All Forum Posts by: Angie W.

@Colleen F. Thanks for sharing your experience. I guess the best thing for me to do is just try to find some PM's in the area and ask what services they provide. I know this subject has been brought up a lot and I've tried to read what I can. There is so much info here on BiggerPockets sometimes it's hard to decipher it all :)

@Bill Gulley Thanks for the info I will have to check into it!

I currently have my SFR listed on Craigs list and a sign in the yard. I have found that 90% of the calls I get everyday is from the sign and they all want the same general info.

For the last few days I have set up my Google Voice # with a message that contains all the general information that most have asked and set it to "do not disturb". In doing this the calls go directly to voice mail with the option to leave a message to set up an appointment if they are still interested. If they leave a message I call them back and set up an appointment.

I'm curious to know from more experienced landlords if you feel that automating the information may deter potential solid tenants because they don't want to leave a message - or is this a good way to field calls that may not be interested in the first place. What is your experience?

How much of your rental business do you automate? (rent collection, phone calls etc.) Do you feel it has hurt or helped your business?

@Bill Gulley Thanks for the input. What is a rental listing service? What would be the best way to find one in my area?

I'm trying to find other avenues to find a tenant. I currently have it listed on Craigs list (which has not been very successful) and a sign in the yard (which generates calls needing general info) both of which are consuming all my time with no solid leads. I'm becoming pretty frustrated.

I have a general understanding what a property manager is but my questions revolve more around how much or how little can you hire them to do.

Can you still maintain some control over who they rent to and maintenance issues?

Who draws up and signs the lease?

In general can you contract them to find occupants only - or do they usually require to handle everything (collecting monthly rent, maintenance, lease violations, etc.)?

What are the pros to using a property manager? Other than the obvious of freeing up your time.

What are the cons? Other than the cost of their services.

We currently own only 1 SFR and we live close by. This was an eviction situation leading to an unexpected vacancy at this time of year. We are having trouble finding a tenant and at present I'm finding that we don't have the time/patience/resources to find a suitable tenant on our own. We'd much rather use that time researching new properties to build our portfolio.

Have you/do you use a property manager?

Do they have more resources to find tenants?

Where is a good place to start looking for one?

@Deborah Burian I am having the same issue with Craig's List ad. Very few calls and only 3 people in 3 weeks came to look at it! I had to resort to a sign in the yard (which I hate for several reasons). I know I am priced right for the area as there are 4 other properties currently for rent or just rented, with the same floor plan etc. and I called about them.

I was just chalking it up to the time of year. And I also list everything in my ad - details, area, pictures, etc. to avoid time wasted taking calls from someone who is either 1. not qualified, or 2. looking for something different.

Great info here! Many of my prospective tenants either do not have computer access (to pay online) or do not have a checking account - and many times do not have either one.

I will have to check into this deposit only account/card at my bank. Sounds like a great option

I'd be interested in hearing more about property managers also. I currently only own 1 SFR so I don't know if it is really worth it for me. If I owned more I would definitely check into it.

It gets tiring and stressful trying to find and then deal with tenants at times. But I also feel I am a little bit of a control freak and would have a hard time trusting someone else to vet an applicant like I do :)

@Steve Wilcox those all sound like great things to know/ask.

I have experimented with this very thing this month. Three years ago all I did was put a sign in the yard. This time around I started with a Craig's list ad only with no sign.

Because I list everything (other than exact address) in the ad, and the flood of apartment ads that post hourly in my area I didn't get too many calls and only a few showings - no apps.

After a week I put a sign in the yard. It has generated a ton of calls (due to no info only phone #) and more appointments, but a lot of no shows.

I have found that 95% of the people that call from seeing the sign I would not rent to (or they don't qualify). The lookers from craigs list all seem to be better candidates so far, but they never fill out an application. Seems like a toss up - the people that see the sign I know want to live in the area, but won't qualify, and the people from CL appear to qualify but I'm guessing aren't fond of the neighborhood.

Who knows - it's a bad time of year to fill a vacancy.

@David Foster You're right all of that should be collected up front. But sometimes I just let them fill out an app so they will go away. I get tired of debating issues and somehow letting them fill out the app satisfies them, even if I've already told them they won't qualify based on what they have told me. I just take it and say thank you have a nice day. I don't contact them and I never hear from them again.

@Aly W. That's funny I just had a girl tell me the same thing a couple of days ago. Her Mom would write me a letter stating that she paid her. NOT.

Right now I feel more like a private investigator instead of a landlord!

@Luke M. Everything is public record. In my county it is all online and we are required to file a rental contact listing name, address, title,and phone . If we don't we are fined. It is also my understanding that in Ohio, if the property is owned by an LLC you personally can not evict you HAVE to hire an attorney. You can however take them to small claims for damages.

@Account Closed I can appreciate what you are saying from the tenant perspective. Everyone has to do their due diligence when conducting business with individuals - tenants included. Tenants have the same access to records that I have. They may look up the property, find my name and spend the time researching me if they wish. I have never had anyone ask me for ID and I have never heard of anyone I know being asked for one either. I'm not sure how I would feel about it either.