How to Find a Tenant in 30 Days or Less in Charlotte

We are often asked how we find great tenants for Charlotte Rental Homes so quickly. The answer is simple - we show great homes to a huge number of potential tenants and we make it extremely easy for them to get information about the home, tour the home and apply for a lease.

If you diligently follow these steps, it is extremely likely that you'll find a new tenant for your home in under a month.

1) Make sure the home is in great shape! I can't tell you how many times we see homes that haven't even been cleaned, let alone repaired or painted. Your Charlotte Rental Home should be in move-in condition when you're showing it. The carpets, appliances, fixtures, walls, ceilings, etc. should be clean and free of any significant defects. The walls should be clean and free of holes and will preferably have a fresh coat of paint throughout. The home should be completely free of any offensive odors, insects or rodents. All the light bulbs should work and the home should have working heat or air conditioning and water.

2) Take high quality photos and videos. Online marketing has quickly become the number one source of leads for most rental homes. Your online photos and descriptions should present your home in the best possible way. Unless you are a great photographer with great equipment, hire a professional  photographer. You can use the pictures again and again as long as the condition is similar.

3) Price the home appropriately. Unfortunately the market doesn't care how much your mortgage, insurance and taxes cost each month. Potential tenants are going to compare your home against other homes in the neighborhood and they are going to rent based on their perceived value. A vacant home is a huge liability and you don't want to prolong this period, so conduct your market research and price the home accordingly. Remember, just because someone is asking $1500 a month for a home doesn't mean they're going to get it, so look at the prices of homes that have actually rented during the past six months or so.

3) Advertise the property everywhere possible. There are a huge number of Charlotte Rental Homes on the market at any one time. People need to know about yours. If you don't know the major online sites in your area, simply search for "Charlotte Rental Homes" and take a look at your options. Craigslist is another source that should be refreshed as often as possible to ensure your home shows at the top of the list. Make sure you have a large legible yard sign with easy to read phone numbers.

4) Make it easy for people to get information about and walk-through your home. If someone calls about your home you need to answer the phone. People don't like to leave messages and you may miss an important lead. Be ready to show the home as soon as possible. Again, prospective renters don't want to wait to see their new Charlotte Rental Home, they want to see it now. At least one Charlotte Property Manager allows the tenant to see the home immediately by using a one-time code to see the home when the tenant wants, whether it be immediately or at 8:00pm on a Friday night. This significantly increases the number of showings and therefore, the chance of getting the home rented.

5)Make it simple for your tenant to apply. Online applications are the norm and savvy Charlotte Property Managers allow their tenants to pay via credit card, online, or by cash at any local Seven Eleven store.

6)Make sure you have defined selection criteria and run the appropriate background and reference checks on all of your applicants. You don't want to rent your great Charlotte Rental Home to someone who will destroy your home or fail to pay the rent (if this happens, you'll want to read our blog on evictions). You also do not want to violate State or Federal Fair Housing Laws, so make sure you become familiar with the laws and treat everyone equally in applying your criteria.

If you diligently follow these steps and you are friendly and helpful when dealing with potential tenants, your home in Charlotte should rent in 30 days or less. Once you find your Charlotte Rental Home's new residents, if you quickly and professionally address their concerns (repair issues, etc) and consistently treat them with respect and you could very well end up with a long-term tenant.