5 Tips for the Best Apartment Walkthrough

realtor showing propertyWhen giving an apartment walk-through with a prospective resident, it is important that you have all your bases covered. This will make it easier for you as you move toward signing a lease, and it will also encourage your resident to choose your place over others. In order to ensure the best walkthrough success, check out these five tips:

1. Be personable

Nothing makes or breaks a commitment more than attitude. If you want to get a prospective resident to buy in, then sell the place based on its human aspect. Showcase the features of the apartment that you can maximize living in.

Talk about ways the space can be used, how people have used it in the past, etc. Don’t just point out the kitchen and say, “This is the kitchen, here is the oven.” Discuss the oven, its features, and how much food it can cook at a time.

Make the apartment into a home for the resident. It will be less work for the resident to think about, which is always a plus, and it will also help to make the seemingly empty place they look at now into something they can imagine living in.

2. Safety features

Make sure to take the prospective resident through a step-by-step analysis of each safety aspect of the apartment. This is probably the most important aspect of an apartment walk-through, and it will show that you are knowledgeable and caring about your residents’ well-being.

Show them all the possible exits in case of an emergency. Point out where the fire alarms and fire extinguishers are, as well as the carbon monoxide detectors. Tell them the last time they were tested, and how often maintenance does a check-up on them.

Point out the locks on all of the doors and on all of the windows and any peepholes. Let them know what the average crime rate is, and take this time to mention security at the front of the building as well. Be sure to mention any settings on the oven or stove that alarm of heat problems and how the apartment can be baby-proofed — if that seems to be a concern for them.

3. Beat the resident to his own questions

If the prospective resident has done his research, he will come ready with a list of questions. The best way to show the resident your apartment is worthy of his money is to be prepared with the answers, and, even better, to mention what he is going to ask BEFORE he asks it.

Aside from safety concerns, questions may include general utilities questions in regards to cost and use, pet policy, and, if you allow them, how that will work in the specific apartment you are standing in, and how much the furniture you are showing in the apartment now will be included in the actual rent.

4. Inspect the apartment prior to the walkthrough

This probably goes without saying, but it cannot be stressed enough that you should do an individual walkthrough of the apartment before you take a potential resident through. Even if you did a walkthrough right when the last resident left, you do not know what could have crept in since then. Best to not be caught in a surprise.

Turn all of the lights on and off, flush the toilets, run the water, turn on and off all of the appliances, and lift the shades up and down. If you see a problem, then point it out to the resident first. It will show that you are aware of the problem, and if you are the first to recognize the issue, then you can make it seem like less of a problem than the resident may think it is.

5. Analyze WITH the resident

The best thing you can do when conducting an apartment walkthrough is to not rush through it but to take the time to walk side-by-side with the potential renter and look at the nooks and crannies of the apartment together. Doing so will help you to avoid problems later if the potential resident does indeed decide to commit. You both will be aware of any damage already done to the apartment, so if there is new damage done when the resident leaves, there will be no discrepancy on what was there before versus after.

When you do this, make sure to have an inspection checklist on you for the written record. Conducting a side-by-side analysis will also show that you care about the well-being of the apartments you show and that you are not afraid to hide anything. It will show that you care what the resident has to say and of his concerns.

Source: rent.uloop.com