Overwhelming renter response

[Bob Hines]

I've been a landlord for 5+ years now and I've never had this kind of response to a listing so I need some suggestions. On Monday I posted a house for rent stating we need 1 more week to finish so I only had a pic of the front, garage and yard as the house is still a mess. So far I have received 22 phone calls and 11 emails about the house. I've told them all I'm showing it 600-630 next Tuesday to keep everybody in a nice tight time frame. What do I do if I have 20+ people show up and if even a handful put in applications? I've always done a first come, first serve for reviewing applications because of the fee, but what if I have people racing to fill out forms in the kitchen at the same time? Go with the one that finishes 30 seconds before the other? The screening service I use charges $50 a person/married couple so I don't like to take money from a bunch of people because it's a real cost for them and a hassle to give it back.

What are some strategies that you have used with high demand situations?