hassle finding solid tenants

[Austin Berlick]

Hi everyone -

I own a 5 bed 4 bath home here in North Austin, TX that I currently house hack. I've been doing 3-6 "trial leases" for new tenants and they can extend after; however, I have a W2 sales job that takes a lot of my time. Finding tenants via facebook, craigslist, word of mouth, etc.. doing a phone screen, running background checks, etc.. takes A LOT of my time. I'm starting to wonder better ways to outsource this work and find solid tenants who will stay for the long haul.

Unfortunately, I don't have tons of margin to work with. When I move out in Sept, get married, and fill my current room, I'll basically be breaking even after expenses and maintenance.

Any vets in here that have solid advice on how I can outsource finding awesome tenants who sign longer leases and all the work that goes into that?

[Alecia Loveless]

@Austin Berlick I’m not sure how you would outsource the leasing aspect of any property without incurring a leasing fee of 8-15% depending on market. Or at least first month’s rent.

I do agree that leasing is the single most time consuming thing about my rental portfolio.

I’m not sure if there’s anything you can do to maximize your leases and get the existing tenants to stay more than 1 year thereby reducing your efforts.

If it’s that much of a problem maybe offer some benefit to extend the lease past one year. (5% off/month) or some benefit that allows you to save time but is more cost effective than hiring a leasing agent.