More on this later.c) Make sure I have clipboards and pens.d) Make sure I have a blank sample of a lease (its required in my area to have this available to applicants before they fill out an application).e) Business cardsBefore the Showinga) If it's my first showing, I'll arrive a while before hand to set up the showing items.Visual - shower curtain liner, towels and hand soap in the bathroom, vases of fake flowers around the place in pleasant colors.Auditory - I use Pandora radio to play classical music at a soft volume.Olfactory - I place Air Wick air fresheners in apple cinnamon scent in one or two places in the unit.If it's not my first showing, I will have left these items there so I don't need to do this step more than once.b) Sweep, vacuum, or mop. 

Therefore I'm not going to let the flower child approach ruin my chances, especially when most of my competition probably is already living a cushy life compared to me.

This would not be a highly appreciating area, so the property would be more of a long term cash flower.  

If you need an outlest for generosity (or guilt), once or twice a year, send the lender a thank you package of fruit, candy, flowers, gift card to restaurant, iPad, etc.Good luck in Iowa, I'm from Ames.

Some neighborhoods I'm currently looking into or own in are Emerson Heights, Fountain Square, Bates Hendricks, Little Flower, Irvington, Christian Park, etc.

@Mike Flowers  and I are local here bud.

@Lily Boudon as a BP paid member you get a discount on Leadpropeller

Instead of flowers I am going to wash all the dishes, clean the floors, and refix a floor item I messed up last week. 

Jason gave me a list of the neighbors complaints some were legit and some were just crazy like (weeds in a flower bed) H&H won't do anything about weeds unless they are over 12" tall.

I put the sign out front in the flower bed that was shaped like a red stop sign and said "security system" or something like that.