For folks who are afraid of going all digital with filling units, you may want to reconsider. The future will be (in my opinion) even more digital than it is now in regards to human interaction. I'm not a techy by any means, either. I'm just posting this after what I've observed the last few weeks with my kids.

My 2 oldest, 4 & 6, are selling fundraiser stuff for school. The majority of it is digital. Mom sends out a link or whatever on FB and people buy the stuff. The kids don't even go door to door with a sales pitch anymore.

Good or bad, right or wrong, it's here to stay. Each day it becomes more important to learn how to communicate with our tenants & prospects digitally.

Spoken word is going away in many regards. It may hold a nostalgic place in our hearts, but I fear in many ways, especially certain aspects of business, it's becoming obsolete.

Personally, since I have went all digital with pre-screening and showings, I haven't seen a need to go back to verbally communicating with prospects AT ALL. At least until the in home inspection.

For what it's worth.

I just thought it was interesting in regards to little kids selling fundraisers for different things. No selling required.

On the other hand, I do make sure my kids speak with people, order their own meals at restaurants at this age, and shake hands with strangers in church.

Verbal communication will still be key in business and professional settings when needed and I feel if they have it instilled now, they'll be ahead of their peers when they're older. I don't think many kids get that anymore.

It occurs to me we have been at war their entire lives...

:(

I'm not up to speed with the text aspect. I speak to teni via text constantly however have no ability to print out the conversations.

I've used a little Google telephone texting however there too I'm missing something.

Whereas, email, the dinosaur I love...is not really used by my teni. ( I have the un-banked and the super tech...no middle ground)

I would like to have guided video tours of the shacks so that I could send that link. For now I still send a link to photos.

Overall I really like the changes however I score poorly on the results.

Send

Here is the advantage of "verbal communication" (calling them on the phone) versus "going digital." If you text, email, message, etc, someone, it is easy for them to ignore it, pretend not receive it, lost in the intertubes, etc. And then if they DO respond in hours or days, it will be a back , and forth, of eliciting information.

If I CALL them, on the VOIP app on my cell phone, I know if the call gets thru, even if it goes to voice mail. The ringing on their phone is MUCH HARDER to ignore than the one-and-done DING of a message. Further, once I have them on the phone, I can quickly ask my pre-screening questions in one minute and if they pass, spend one more minute to schedule a showing. TWO MINUTES AND DONE. No back and forth, no waiting for their reply.

By putting in the time and effort to hand pick my tenants I got a better class of renter. They keep my units clean and in good condition. They are skilled educated tenants that if laid off can find work quickly. I do use social media, online advertising. But I meet the tenant in person before I provide them an application. I do pre-screen on the phone.

"Mom sends out a link or whatever on FB and people buy the stuff. The kids don't even go door to door with a sales pitch anymore."

Kids these days are soft. I had to go door to door to sell stuff (in 6 in of snow and uphill both ways...), you had a captive audience and they were forced to interact with you. I also found that young families in new subs were much more likely to cut me a check than retirees on fixed incomes in older neighborhoods.

David, you're missing the point. With the younger generations, its going away. Like it or not, it is.

NE, I'm not aware of any new cell phone (perhaps the 6G ones ? *wink*) that does not have phone call feature. How exactly do you expect phone calls to "go away" if cell phones still have the feature?

David, I personally don't answer my phone if I don't know the number. Too many spam calls these days. "Wait don't hang up!" No thank you. Even voice mails are annoying because I have to dial in and listen to someone rambling.

Text is the answer. Short and to the point.

As for email anyone can get a g mail account. If I need to, I TEXT my tenants and tell them to check their EMAIL if I want to send attachments, etc. (everyone has to give me an email address, it's in the lease and it's on their application and I need it to do the background check, etc.)

WMH, if you have been calling contractors or realtors, wouldn't you answer the phone if you'r expecting a call back? If someone sends a bunch of zillow requests for showings, it would be reasonable to expect a phone call.

NE, even the fastest online delivery, from amazon, takes two days unless you pay out the nose for overnight. If you need it NOW, the easiest and quickest way is to drive to a B&M store.

speaking of screening prospective, one major down side to prescreening by text and email is that tenants get time to "think" and prepare answers.

Software is passive, they have to decide if they have time. And then they have preparation to lie and twist the truth when answering.

