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Updated almost 9 years ago, 01/26/2016
No shows
I had the same exact experience...thought an open house was the way to go and not one person showed up so it was back to individual showings...maybe potential renters think there will be a lot of other renters at the open house so they don't stand a chance....
i typically call right before I leave if it is one showing. I tell them when i set it up that i will call to confirm and if I don't have confirmation, I won't show up.
i also try to do showings 15 minutes apart with multiple possible tenants. that way if one doesn't show, I'm not wasting a trip and I only have to wait 15 minutes.
sorry to hear that they flaked on you. It's worse when u have tenants in the unit and are coordinating showings out of state. In that case I offer a finders fee to the tenants and they run with it.
Confirming appointments the day before helps and making it clear that you will be there for them should tell them your taking time out of the day for them. Facebook groups works like the Pinellas buy and sell page. If it's in a busy area even a bandit sign with a balloon, price and showing time might create a buzz.
if you get real creative you could create a flyer and go to your local Publix where they have the apartment guide books by the exit and put your flyers in each one of them.
I dont have an open house- rather I schedule every 15 minutes within an hour. I give two options - either in the early eve or first thing in the morning. I text them to remind and ask them to bring income verification, application fee and a deposit if they decide to take it.
When they see others looking at the house, that normally motivates the decision.
I also always group showings together because I expect no shows. I typically keep a record of who no showed, so if they want to see it again I dont waste my time with them. 5 out of 5 is pretty bad though.
- Russell Brazil
- [email protected]
- (301) 893-4635
- Podcast Guest on Show #192
I use the same strategy but I do not tell them it's an "open house". They are more likely to show up if they think it's an individual appointment. It also creates the feeling of competition and sense of urgency to get their application in.
Another thing I've noticed is that the rate of no shows is greatly increased if you schedule appointments longer than 48 hours out.
I used to have about a 50% no show rate. People are just flakes and it was wasting a lot of my time. But then I changed two things and now I rarely (if ever) have no shows.
1) I do group showings now whenever possible instead of individual ones spaced 15-30 minutes apart. That way if one person doesn't show, I still have others to show it to and I didn't waste an entire trip for one person who didn't even show up. Plus, I think there's an added benefit in that the potential applicants can see that there are others interested in the property and it tends to motivate them to turn in their applications quicker.
2) After I schedule an appointment, I require that the person call me back at least an hour beforehand to confirm the appointment. I tell them during the initial phone call that if they don't call me back to confirm, I'll assume they're no longer interested and I won't be at the property. Some people don't call back to confirm, but I just don't show up in those cases so it wastes none of my time. And I figure all those people who didn't call back to confirm would have been no shows anyway, so I'm always happy that I required the call back so I didn't waste my time driving to the property for nothing.
I was doing showings half hour apart, but quickly figured out roughly half won't show up and then I'm stuck there waiting for the next one. Now I schedule either 15 min or at the same time (there's always someone that's early or late anyway)
Russell Brazil - I have a similar rule. If someone does a no call/no show, their number/email gets added to a contact named "Blocked Blocked" in my iPhone, which just happens to be blocked....
If they demonstrate irresponsible behavior on first impression, why would I ever saddle myself with them as a resident?
I had very bad result when advertising for an open house. Now I do group showing, but don't tell them about it. Saturdays between 10am and noon work best for me; so I just ask them to pick a time between 10 and noon on Saturday.
This is the process we use and we hardly ever have no shows
1. Pre-screen over the phone, text or email and let the candidate know your minimum requirements to rent the unit.
2. Tell them if none of the minimum requirements are an issue that you can schedule a time to view the unit.
3. Let them lead as far as what time and day the appointment will after you let them know the days and times you are not available.
4. Once you decide on a date and time tell them you will be texting them the day of the appointment to confirm they still plan on coming.
5. On the day of the appointment text the candidate 1-3 hours before the appointment, confirm the appointment time and tell them to text you back if they will be coming and if they need to reschedule to let you know.
If you find you have limited availability to show the unit I would highly recommending hiring someone to rent the unit for you.
- Michael Noto
Like others here I do not advertise as an open house. Because both my husband and I work FT, we schedule all showings at from 10:00 to 11:00 on Saturdays. We have had a lot of interest with our properties so it's not a waste for us to spend one hour a week doing a site check. Plus if only one person out of five shows, it's still better than running back and forth for five separate appointments.
Originally posted by @Robert Curls:
I recently advertised a home I have for rent in Clearwater, a great 2/2 with updated kitchen and baths, a really nice property. Just lie the last several times I've lists I had a lot of demand to see it. So I thought, rather than going back and forth I'd set all of the appointments for the same 30 min window and have an open house. Of the 5 people who said they would be here. Not one showed up.
