I read Wallace's Blog post called "Trust but Verify..." about doing your due diligence on tenants. They may be feeding you a load while they are smiling your face. Do the home work on them and get the facts.
Here is my technique...
I price the room/house just below rental market rates to get a good buzz and get lots of calls.
I schedule a 1 Day Open house and set aside 15 min. appointments for tenants to show up. (None of this... " Can I come by now to see the room/ house?"... on their time. Take the upper hand and scheule time on your terms.the appointments makes the home seem special, like the velvet ropes at a nite club, it feels more exclusive and special. If they are late, they don't get to come in. See ya!
I require a rental application, I previously sent them online, to be completely filled out before the appointment. No form, no further conversation. Bye-Bye now!
If they jump through those 2 hoops I give them a quick tour of the home and realy talk to them. I ask personal questions, family history questions... it gives me insight into who they are as people. I will only rent to people I feel comfortable with. Trust your gut!
By then the 15 min are up, I tell them I will be checking their references and get back to them in 2 days. Typically I have 2-3 people that have made it through every hoop out of 10 and I make my choice.
The goal is to gage, integrity, time management and overall normalcy. It has been a very useful tool especially in a college town with a huge demand for great rentals. I know this works for family rentals as well. My intention is to share this and have others build on the concept. It has woked for me for over 10 years.
 | "A Realtor that knows homes." Traci Ferguson 805-235-6396 traci@traciferguson.com http://www.traciferguson.com License #01875751, ecoBroker #16082 |
