Do you post rental Ads before it is ready to show?

Question

Hi, all,

This is a rental property in San Jose, CA.

My tenant is moving out in two weeks. If I post the ads now I am worried I can't show it before the tenant moves out and lose the momentum. How do you run the transition? What is the best way to make it smooth?

Regards,

Rose

Andrew Michael · Answer

I always market ahead of time, you want to have as quick a turnover as possible.  I would just be upfront and say you are gathering applicants and you will be hosting an open house at such and such date.  Once I have a date set I call people and make "appointments" for half hour time slots.  By giving them an actual appointment time and a confirmation phone call a few days before hand, I have found response rate to be much higher.  Also it allows you to spend time with each applicant and have them fill out an application right then and there.

Russell Brazil · Answer

I always advertise it early and tell people I can show it on a certain date. I make that date a few days after move out, so if I need to get it cleaned up I can.

Account Closed · Answer

Hi Rose,

I managed a building in Santa Clara by the university.  I learned that it was best to not show a unit until it was ready to go.  If you show a unit to someone before it's ready, or when the tenant's stuff is still in the unit, the applicant will have a hard time picturing their own stuff in the unit, and they will wonder if it will be ready for them, or if you will really do what you say you are going to do.

Plus, they won't feel comfortable opening closets and looking inside cupboards, etc., to see how much storage the place has.  It's just awkward.

And if an applicant sees a place before it's ready, they will start nitpicking other stuff they think should be fixed or changed.  They see the place as a place that needs work.  If you know what I mean.  Instead of a place that smells clean and like fresh paint.

Inevitable, they'd ask me if they could have different carpet or would I also be doing this or that, and mentioning upgrades they thought we should do - if they saw it before it was ready.  Whereas, if they see it ready to go, they will usually accept that that's what they will get and won't ask for more.  Of course there are exceptions, but in my experience, showing a unit before it was ready ended up with me dealing with a picky tenant who kept finding problems they thought we should fix.

I did things differently than Minh as far as open houses.  I liked to show the unit with just one applicant at a time.  It gave me the opportunity to hear what they would say to each other, and I could chat them up and find out why they're moving, etc.  I learned a lot that way, and could screen out the bickering couples or the ones who "accidentally" got to talking and told me something that made me not want to rent to them.  I wouldn't have been able to glean out those tidbits of info at an open house.

Rumen Mladenov · Answer

+1 for not advertising it until it is ready. I used to do that, and noticed that when I put an ad when I start working on a place, I get a lot of foot traffic and a lot of promises to come back in a couple of weeks to see the progress - almost never followed up. Halfway through the rehab people get more interested and some start submitting applications, and when I am close to done pretty much everyone who sees it fills out an application. However by then the foot traffic is much slower, so fewer applicants to choose from. Best to have the initial rush when the house is ready to show.

Ben Dao · Answer

I also think it should be ready before you show. I have shown units that were in the process of being fixed and renters cannot see the vision like us Landlords.  If you market too early and build up a bunch of calls that is ok, but they will not be as excited as when they first call you. So talking to prospects and showing them should be a couple days turn around if possible.

Christine Mwai · Answer

It depends on your present lease agreement, tenant and condition of the property.....it may work in your favor to show it early if the current tenant has maintained it well and is agreeable to well screened serious  potential tenants viewing at a convenient time. I just did this last week. In return, I gave my tenant a little monetary gift towards her move out expenses. I advertised, showed. She moved out on Thursday and my new tenants moved in on Saturday. .....fast and smooth and win win for all..Best wishes!

Chris T. · Answer

@Rong Liu

Do you have in your rental agreement that you have the rights to show the property if you give your current tenant some lead time? if so, I would do list/advertise it as soon as possible!

If your current tenants take care of the house properly, It may be to your advantage to show the house while it's occupied. So it looks "staged". But if they are not the cleanest or organized people, then maybe start advertising and follow up on serious inquiries. Show the house once it's rent ready.

95% of the people cannot see past what's in front of them. So I wouldn't show the house until it is rent ready.

Chad Hale · Answer

Hi Rong,

As a PM, it depends on a few things for me.

- How much work will the unit need to be ready for the next tenant.

- Is it in showable condition now?

- How desirable is the property.  How long does it typically take to rent?

- What time of year?  Around Christmas/New Years can be a harder time to rent.  More notice can be helpful

- How much time do you want to take to explain the situation, field inquiries, etc before you can either show it, lease it or both?

Cheers

Chad