When you ask your prospect to come out and see your rental property, you may get a non- committal response or an excuse that she can’t make it no matter how many different appoint- ment times you offer over the next week. Of course, the most popular excuse you can expect to hear is that she’s just begun calling, and your rental ad is the first one she called on. This statement may be true, so you need to be polite and patient. But if you’re truly her first call, then it’s likely she called you first for a reason — your advertising made your rental sound like her best option. So patience can be a virtue, as long as you’re not too patient.
Be honest, but don’t hesitate to let the prospect know you already have or will soon be receiv- ing many more rental inquiry calls. Let her know that it’s your intent to sign a rental contract with
the most qualified rental prospect but that you also process the rental applications in the order in which they’re received. So if you have two or more qualified applicants, you may lean toward the first qualified rental prospect who submitted an application. This knowledge creates a sense of urgency for the caller.
If you anticipate receiving interest in your rental property from multiple callers, set up one or two open houses so you can show the rental property to several interested prospects in just a couple of hours instead of making multiple trips. In tight rental markets, this method often creates a competitive or even auction-like envi- ronment, in which one prospect doesn’t want to lose out to another. There’s nothing like a little competition to instill a call to action in potential renters!
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Chapter 8: Handling Prospects When They Come A’Calling
prospects to schedule an open house for multiple renters. In this case, you need to be prepared to show your rental unit in the evenings and on week- ends, because that’s often when prospects are available. Of course, you can still try to consolidate your appointments to a certain time frame, but don’t push this scheduling too far. Asking prospects to conform to your calendar may turn them off.
If you have to schedule individual appointments to show your property, be sure you have the phone numbers for your prospects. Almost everyone has a cellphone these days, so call each person to verify the rental showing before making a special trip to the property. By calling, you’re also reassuring the prospect that you’ll be there and won’t be delayed.
Crime is a concern in virtually all parts of the U.S. Making an appointment to show a stranger your rental property can be an opportunity for someone criminally inclined. Be alert and take reasonable steps to protect yourself. If you ever have an uneasy feeling about a prospective tenant, decline the rental showing rather than risk personal injury. Limit your rental showings to day- light hours and bring someone with you, if at all possible. If you’d prefer, tell your rental prospect to meet you outside, right in front of the property or at another public location, and require a picture ID before showing the unit. You can then use your cellphone to call a family member or friend and tell that person the name and driver’s license number of your rental prospect. If you want, have someone call you on your cellphone to check in throughout the showing. Of course, if you ever feel uncomfortable, be polite yet firm, end the rental tour, and leave immediately. Don’t ever put yourself in a dangerous situation!
Providing directions to the property
When you have a commitment from the rental prospect to come to the prop- erty for an open house or rental showing, make sure you can provide clear and easy-to-follow directions from anywhere in your area. Many Internet sites can provide your prospect with personalized directions from her location to your rental property. Because many of your prospects likely have Internet access, the need to provide directions to your property may not seem to be a priority.
However, giving directions may not be quite as simple and unimportant as you may think. Often the online directions don’t offer the most scenic or time-efficient path to your rental property. You always want to offer your own directions, or at least suggest a route that approaches your rental property from a certain direction.
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Carefully consider the best route for your rental prospect. Take into con- sideration the traffic conditions she faces at the time of the open house or appointment. Think about which route presents the neighborhood in the best light. You want the route to be direct, but don’t hesitate to have the prospective tenant come in from a different direction if doing so provides her with important information, such as the great shopping, schools, or other benefits of the area near your rental property.
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