Rental Showings - No One Showed Up

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Rental Showings - No One Showed Up

Julie MarquezPro Member
Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes

http://skagit.craigslist.org/apa/5753275039.html

Here's my rental listing, originally posted on Saturday morning. I also posted it on Zillow. I got a lot of response, maybe 10 -12 people through craigslist and 3 - 4 people on Zillow. All decent prospects. So I called them back and set up six appointments from 5:30 - 8:30 on Tuesday evening. No one showed up. Some people cancelled in advance, some cancelled last minute, and most just didn't show.

I will try again on Saturday afternoon, maybe the weekend works better for people. There isn't a lot on the market around here, and I believe my price is fair. The front exterior porch and lawn look a little tired, so we are going to fix that up. Once Saturday rolls around, it will be presentable (last night the house was still messy and dirty from the previous tenants).

That's my experience. I know there are a lot of posts about this topic and best practices. I'm learning trial and error, and BP of course. I just wanted to share my first experience with this house, and I post more on how it goes.

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Anthony G
Rental Property Investor · Indianapolis, IN · Member since 2012 · 91 posts · 41 votes
10y

I was curious if move-in expenses were typically that high in your area.  If you have a dog it looks like you need to bring $3700 at the lease signing for a house that rents at $1700/month.  That may be normal for your area, but it seems high to me.

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  • Jennifer L.
    Investor · San Jose, CA · Member since 2015 · 246 posts · 183 votes
    10y

    @Julie Marquez How did your open house go?

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  • Julie MarquezPro Member
    OP
    Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes
    10y

    @Jennifer L. We had open house hours all weekend while we were working on the front yard and front porch and front door (all a fresh coat of white paint). We weren't flooded with potential tenants, but all you need is one good one, and I think we found her today. The credit check will run tomorrow, and her references checked out good.

    I got some better photos today, now that the inside was clean, and I still want to go back with my SLR camera and wide angle lens. Let me know what you think of this "improved" ad.

    http://skagit.craigslist.org/apa/5753275039.html

    Before and after picture:

    0Reply
  • Jennifer L.
    Investor · San Jose, CA · Member since 2015 · 246 posts · 183 votes
    10y

    @Julie Marquez Great job on the curb appeal.  I took a look at your listing and your picture are improved as well. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you.

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  • Julie MarquezPro Member
    OP
    Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes
    10y

    @Jon Q. @Jennifer L. and for those who helped with my listing, I just wanted to follow up and tell you that we signed the rental agreement this morning at the original rent of $1700 a month, with the tenant moving in on the 15th. Overall, we got a lot of interest, but not sure how many of the interested folks would have actually followed through with showing up to see the place. This applicant actually drove up during one of our advertised open house times and filled out an application right there and then.

    I now have a good ad description and decent photos for the next time I need to advertise the home, and want to do so before it is vacated. I also learned that the house should be clean and show ready before we show it. The turnover process has been a big learning experience too, and I am going to write up a post describing our timeline and how we did for the turnover between tenants.

    2Reply
  • Yvette M.
    Reno, NV · Member since 2016 · 328 posts · 97 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @John Thedford:

    I scheduled my showings with the one-hour time window come one come all

    I do this too!  I phone screen and invite everyone at the same time in that hour window. 

    1Reply
  • Julie MarquezPro Member
    OP
    Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes
    10y

    https://www.biggerpockets.com/blogs/8843/51913-ten...

    Here is my blog post sharing the 15 day turnover timeline. 

    Thank you everyone for your input on this process!

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  • JD MartinBusiness Member
    Moderator
    Rock Star Extraordinaire · Northeast, TN · Member since 2015 · 10k+ posts · 16k+ votes
    10y

    I'm sorry I didn't see this thread earlier. I [almost] never (wanted to say never but there are exceptions) do individual appointments. We schedule 2-3 open showings during the week and if it's not rented after the first open house we move to the next. 

    My experience is that 50% of those who say they are coming to view the house never show, whether you do open showings or individual appointments. 25% of those that show are dreamers or looky-loos, which leaves you 25% serious candidates that have/will look at your place and 3-5 others as well before making a decision. At least if we have scheduled open showings we've blocked out that time for everyone, and serious people make it their business to show up at one of them. 

