These Three Simple Practices Help Seal the Deal with Potential Renters

There's a lot of competition in many real estate markets. If you want potential residents to lease from you instead of from the competition, it's important to cover all of your bases. The following tips can help you stand out from the crowd and seal the deal with prospective renters.

Meet all potential residents in person.

In today's world of big business, many residents are looking for a more personal relationship with their landlord or property manager. Meeting all residents yourself will help convey this personalized touch. Even if you do not take all visitors on property tours yourself, being present in the leasing office and at least greeting visitors before they head off on a tour with one of your employees is a good choice.

If you have a large apartment community and meeting all potential residents in person is not a possibility, then an alternative is to advertise an hour or two each week that interested tenants can stop by the leasing office and meet you. Post these hours on your website and social media pages so interested tenants know this is an option.

Be flexible about move-in dates.

Finding time to move is always tough for busy residents. If you limit the days upon which your potential tenants can move in, you may lose them to another property, simply because that properly makes the move-in process more convenient. Some property management companies like to have all tenants move in on the 15^th or 30^th of the month. While this may be a bit nicer for accounting purposes, it is not the most helpful for tenants. Consider instituting this policy if you're looking to attract more tenants: let them move in on whichever day is convenient for them and pro-rate the rent based on that moving date.

Inform them about some amenities or benefits that are not widely advertised in your marketing materials.

If potential tenants are on the fence as to whether or not to lease an apartment, informing them about one or two additional amenities that they may not have thought of already can push them over to the "yes" side of the fence. This requires a bit of planning. Choose an amenity that residents are sure to enjoy, but that is not one of your most attractive amenities. (Things like a children's play room, free paint color choices, morning coffee delivery services, or dry cleaning services work well). Hold off on advertising this one amenity. When tenants are nearing the end of their tour and you can tell they are making a decision, say something like, "Have you heard about our coffee service and dry cleaning pickup services?"

Sealing the deal with a possible new tenant often hinges on the little details. Cover your bases with the tips above, and you'll have an easier time getting that lease signed. If you're looking to hire a property manager to free up some of your time, consider getting in touch with ABC Property Managers Inc.