Sceened tenants, 1st time for our first property

[Brandon G.]

We took over management of a property this year.  I just put signs out Saturday and have about 10 calls on the property in the last 3 days.  I've been listening to the podcasts for quite a while and this is my first post, other than my introduction, so that's a pretty cool step for me.  It's funny because you can listen and learn forever but when it comes time to do it I feel like it almost all flies out of my head at the last minute.  Anyway, the forums and podcasts have been very helpful.

I'm currently out of town so I had someone show the house for me.  We decided to have a showing on Wednesay between 6 and 6:30 pm, staggering 5 different people that were supposed to show up between those times.  Out of 5 people only two showed up, just as others on the podcasts have explained.  I think having a showing with multiple people showing up is a bit unorthodox for this area but I think it really weeded out a lot of the potential problem tenants.  Those that were serious found a way to make it to the showing and were willing to make the effort.  

I now need to determine the best way for me to do credit and background checks.  I'm not sure why but I have this looming hesitation about this step because it is all completely new to me and I found I have a small amount of dread.  I would prefer to use a local store rather than an internet website and then when I find the credit score, I'm honestly not exactly sure what to do with it.  I've read online that mid 600s is passable credit and 680 and up is good.  

[Travis Christl]

I think you made a mistake by having someone else show your property. Credit and background checks are critical but don't underestimate the info you gain in a showing. It's like an interviewing someone for a job. Why are they moving, what are they looking for, how do they carry themselves. All are critical free info you missed.