Do you show the property before application?

[Hilary Graves]

After advertising our vacant unit, I had several people fill out an application right away, and now I'm getting a round of people who just want a showing to see if they are interested BEFORE they pay the money to fill out the application (on Zillow, which is $29 I think, because it includes credit/background check).   Is it customary to do showings before people even apply?  Just checking! TIA

[Filipe Pereira]

Yes, definitely regular and normal to show the unit before people apply @Hilary Graves . Find the happy medium and pre screen your potential tenants before investing the time to show the unit. If I were a renter, I sure wouldn't be throwing money at everyone in the form of an application fee just to have the privilege to view the unit. 

Markets vary of course, but this is what we're doing in CT / western MA.   

Check out this thread on how to screen tenants with no phone calls. https://www.biggerpockets.com/...