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Attract Better Tenants with the Perfect Open House

Attracting the right tenants can be a difficult task, but representing yourself as a high-quality landlord starts from the moment you make contact with potential tenants. One of the most lucrative ways you can attract better, higher-paying candidates is a well-planned open house showing. Follow these guidelines to make your showing as professional as possible and land yourself a dream tenant.

Is All Starts with the Listing

The first impression you make on potential renters comes through your listing, so do your research and craft one that will catch a potential candidate’s eye while laying out all of the amenities your property can offer. Once you’ve crafted this ideal listing, post it on sites that will connect you to a wider audience of wanting renters. Apartment search engines like Hotpads.com and Apartmentfinder.com offer various ways to showcase the best components of your property, with interactive maps, easy listing templates, and a variety of other listings to help you compare and competitively price your rental.

Schedule Showings

Don’t wait to schedule showings as you begin to receive inquiries. Be proactive and set a few dates during which potential candidates can attend. This will make preparing the home more manageable for you. You’ll want your showing to be convenient for prospective tenants; schedule it for at least 48 hours after your posting goes up, during non-business hours, and on a weekend date if at all possible. This will mean more traffic for you and a better pool of candidates to choose from.

Understand the Area

You need to come into an open house with thorough knowledge of the neighborhood and surrounding areas. This includes detailed insight on local restaurants and shopping, the school district your property falls under, and nearby outdoor areas like public parks that tenants will be able to take advantage of. If you have the time, make fliers that will detail these issues and hand them out to tenants as they walk in to peruse at their disposal.

Consider the Details

Even the smallest of efforts can make a huge difference in your open house. Time your showings during the best time of the day. If your property offers amazing views of sunset, schedule your open house an hour before and allow visitors to see the beauty offered. Avoid showing the home on a day where the garbage is out to be picked up—curb appeal is important. Make the apartment or house feel homey by providing fresh-baked treats, like a plate of brownies or a fruit platter to encourage your guests to take their time and really take in the space. If it doesn’t make sense to bake inside the home, you can just as easily order cookie bouquets and have them set up on the counter when inquiring candidates attend your showings. Little touches like these provide a more personal connection, and will be an attractive facet of your showing to quality tenants.

Recruit a Co-host

If an influx of potential renters arrive at the same time, you’ll need some backup help. Consider recruiting a co-host to help you show the place. It’s likely you’ll receive many people during the showing (if your listing did the job it was supposed to) and it’s unlikely you’ll be able to give each candidate the attention they need throughout the entirety of the open house. If your property boasts outdoor amenities that you’ll want to show off during the listing, i.e. a barbecue area, pool, etc., you can have your co-host serve as a guide to these areas, while you remain in the main home to welcome any other arrivals.

Communicate with Current Tenants

If there are tenants residing in the property you are attempting to show, do your due diligence and keep up with communication, letting them know at least a week in advance that they’ll need to be out of the home on the specified dates. Offer to pay for a meal for your current tenants—this thoughtful gift will get them out of the house and thank them for their efforts. The more respect you provide to them, the more you’ll receive in kind, and this will hopefully result in a cleaner apartment and less work for you when it comes time to clean up the space for viewings.

Pulling off a successful open house requires honing in on the details and plenty of preparation, but when done correctly, could mean wonderful things for your tenant placement and rental income.

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