Lower income tenants and the internet

[Joe Butcher]

I have a property that is in a lower income area. Not a war zone, just a working class, mostly Hispanic area. It's a C or C+ neighborhood I suppose.

I want to put a For Rent sign in the front yard but didn't want to put my phone number on it, as I really don't want to deal with phone calls asking stupid questions.

My idea is to put my website address on the sign, and when you go to the site there will be pictures, description, etc. In fact I would like to make the whole application process on line only.

My concern is this.......are lower income folks less likely to have internet access? If you are familiar with the Hispanic community in these types of areas you know that there are also many that don't speak english.

Am I under-estimating or over-estimating the "web savvy-ness" of my potential tenants? Am I limiting my possible pool of applicants?

I know this would work great in a B neighborhood, but would love to hear from others who have tried this in these types of neighborhoods.

Joe Butcher, Dallas TX

[Andy Luick]

One of the reasons that poor people remain poor is that they are the greatest consumers.....my lower income renters have the $1,500 tv's and latest smart phones but they take public transportation and will rent forever. You should leave your number on the sign...or get a cheap Metro PCS phone for just the business and screen through the voicemails. I'd turn the property into shared housing for a whole variety of reasons but that is just me. Set up a professional voicemail and get back to people....if you don't speak spanish, get someone to translate for you. Our hispanic renters pay timely but I speak some spanish and my brother is fluent.

Everyone is on the internet but everyone wants personal contact and to speak with a real person when it comes to renting. We meet people in person at a public place and then over-book the property visit to create some buyer frenzy...works well for us. With smart phones, most everyone is surfing the internet for rentals these days but keep the personal contact....even stupid questions, handled well lead to business down the road. I had someone who remembered me from a couple of years ago when they were trying to rent a property....refer me to their landlord who wanted out immediately....and I got a steal just for being nice 2 years ago!