Front Royal, VA · Member since 2013 · 27 posts · 5 votes
I was just curious about how other people handle the lazy prospective tenant. For instance, an email through craigslist simply stating "I am interested in this home". No questions or anything - just a simple statement. Another example would be an email with obvious gramatical errors that the prospective tenant didn't take the time to correct. One more example that comes to mind is the missed call with no message.
I've generally been ignoring these types of inquiries. I don't feel like I should put more effort or time into a response than than they put in to their inquiry. I also assume that someone that puts such little effort into an inquiry would tend to put the same amount of effort into keeping the house clean and well maintained. Should I change my approach? Am I missing out on good leads?
Real Estate Investor · Houston, TX · Member since 2010 · 499 posts · 206 votes
11y
I think that if you don't want to answer emails you shouldn't advertise online. That's one of my pet peeves. I shop very seriously online and when an ad placer doesn't answer an email inquiry, they don't get my business.
Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
11y
Roy, you're right, it's not always absolute. Actually today I got an email through Trulia, when the ad was syndicated through Postlets. Unlike craigslist where you can disable the email option, it doesn't seem to work that way for Trulia, and possibly Zillow.
I did call the person back, since their email included a phone number, and she's going to view the unit tomorrow. Filtering applicants is not an exact science, and even the ones who are coming through realtors are a crapshoot.
Rental Property Investor · Indialantic, FL · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 21 votes
11y
I turn off the email function on my craigslist adverts. I list my phone number and tell prospects "Phone calls only - Sorry, I will not respond to text".
A couple reasons:
1) I want to have a conversation with my prospective tenant because this is part of the screening process for me too. I run down my criteria: No evictions, No felonies, and household income at least 3x rent (verifiable income). If they don't meet my criteria, I don't book the showing.
2) I don't deal with lazy -- lazy emails or lazy text message. Nope.
Rental Property Investor · Indialantic, FL · Member since 2014 · 34 posts · 21 votes
11y
I just want to add -- I used to respond to text & email via CL, but it proved to be more time consuming for me. They'd ask questions like "Is the unit still available?", "Do you accept pets?", etc. All that info is in my add. Also, I've scheduled showings via text & email -- most are 'no-shows'.
I've found that the serious ones will take the time to call me and when I book the showing over the phone, they show up.
Lender · Tampa, FL · Member since 2013 · 228 posts · 95 votes
11y
I feel the same in that I assume the most qualified and interested people will call, however I also dont like to "leave money on the table", or pass over a qualified tenant. I also like to text/email my requirements to screen out the people that don't qualify so I don't waste time pre-qualifying people over the phone. I draft up a generic text/email and respond to all texts and emails with it. It covers all the important information and ends with either an invitation to an open house, or an invitation to text me and set up an appointment. This is what it looks like.
Hi,
Thanks for your interest in the property at 2344 House Street. The rent is $800.00 and there is a requirement of last month's rent as well as a security deposit of $800 all due prior to moving in. There is a $40 application fee for all adults that will be living in the property and we will be running a national credit, criminal, and eviction report. We are not accepting any applicants with evictions or violent convictions. If you would like to schedule a viewing or have any additional questions I can be reached by text at 813xxxxxxx.
Thanks,
I find that this email saves me a good amount of time and allows me to follow up with all those zillow, hotpad, trulia, etc submissions