How to handle out of state prospective tenants?

[Kimberly T.]

How do you handle people calling about a rental when they live out of area? They seem to want to apply and secure a rental before they move, and won't be visiting the area to check out rentals prior to moving. I'm leery of renting to someone that neither I nor my realtor has met in person, and who hasn't seen the rental house in person. After all, I've had lots of times where someone is all excited about a rental when they call, then they see the home in person and decide they don't like it. And then how would I handle verifying their identity and all that prior to signing a lease?

What do other landlords do?