By calling them , I force them to talk to me . No waiting around.

All employers do phone interviews and then in-person interviews before hiring. Even the techiest employers don't rely on solely internet forms and messaging.

To totally poo-poo the idea takes away from streamlining as many aspects of your business as possible. I guarantee if you challenged yourself to go all digital from the first interaction through to when you sign lease for 6 months or maybe the next 5 turnovers you have, you wouldn't go back to how you do it now.

NE, I already did that briefly when I first started being a LL. It was a total waste of time waiting around for prospective tenants to respond and get back to me.

A conference call would of helped this post along.

The need it now scenario makes me think that a person isn't prepared.

Even when a shack loses heat, I keep space heaters available. I also keep dehumidifiers for summer as well as window units.

Spare refrigerators and plumbing parts stored within an half mile of the shacks.

On the other end of things. Teni seem to want answers to questions right now. I can't provide what they are looking for.

I try with still photographs but I imagine they want Youtube tours.

Oh, this is funny! I didn’t read all of the back and forth banter, but it was fun to see two persons sticking to their guns on ‘my way is THE way.

Unless one is intent upon renting to ALL of the renters in an area, there will be plenty of renters for both types.

In my household, we were ‘early adopters’ of tech, husband has worked in computer industry the whole time I’ve known him. One of the first nifty-techy things he did for me was programmed the computer and phone to redial and redial and redial the pediatricians office to get one of the coveted urgent care appointments when our infant son had yet another ear infection ( military, so ‘free healthcare’ frequent flyers would tie up all of the doctors appointments, so you had to call back, call back, while consoling a crying infant. ) Anyway, that was in 1988, when most of America didn’t yet have a home computer, and the inter webs weren’t yet created. Fast forward a zillion years to now. We’re doing less and less digitally. A few things we’ll keep, but recently, my Facebook account had an issue, Facebook closed it. I have decided to not re-open it! My husband has reduced the number of friends on Facebook to only a handful.

We still will use digital means, but, we are valuing personal interactions more and more. We are limiting our scope of interactions in doing this, but, we’re OK with that.

In my rental practice, I text with applicants at the start out of nessecity. Getting a bit hard of hearing, so, unless I can read lips, I might mis-hear, so, I ask for text. I could do the website application, but , I prefer personal interaction anyway. Yes, one could say I would be more prone to a fair housing claim, but, i also know I could be missing out on applicants who don’t prefer to use those websites. (And, fair housing claims often come from the ad or website. Don’t describe the ideal tenant!) One of the biggest objections about web apps I have heard is applicants are wary they will be getting a bunch of annoying sales pitches once they enter their contact info.

I do lock box showing, text, & email only for pre-screening and screening. Until the 2-minute home inspection, I don't need or want to see them. My vacancy rate is below 3% for the past 4 years since I began this process, down from 7-8% in prior years.

FIGHT ME! ;-)

Sid, I'm not sure what gives you the impression I care about what you do . My criticism is meant for others who are not as set as you are, and to show the pitfalls of what you are preaching.

It isn't a back and forth of who's way isn't better. That wasn't the purpose of my "banter" if that's how it appeared. I don't care how David does it, good for him.

I was merely making an observation of how kids 4 & 6 years old are being taught how to conduct business in a brand new world.

Some landlords here have been doing things the same way for 40 years. I've been doing it 15 and have already seen many changes in the screening and showing process that leaves old ways in the dust. I say embrace it.

What do you think it's going to look like in the next 40 years?

Probably chipped applicant's whose entire history can be read by submitting their RFID chip code. Maybe, maybe not.

Maybe they can scan their chip on the lockbox and if they automatically pass pre-screen right there based on preset requirements for qualification, the door unlocks and they go in. If they want it, digitally sign via radio waves and pay the deposit right there and receive the key (if they still exist) from a key dispensing box on the wall.

NE, cell phones have been commonplace and evolving for over two decades. Yet one feature has remained the same. A unique ten digit phone number and the ability to make and receive calls.

My 2 sons in their 20’s almost never make phone calls. Primarily they prefer to text.

They don’t even like to email as that is for old folks like their parent. Email at work is ok but not for friend communication.

