Think Rentals For Leads
Posted by Nancy Canfield | Visited 126 times, 2 so far today | Leave A Comment »
A client of mine calls me whenever her home becomes available for rent. Now, I’m not in the rental business, but I do them for existing clients. It’s very interesting to view the market through this lens. The number of people looking for homes for rent reflects people who were foreclosed on, moved into the area, sold but haven’t decided where to live, etc.
Since this rental was listed less than a week ago, I have received no less than a dozen inquiries, with six or seven showings. All but one of these people, who came from the MLS with an agent, came from Craigslist. They can’t all rent this one Home, so there are lots of potential clients here, both for rentals, and when they are ready to buy. I’ve had it happen. Not only do I do a credit check, I have a Private Investigator do it along with a background check. He charges $50. per person, which my client usually pays for. I explain to all parties that it’s important to rule out any criminal background such as drug dealing, which could result in the loss of my client’s home. Saying that has had the effect of about 90% of the would-be applicants telling me they’ll get back to me – and they don’t. Why do you think that is?
A rental is just as good as a listing for advertising in the paper, online, putting your sign out with fliers for the neighbors to take, holding open houses, and doing mailings. And if you get deluged with buyers or listings, just turn over the business to one of the two local Brokers who specialize in them.
If you want a thumbnail about how to go about being a rental agent, not property manager, drop me, Nancy Canfield, a line at ncanf@san.rr.com, and I’ll be happy to walk you thorugh it. Also, if you want any of these contacts referenced above. This is a great opportunity to touch everyone in your sphere, and ask them if they are thinking of renting their home, or know of anyone planning to do so, to allow you to assist them.
