Mortgage payments were due, but there was no income coming in. Both of my rental homes were vacant. I was planning to lease and manage them myself for the first time, but had no systems or technology in place. I had to learn fast.
We decided to focus on one house at a time. We were able to place a great tenant within two weeks on each unit. The process was evolving as we went.
I’m definitely still a rookie at this, but I discovered some fantastic technology to make things a lot easier. Most of it is FREE!
Here are the apps and technology I’m using. I’d love some feedback, either here or on Facebook, about what’s working for you!
- Pic-tap-go – Turns any picture into a professional looking listing photo! It allows you to apply a series of filters to your picture. These filters will lighten it up, bring out the colors, and sharpen the contrast. It’ll show the true beauty of your units. $2.99 in the app store. Credit to my wife for introducing me to this one.
- Cozy – Online property management system built for landlords with 1-20 units. Handles screening, marketing, rent collection, and more. FREE for landlords. Applicants pay $40 for a credit and background check. Cozy syndicates it’s listings to Realtor.com and Doorsteps.com. They automatically debt your tenants bank accounts on the 1st of the month. It takes a few days to process, then they automatically credit your bank account. Its pretty amazing to me that this service is totally free to landlords!
- Zillow Rental Manager App – I created the entire listing right from my phone. Once you have your pictures and copy-writing ready its super easy to upload through the app. Zillow syndicates it’s listings to Trulia.com, Hotpads.com, AOl real estate, and MSN real estate. Between Cozy and Zillow you get incredible website coverage! FREE!
- Facebook Marketplace – The biggest surprise was the success of Facebook Marketplace. For these two units, I had a total of about 90 inquires. It’s super easy to converse via Facebook messenger.
- Google Forms – Create a google form that requests all pertinent information from your applicants (job history, residential history, income, etc.). Then send the link when they’re ready to apply. It takes some work on the front end, but it makes the application process soo easy. You’re applicant results are automatically saved, which is great for making sure you comply with fair-housing guidelines.
- Google Calendar – At first, I was overwhelmed by the response to these rental listings. I was doing showings every night. I learned that it would be best to schedule showings back to back. Now, I’m offering a showing window between 12-4 on a weekend. This allows you to control your schedule and be more efficient. I create the event in google calendar, then send to the prospective tenant. FREE!
- iScanner – We e-signed one lease, and did a paper copy with the other. I’m not sure which method I prefer yet. Either way, having a scanner app on your phone is a must. It allows you to quickly capture and store documents as pdfs. $2.99 on the app store.
I love trying to make things more efficient, especially when its free! What technology makes your job easier?
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