I bought a house last week entirely via text/email with the Realtor. I text him our offer. He put it on a Docu-sign contract and email it to me, then emailed it to the Seller. I wired the money from my bank to the title company. Digital sigs on all the "pages".

Never met the guy. Didn't need to. His Seller let me in to see the place. If he'd have left a key even that would not have been necessary. Folks do it all the time here.

Never saw the closing/title agent either. Signed everything digitally. I've met her in the past, but really, other than to see each other's pearly white teeth, there is no requirement to be there in person.

I also sold a tax sale house last year in the same way. Buyer was in California. We did my little 1 page simple sale contract via email. I did stop by to pick up my check because I was in the neighborhood and to say "howdy".

Business moves at the speed I allow it.

Col Sanders: "Prepare ship for light speed!"

Dark Helmet: "Nah, light speed is too slow."

Sanders: "Light speed too slow?"

2X3 OR 6

I imagine a lot of tenants "prefer" or would "like" to not pay rent, but we as LLs still manage to make them do so .........

I was in a situation a few weeks ago where I couldn't talk on the phone. I was texting with one of my daughters. Later I counted. 47 texts for what could and should have been handled in about a 45 second telephone call. No thanks. Texting is for short, cryptic messages, not conversations.

I’ve done a couple of contracts to purchase back and forth electronically. Did go in house with a realtor though. I expect, if I were buying more, I would be doing them as Sid does, and, if I had more units, I would be utilizing more electronic means.

Great thing is, as long as gubbermint stays outta our way, there will be room for both all-electronic, and and all-face to face, plus, all variations in between.

NE, I believe you are correct that electronic means of showing, screening, will become more and more prevalent. Yet, as some of those raised up on computers age out, perhaps a regression to a simpler, more human interaction? That is what I have seen with my kids. They get ‘computered-out’ in their very high-tech jobs. Doesn’t mean they wouldn’t use an app to rent a place (well, they’re homeowners,) but, sometimes they seek out electronics free environments. As does my husband.

David, I would think in government regulation intensive environments, where a squatter might have an easy time gaining possession, there might be more and more ‘no virtual showings’ . Although I thought virtual showings were done entirely on a computer screen, applicants didn’t physically enter to see the space? Lockbox showings allow applicants to physically enter a space, virtual not? Maybe I have the terms confused. Or, perhaps it’s a regional thing as to which term is used?

Squatter’s right issues might affect whether or not a landlord would want to allow applicants to enter without a person representing the landlord’s interests to be on premises.

I don't know why they use the term "virtual" but my realtor says that means he (a licensed realtor) always has to be with me at a showing.

We are going digital. From showing the properties, to applications and screening, to paying rent and maintenance issues. We are impressing on our tenants, that it has to be in writing, especially for maintenance issues, unless it is a dire emergency like water GUSHING or electrical sparks flying.

I advertise, respond to queries, set up lockbox showings, and collect apps digitally. Tenants text me with issues, I text my repair guy their phone number to set up the repair. So I think I have digital cred.

But I ALSO have face-to-face interaction with tenants. I believe this will differentiate me from the mega-complexes because I offer something that they don't: a relationship.

I have done some parts of my job digitally. It can work better. But I believe there is always room for human interaction.......especially around convention time.

Hmmmm....Does anyone have real stats to show if face to face prospects stay longer? Have better credit?

My experience is the lower their credit the more they use up my time.

People no longer answer their phones. Gotta communicate in THEIR style. (That’s even Biblical!)

I only answer if I know the name on the screen and even then I let many go to VM because I’m with someone else.

35% of rental prospects are Millenials preferring text.

18% are now iGen - grew up with touch screens.

Watch any group of persons under 40. They are all on their screens. WE need to be on THEIR screens.

We have faster communication by texting.

Smok: sync your Google Voice number to your email so you can type a text on your computer, send it, receive, read, print it out...E.Z.P.Z.

Find a teenager to post your video walkthru on YouTube. It free. And stays there “forever”.

BRAD

BRAD

Nicole, I just fully read your post about the cookies (and the conversations). Too funny! And, How right you are.

Having info doesn't help if you do not know how to implement it. College teach 101, 201, and 401 courses covering the same topic.

The second reason is comradeship. Landlording is not a spectator sport. It requires work and tenants can wear on you if you allow them. Conferences prevent workload burn out while allowing me some down time.