Best Times or Days to Show Vacant Units

[Marie R.]

Hello everyone,

I'm a property manager full time in California as well as the leasing agent for my portfolio of approximately 112 properties... on average I have about 6 vacancies and therefore I have to rent the properties out while still managing my portfolio. (Dealing with maintenance, doing move-ins/move-out inspections etc) My work hours are 8:30 am - 5 pm (although I typically work until 8:30 pm or 9 pm daily) I noticed that prospective tenants always ask to view properties in the evenings as they claim they can't request time off from work. How late should I make myself available for showings? Sometimes I worry about showing properties too late for safety reasons and also it would be nice to go home at a timely hour for once... has anyone had this problem where no one shows up during normal business hours? I have no problem showing properties on weekends as well, but it would be nice to get some weekends off for once. I'm currently working a minimum of 65+ hour weeks. Maybe it's just wishful thinking.. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thanks! 

[Jeffrey H.]

When I have a rental listed I take a lot of really detailed photos and provide a ton of information about the listing.  If someone then wants a showing I will say, "great, we will be performing a background check and need a $35 per person 18+ years old applying to live in the home - after we have processed this successfully I will gladly show you the property in person."

This approach weeds out the tenants you don't want and reduces the number of bogus showings (e.g. people just tire kicking).  Some people still believe that more showings = more chances to rent something.  I believe that fewer showings from higher quality applicants equates to less work and more money long term.

There are lots of ways to do this, but the above it what works for me and my schedule, and my wallet.