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  • Jon Q.
    Investor · Berkeley, CA · Member since 2015 · 1k+ posts · 713 votes
    10y
    Originally posted by @Julie Marquez:

    @Jon Q. @Jennifer L. and for those who helped with my listing, I just wanted to follow up and tell you that we signed the rental agreement this morning at the original rent of $1700 a month, with the tenant moving in on the 15th. Overall, we got a lot of interest, but not sure how many of the interested folks would have actually followed through with showing up to see the place. This applicant actually drove up during one of our advertised open house times and filled out an application right there and then.

    I now have a good ad description and decent photos for the next time I need to advertise the home, and want to do so before it is vacated. I also learned that the house should be clean and show ready before we show it. The turnover process has been a big learning experience too, and I am going to write up a post describing our timeline and how we did for the turnover between tenants.

    That's great Julie!

    Thanks for updating us. I'm glad you were able to locate a qualified tenant.

    1Reply
  • Account Closed
    Wholesaler · Belleville, IL · Member since 2016 · 5 posts · 0 votes
    10y

    Chasing appointments is a crazy life style. You can choose to operate on appointments. If so you need to have a system in place to begin the screening process right on the phone. Ask them who they are, get a phone number, ask them what they are looking for, amount budgeted for rent, total household income. number of proposed residents. We charge rent based upon number of additional occupants in excess of two per bedroom. The exception is when code enforcement limits the number of residents. Get them committed to the process and you will have a better chance of them showing up. Perform exit interview and ask your departing tenants what they liked about the house and about you. Get the former tenants permission to quote them in your advertising material. The other option is to ask all the same questions and schedule showings that week. Ask the applicant if they would prefer attending to see the house on Wednesday Evening or Saturday morning. Then set a specific time to show them the property. Make them feel exclusive. schedule your appointments to give them 20 minutes of your undivided attention. Date and time all applications received.

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  • Matthew Oravets
    Investor · Lake Mary, FL · Member since 2016 · 2 posts · 0 votes
    10y
    One thing I have done when phone screening prospective tenants is tell them there is a $20 application fee that is due when they fill out my application. I tell them this fee will be credited towards first month's rent if they are selected. Then I ask when they would like to come see the property. Usually you know right at that moment if they are serious or not.
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  • Julie MarquezPro Member
    OP
    Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes
    10y

    @Account Closed Yup, we charge $40 (that's the actually cost of the screening by a 3rd party) when they turn in an application. We only screen the one potential tenant (after our initial screening and showing), and they never get reimbursed for the cost.

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  • Ken Musial
    Virginia Beach, VA · Member since 2016 · 46 posts · 33 votes
    10y

    I recently had the exact same problem.  It likely has nothing to do with your yard since my unit is a condo with well-kept grounds.  I think the average tenant just carries a bit more apathy and it's probably a good thing that they showed their true colors to you right off the bat.  I have since tried to schedule as many back to back appointments as possible so the actual trip isn't wasted.  I also don't entertain another showing if someone calls me back after they missed an appointment without letting me know.   

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  • Julie MarquezPro Member
    OP
    Investor · Skagit County, WA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 807 votes
    10y

    @Ken Musial Absolutely, don't even give someone a chance if they miss their initial appointment, that's a good way to screen. I've definitively learned to go back to back or open house style now.

    0Reply
  • George Smith
    Investor · Latham, NY · Member since 2014 · 217 posts · 65 votes
    9y
    I agree with Judy. You need to tell them that you're going to call one hour prior to the appointment and if they don't answer or call back within 30 minutes(or you're driving time) then it will automatically get cancelled. Another investor also just advised me to have them drive by the property first and then fill out and application online prior to setting up the appointment. When I first started screening tenants I did have a good percentage of them tell me they qualify on the phone, come to the showing, and then find out that they really don't qualify. Hopefully, having them fill out an application prior to eliminates some of this. Or... fill out a pre-application questionnaire to see if they qualify. This will prob be quicker for the tenant.
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