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Self-Showings during COVID-19 and social distancing

Self-Showings during COVID-19 and social distancing
By RentWise Property Management - Tuesday, March 24, 2020
In light of all that is happening in our world right now pertaining to COVID-19 and the recent social distancing orders, we want to take this opportunity to tell you a little more about technology that we have been utilizing here at RentWise for almost 5 years. and how we use it to rent properties faster and more efficiently. While other property managers might be struggling to continue "business as usual", this method allows us to continue to market and "show" properties giving prospective tenants the distance they need from others.

How does it work?

We use a software product called Tenant Turner which is a robust platform that tracks a slew of data on every click, code, and inquiry that comes our way. That software is linked to a Codebox, which is placed on the property with a keypad that opens the door to the lockbox where a single key to the property is found.  The software enables us to track where potential tenants are finding our ads and marketing. It also tracks pre-qualified tenants and feedback from potential tenants about the property. What they like, don't like, concerns etc.  Before a potential applicant can view one of our properties they must enter their personal information, upload a copy of their driver's license and answer several pre-qualifying questions.

Can someone just access my house anytime they want?

Our showing software allows us to set the hours that someone can access the property. We set ours between 8 am and 8 pm. This allows a potential tenant to view the home at their convenience to maximize the number of showings of your property. It is always difficult to coordinate and accommodate everyone's schedules as we are all going in different directions most of the time. This technology allows people to comfortably tour the property without feeling rushed or inconvenienced.

Does this increase the potential of someone causing damage to my property?

We do not believe so. In fact, we actually think it minimizes that possibility because so much information is requested to schedule a viewing via our online software. As we said before, we collect personal data, a copy of their photo ID and the person must answer several pre-qualification questions before being given access.  Once that data is entered and they meet to minimum requirements the person receives a code that is good for one hour from the time they use the code. That data is kept in the software where we can track when the code was used to open the lockbox and when the lockbox was closed. We also enlist a third-party vendor to perform vacant house checks at all of our vacant properties between 2 and 3 times per week! The vendor checks the security and cleanliness of the property and reports back to our office.

Why not just show the property in person or to several people at a time?

First and foremost, safety. Especially with COVID-19, it is more important than ever to keep distance and promote the health and well-being of everyone we interact with. On that same note, as you might be aware, there have been several very scary and deadly incidents in our industry that occur during showings. Our employee's safety & health are a top priority. Another reason we chose to do this is for efficiency. Potential tenants can't always make the scheduled showing times and it can be difficult to accommodate different schedules. At times, people simply don't show up at all and then others would just rather not see the property with other potential tenants present. We believe that when a home can be viewed in a relaxed and focused manner, a potential tenant can make the best decision for their family without the pressure or tension that comes with an open house style showing. The self showing method is not for everyone, we understand. We have been utilizing this technology for almost 5 years with no incidents or issues. We can't promise anything but what we can tell you is that we know we get more activity and rent properties faster with this method. If you have more questions about self-showings or would like more information about our services and how owning an investment property can be LESS HASSLE, MORE HAPPY,  give us a call at 208-949-3083 or send us an email at courtney@rentwisepm.com.    

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