Sugar Grove, IL · Member since 2015 · 51 posts · 17 votes
Finally got my first rental ready to be rented. Biggest thing that scared me was finding a qualified tenant.
Old School - Talked to 3 landlords in the town who said it has taken then up to six months to get tenants the last few years. Their method -
Sign on the lawn
Tell the people you know
Let the local real estate agents know
Take in apps
Deny, deny deny until you kiss your prince.
(about 10-15 contacts over six months).
New School - Posted it on Zillow and Facebook Messenger. At least 60 inquiries in first two weeks, 3 got to background check/application, 1 qualified candidate signed a lease in week 3. Most of my candidates came from out of town and would have never seen the sign.
Their tenants drop personal checks or cash of at their door. My tenant prefers ACH and likes the auto-notify/receipt from tenantcloud.
This is a very small market. Almost everyone under 40 goes online for their info regardless the community demographic.