people you end up dealing with.
I have some units that are <$550--Lots of time wasters calling on these
I have some units that are >$800-Much more dependable callers on these.
Absolutely right @James Wise , we learned this with our first rental...painful lesson. There's no bulletproof way to make sure a tenant will show, but in any business there are no-shows. We just try to minimize it. Our rentals range from $850 to $1300 but we've still had clueless flakes call at the $1300 range.
Originally posted by @Account Closed:
@Sandra Roddy,
You say you let the calls go to voice mail and then you return the calls later. Now lets say when you call it go to one of the so call Google voice mail do you leave a message along with your name and number.
Joe Gore
Joe, yes a voice mail message is left if the party does not answer the phone. To eliminate any possible biased claims against me, from possible tenants, it is best cover all the bases. I only call, or leave a message, once. Then, I leave it up to the interested party to contact me again.
James, I would suggest you use key words in your Craigslist posts to make them more effective. Additionally, provide quality pictures and a short description of the rental. Lastly, state the most valid pre-screen requirements and inform viewers to leave a voice mail ... this will eliminate a lot of "lookers".
I agree with not putting phone numbers on the For Rent sign. We put a flyer box on the sign with a phone number on the flyers. This cuts down on drive-by calls and makes sure they at least read the flyer first before calling. We also run a separate web site for advertising rentals and run inquiries through it.
When I first started doing my rentals I utilized the "For Rent" sign as I naturally thought it would increase my chances. After being seasoned for some time I realized that it does spur interest, but the interest is extremely generic. The reason you are getting low quality calls is because none of these people have any idea what is inside (if its a 1,2,3,4 bed, if Pets are Ok?, if there is Laundry, etc.).
As of today I will never use a for rent sign again. I keep all of my advertising online because interested parties can see all of the details of the apartment/house before calling and draining my time. In addition, since my tenants receive their own online portal I want them to have internet access. If they are calling a "For Rent" sign it is likely they don't have internet access.
I also use a two-prong approach - 1. yard sign and 2. craigslist ad.
The yard sign simply states the number of bedrooms/bathrooms, and provides my phone number. The phone number is a google voice number that goes straight to voicemail, with a message that provides basic info about the space. Usually I'll include the number of bedrooms/bathrooms, square footage, briefly work in selling features like hardwood floors/updated kitchen/etc, and on to details like monthly rent, security deposits, pets, smoking, etc.
Also I usually say something like "see our ad on craigslist for photos."
The craigslist ad has lots of photos, and includes all the details people need to make a decision, and all the details people usually ask questions about.
My rentals are in neighborhoods popular with young professionals and students, so the majority of our residents find our houses via the craigslist ad. Since I also have them pay rent online, this is a handy way to filter out people who aren't tech-savy enough to handle the payment process.
With that being said I do think there is a value in also having a yard sign to advertise. Sometimes people who already live in the neighborhood are looking for nearby rentals for friends/family members. If you're moving to an area specifically to be near friends/family members, theoretically you'll be more likely to stay in place. So a yard sign can potentially be a good way to find long-term tenants.
Also, I don't think answering the phone for each yahoo that calls is any way to prove you'll be a good landlord. It's an inefficient procedure at best. Most who call just want the basic stats about the space so they can compare it with what else is available, and think about it on their own without experiencing any social pressure to set up an appointment for a showing.
@James Wise In my experience there is a direct correlation between monthly rent and viewing appointment no-shows (and also general craziness of tenants). I have a garage apartment that rents for $675/month - half the people who set up appointments don't show - even for same day appointments!
In contrast, the front building has two apartments that each rent for $1,000/month. The last time I had to fill a vacancy, I only had ONE no-show for an appointment.
I try to look at no-shows as a 'blessing in disguise' - if they can't even show up for their own appointment we set based on their own schedule, what kind of tenant do you think they'll be? Probably not good, so it's for the best they didn't make it.
I guess each landlord have their way of doing business theses days and most new landlords read theses Guru books how to be a landlord. Tenants looking for a place and get a voice mail the chances they will keep looking and the landlord does not know how many good tenants they miss by screening their calls.
Joe Gore
@Account Closed Good point! We get around some of the problems you are stating by putting in the ad:
" If interested call or text us, if no one answers, please leave a message and, will get back to you the same day!"
Ofcourse we do follow up with same day calls! That does seems to work for us pretty well and we mostly get reliable leads that way.
Honestly, the amount of scamming on Craigslist has gotten out of control. It seems like you can't advertise even a sofa on there anymore without getting bombarded!