Showings for Prospective Tenants from Out of State

[Luis Espinoza]

Hello! We are closing on our first out-of-state investment. How do you handle showings for prospective tenants from out-of-state? We would prefer not to use a property manager, and our realtor is charging one month's rent to assist with showings.

Can you hire someone and pay them per showing to open up the property and walk it with the prospective tenants? 

[Travis Biziorek]

Everyone has told you to hire a PM.

I'm going to play devil's advocate. I manage 12-doors in Detroit from California. I try to avoid turns because I haven't solved your exact problem yet.

Where is your property located? 

If it's in a nice area you could have internet and a smart lock installed. Or just have a lockbox placed somewhere. Get into a local FaceBook group for real estate investors. Post asking for someone to help as "boots on the ground" and to do some showings. Pay them enough to make it worth their time.

You should also be able to find recommendations for plumbers, electricians, etc. in that group.