All Forum Posts by: Scott Wang

 Well that sucks!  I thought it was just about not discriminating.  I'll check into it.  I'm not sure I have the time, energy, or resources to look at all of the inquiries.

In the meantime I'm open to suggestions regarding the logistics of managing prospective tenants.

Thanks @Kevin Stein for the podio suggestion; I'll check into it.   I'm also looking at RentecDirect.

I like the idea of getting applications from everyone and doing pre-screening before showing... I'll start working on that.

My dad runs an HVAC company so I'm biased but I would go with the 90% efficiency.   If I buy a house that already has an 80% furnace I'll leave it in until the furnace needs to be replaced, but then take that opportunity to upgrade it.

If you go with a high efficiency furnace, don't let them trick you into buying anything fancy.  The multi-stage furnaces use extremely expensive circuit boards and fans so repair costs will be high.  Get a high efficiency model but go with the low-end of that spectrum.

I'm a newbie with 3 single-family homes in rural Wisconsin (towns around here have populations under 2,000).  I'm in the process of finding a tenant for one of the homes.  I stuck an ad on craigslist and quickly received 25+ inquiries.  Rental inventories around here are very low and a lot of people are looking.

My question is how do I sort and manage these inquiries?  I have shown the house to 3 of them and have minor details on a couple more, but the only thing I have on the remaining 20 interested parties is their phone number.

When you are looking for a tenant, how do you manage those inquiries?  Do you give everyone that applies a fair shot or do you select the first good applicant you see and tell everyone else sorry?

If I had a lot of money, liked the property, and wanted to give myself an edge over other prospective tenants, I would offer to pay the full year up front too.  And if cash closed the deal I'd offer that too.  It's red flag but I wouldn't let that completely turn you away.  But you'd definitely want to meet her and do as much of a background/credit check as you can.  And don't give occupancy (or anything else) until the lease is signed and payment is made.

I think some of those background/credit search services will waive the tenant consent if you meet certain requirements.  I had to have an on-site inspection to prove that I had a legitimate office (a segregated room in my home) and a way of securing tenants' applications (in a locked filing cabinet).