I haven't had this issue in the past when booking individual appointments. What have others experienced in the open house style showing of rentals?
I would have to say I have not had that experience. When I used to lease my properties I did 15min windows to avoid the down time. Where did majority of your leads come from? Also are you calling to touch base before you meet the prospects at the property?
#5 Managing Your Property Contributor
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#5 Managing Your Property Contributor
- Real Estate Broker
- New Brunswick, NJ
Here's what works VERY well for me.
I tell them to please text me one hour before to confirm they're coming. If they don't text me, I don't show. Follow my simple directions. If you can't, you basically just eliminated yourself.
- Peter Tverdov
- [email protected]
- 732-289-3823
I agree with Peter T. It's essential to make phone/text contact w/ would-be tenants just prior to a showing.
As stated elsewhere, I would approach showings & open houses with care.... if possible bring someone with you; at a minimum tell someone where you're going & how long you'll be gone.
As Michael N. said, you may also want to hire this process out to someone you trust.
Good luck!
I deal with tenant inquiries by email only because it's easiest for me personally. I also find tracking individual appointments, phone numbers, confirmations, etc to be a headache. I send an email back to all inquiries (from a script I copy/paste) with basic property info, requirements, and details for open house times (typically one evening and one weekend, and hour in length). I put in BIG BOLD LETTERS to please RSVP for an open house date. I also urge the prospects to bring application materials.
I copy/paste all email addresses into the BCC field of an email draft as I reply to the inquiries. I email all the prospects a reminder the day before the showing. I'm having pretty good luck with that approach, but have noticed some rentals have flakier prospects than others. Hope this helps!
Oy, so much time and effort texting, calling, emailing, verifying, confirming... Robert just keep doing what you're doing, except don't tell your prospective tenants it's an open house, just tell them you are showing the property at 5:00pm and at 5:30 pm what time do you prefer? Just schedule a crap load of them over this time period, 5:00 or 5:30 or whatever 2 times you prefer. Some won't show, some will be on time, some will say they will be there at 5:00 won't show until 5:25... but why would you care what they do? You're there from 5:00-5:45, 45 minutes of your time no more, those that show will show up those that won't won't. I love the looks on some people's faces when they show up and find other people looking at the property! They are like whoa, what's going on here? There are other people looking at the place! LOL
I personally use the "prospect has to call or txt me 1 hour before the showing confirming they will be there" and I can't tell you how many times this has saved me from wasting my time in showing up to the property just to sit there twiddling my thumbs waiting for people that don't show.
Originally posted by @Robert Curls:
I recently advertised a home I have for rent in Clearwater, a great 2/2 with updated kitchen and baths, a really nice property. Just lie the last several times I've lists I had a lot of demand to see it. So I thought, rather than going back and forth I'd set all of the appointments for the same 30 min window and have an open house. Of the 5 people who said they would be here. Not one showed up.
I haven't had this issue in the past when booking individual appointments. What have others experienced in the open house style showing of rentals?
Did everyone you spoke to know that it was going to be an open house type arrangement?
The problem is that we are in the quiet period, and there will be plenty of stock out there at the moment. If there are better deals out there, tenants will see them first.
I normally schedule the showings 15 minutes apart so that if some one does not show up , I am not wasting my time and if all of them show up then they are more motivated so that they do not loose that house. I always have more applicants when then they all show up on time.
Congrats! You just successfully screened out 5 flaky tenants and saved yourself all sorts of potential headaches as a landlord. I use a similar strategy, and if they don't show or are even 1 minute late they just self-screened-out. If they are late to meet you for a showing appointment, they'll be late on rent too.
Originally posted by @Robert Curls:
I recently advertised a home I have for rent in Clearwater, a great 2/2 with updated kitchen and baths, a really nice property. Just lie the last several times I've lists I had a lot of demand to see it. So I thought, rather than going back and forth I'd set all of the appointments for the same 30 min window and have an open house. Of the 5 people who said they would be here. Not one showed up.
I haven't had this issue in the past when booking individual appointments. What have others experienced in the open house style showing of rentals?
Hello Robert,
This is a great question! You don't want to waste your time going to your unit if no one is going to show up to see it!
This is a very hard situation to avoid. I know that sometimes people show up, and other times they won't, for whatever reason.
Sometimes open houses are great when the unit has been sitting for awhile. If not, I might recommend still trying to do one-on-ones. The applicants feel more taken care of when they have your full attention. At least, that is what we normally do.
Also, when I have an individual coming to see a home, I like to call them and make sure they remember to come. It's nice to send them friendly reminders, because sometimes they forget.
Let me know if you have any questions.