Creative Property Management

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by Tracy Lee Parker

I have been very busy since school and graduation are over showing lease homes in my area. Seems everyone is ready to move.

I recently took a class called “Creative Property Management”, which taught me to slow down and listen more.

Listen and watch!

When a prospective tenant calls in I ask some qualifying questions based on the home they are calling about. I used to jump up , go show and ask the questions at the property.

But now I ask certain questions to know if they are a good candidate for this home. For example, “Did you know this property is a mobile home on acreage?” Some people strongly prefer not to live in a mobile. If they say no, I just saved time and money!

An example of listening is asking one easy question, “Where do you live now?”

The following comments made were:

“Well, our home was foreclosed and we are being evicted,”

“We need somewhere to live now,” and

“We live in a house, but we just can’t afford it with the late fees every month,”

Don’t be desperate to make a sale or get a home leased. Tell the owner about these conversations you have had. They will be glad they hired you to weed out non-qualified and it shows you are a valuable asset to them.

So slow down and listen!

Tracy Lee Parker is a Property Manager and Broker/Owner with RE/MAX By the Lakes offering residential sales, short sales, land purchases, commercial sales, leasing & property management in Wylie, Texas. Let someone local manage your property!

See What I Found on a Walk-Through by Tracy Lee Parker.

American Apartment Owners Association offers discounts on products and services for landlords related to your rental housing investment, including rental forms, tenant debt collection, tenant background checks, insurance and financing. Find out more at www.joinaaoa.org.

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