There are over 42 million renter occupied homes in the United States, estimates the 2013 U.S. Census Bureau. There certainly is no shortage of people interested in renting; however, renting a property can be a difficult process. Plus, if you’re trying to rent a home to someone who lives in a different state, it may seem nearly impossible.
Don’t limit yourself on how you can show off your property and who you can show it to. Use technology to your advantage by tailoring your approach to the needs of property managers and their clients, making it easier for you to close the deal.
Postlets by Zillow
Before you can screen applications, you’ll need a way to advertise your property. Postlets, a Zillow company, lets you post rental listings for free on over 20 different sites. You’ll reach the entire Zillow Rental Network, which includes websites like Yahoo Homes, AOL Real Estate, HGTV Front Door and RentMatch. Plus, Postlets makes it simple to post your properties on Craigslist and share your listings on Facebook and Twitter. You’ll never want to go back to your old advertising methods again when you see how fast and easy it is to use Postlets to advertise your properties.
FaceTime
Many potential renters are 20- and 30-somethings who aren’t ready to commit to buying a home. Speak their language by using their preferred methods of communication. Instead of picking up the phone, FaceTime them. This tool makes phone calls more personal by allowing both speakers to see each other and can be done on any Apple product. Furthermore, you can use this tool to show your potential tenant certain standout features of your property including the beautiful garden in the backyard or the granite countertops in the kitchen.
Cozy
Cozy is a rental management software specifically designed for property managers. Aside from letting your tenants pay their rent online, Cozy also helps you during the screening process for free. You start off by including a tenant application in your listing, applicants apply directly with their Cozy Renter profile, then you review these applications and make a decision. You can quickly view renters’ current employment, salary, residential history, credit report and references without having to contact them directly or having to go through a third party like North Shore Advisory, Inc.
Rentpost
Say goodbye to your filing cabinet and go paperless with Rentpost. You can find important information such as tenant data, contacts, past transactions and rental reports with Renpost’s intelligent filtering technology. Stop digging through a mountain of documents and start using this online property management software to find what you’re looking for with a few simple clicks. Rentpost gives you a way to instantly answer the modern day renter’s endless stream of questions during a Skype session. And, if you’re on the go, you can also use Rentpost on your iPhone or iPad.
Room Sketcher
Of course, one of the most useful tools for property managers is one that allows their clients to view the property. It is particularly important to positively showcase your homes to tenants when you’re renting remotely. Room Sketcher is a free online tool that lets you create floor plans, take 3D snapshots and walk the property. You then can share the virtual version of your home with clients and let them experience the inside for themselves without the need for travel.
