How Do Showcase A Rental Remotely Without A Property Manager?

Question

I will be remote and renting my first home soon. How do you showcase a rental property remotely?

Chris Seveney · Answer

Why are you not using a property manager is the first question I want to ask? Are you going to visit the property, review and approve all the applications (or reject them), schedule all the maintenance, inspections, repairs etc?

IF not using a property manager, you can use an agent but just know for the $500-$1000 they will make they in many instances are not going to be hustling for you unless you pay them more as its not worth their time or effort (or putting in a big marketing push).

I say this not to criticize, but to provide the truth that not using a PM, being out of state and using an agent to rent it is probably gonna take longer than you want.

Janice Carter · Answer

@Nasir Smith If you are out of state, I strongly recommend hiring an agent who specializes in rental properties to market the home, coordinate showings, screen applicants and secure a qualified tenant. The right tenant can make all the difference, especially when you are not local. Also, as a FYI, Georgia requires out-of-state landlords to have a local licensed real estate broker manage the property on their behalf.

Jim Johnson · Answer

When I first started thinking about remote management, property showings were one of the biggest questions I had too.

From what I've seen, most remote landlords end up using a combination of:

• High-quality photos and video walkthroughs
• Self-showing lockboxes or smart locks
• Pre-screening applicants before scheduling showings
• Local contacts for situations that require someone on-site

The biggest lesson I've learned is that good marketing reduces a lot of the showing workload. If the photos, video, floor plan, and property details answer most questions upfront, you'll spend less time coordinating with people who aren't serious applicants.

For a single rental, I'd probably start with a self-showing system and strong pre-screening rather than paying for a full property manager. As the portfolio grows, the economics may change.

Out of curiosity, is the property currently vacant, or will you be trying to show it while a tenant is still living there? That can make a big difference in how you approach the process.

Nasir Smith · Answer

The home is my own current residence. I am military so I will be set to move in a few months

Kerlous Tadres · Answer

@Nasir Smith, good video walkthroughs posted on Zillow and Facebook Marketplace go a long way. From my experience, a well-lit 2 to 3-minute video tour plus a few dozen high-quality photos will do most of the heavy lifting for you. I'd also recommend using an app like Showdigs or a local property manager to handle in-person showings on your behalf so you never miss a qualified tenant.

Henry Lazerow · Answer

You do still need a realtor to run the rental listings. I have lots of clients from out of state run rentals like this and use a handyman for repairs while self managing, it works well as long as its a class A type area. I actually think agents market way harder then property managers, I list all my rentals open to market for my firms 200 person team so they get strong exposure and also pay for constant syndications to keep them at the top of all the sites. The junkiest rental listings I see are usually from property managers who take photos off their phones.

How Do Showcase A Rental Remotely Without A Property Manager?

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