We've all been there....dragged into a "conversation" this is either a rant or a "story".... Often time it comes up when a screening goes bad.

I've tried to be kind....they aren't respecting my decision.

I've tried to be considerate....they keep arguing.

I've tried to be professional....the pings/reasons/sobs stories keep coming in.

When it gets to this point my final response is: "Thank you for the update." Then I block all methods of communication (email, text, phone number, etc). It's my polite way of saying, "Pound sand."

Works great for me and saves me tons of stress. How do you end those conversations that go on after you're already "done" and you've said all you care to say?

I start by trying to avoid the situation. I don't notify recipients of a failed screening, avoid discussing security deposit return outside of the required paper notice, etc.

For those rare instances where I get sucked into it, particularly on screening, I will give them some unattainable task to complete. Something like, "I can't consider anything further until you can get your credit score above 700". If they say something else then I simply repeat it. After 2-3 times of repeating it I will give the FINAL NOTICE which goes something like "I have given you what I have to have, there is no point discussing this further until that happens". Then just walk away and ignore all forms of communication in the future. I rarely block them because they usually give up at that point, only 1 out of 100 will continue to bother me.

When I used to live on the hamster wheel of phone screening deadbeats, I would often say “hello? Hello? Are you still there? Damm phone!” and hang up.

Sid,

I am a little confused here. Are you talking about someone who you DQ'd and they wanted to argue with you?

Also, is this confrontation on the phone or in person or what?

Give a more specific example.

NE,

NE, Roy deals with bottom feeders. His business experiences are not what the real world has to offer. Maybe one day he'll rise above his self imposed limits.

NE, Roy deals with bottom feeders. His business experiences are not what the real world has to offer. Maybe one day he'll rise above his self imposed limits.

Right on, Jim. [OH]

Them: blah blah blablablah…

Me: (just break in over their talk) Sorry to interrupt but I must go.

Mindset: same urgency/intensity as your bladder is about to burst RIGHT NOW!

Life’s too short. I control MY time, not them.

My system will help them - screen their app etc.

Roy and others... to be clear, this rarely happens because I rarely talk to applicants. But everyone once in a while I'll ask them to clarify an item on an app. Seems like something simple, but then it becomes a "conversation." Note above I said "get DRAGGED into a conversation." It's nothing I like and try to avoid, but sometimes it happens.

Anyway, it was a simple question asked in text, then "the story" starts to spill out. Usually texting is how I communicate because it shows people down. Not this person...text after text starts pouring in....after the 4th text from her giving way more info than I asked for, I responded "thank you for the update." One more follow up text rom her about how eager she was to start moving in. "I've done everything in my power and I've got to be out of here in 4 days...."

Whoa... Say what? Desperation is never a good sign. Neither is a short moving time frame. I sensed an eviction that wasn't disclosed, possibly just a non-renewal from a fed up land lord, but no way to tell for sure. She was already borderline, but that was my sign I was done. No more responses from me. Just DQ'd the app mentally and blocked the number.

Jim (OH) said " Roy deals with bottom feeders. His business experiences are not what the real world has to offer."

Sid- This is one of the reasons I quit writing my book last year about how to 'create and close killer RE deals'. There are just too many people today who can't see the forest because of the trees and I doubt any future book of mine would ever change that typical YouTube video mindset. Besides, millennials and gen X's would not want to read about all of my old school tactics. All of my RE deal making tactics revolve around 1 very simple concept,...'you have to be comfortable in talking with strangers'. And being comfortable in talking with strangers is something I have always admired about Jeffrey Taylor,...he is an absolute master at it! Jeffrey can walk into a room of 300 strangers and in less than 5 minutes, you would think you had known him your entire life!

Opps,,,it looks like I have started re-writing my book here but I will quit now and not bore you all anymore. Just go back to your real world YouTube videos on how to invest in RE with no money down.

There’s a HUGE HUGE difference between talking with strangers when investing in real estate and when screening applicants. Prospective tenants get the automation to the max. There is no need to talk to them in 2022. Everything I need to know about them can print provided digitally except for the two minute and home inspection.

However, when I am investing in a property, it’s small talk with strangers all the way. Not much automation there at all. I will sit and chit-chat with a seller for hours if I have to. I want them to tell me their life story, I want them to tell me about their dog. I want them to tell me all their walls, why they love the house. Why they’re selling the house. Just let them go on and on and on. I am their best friend by the time I leave there.

Old school all the way when it comes to buying properties.

NE,

Roy, I'm sad to hear you gave up on your book. I kind of hope perhaps you're just taking a break and will pick it up again some day. There's nothing wrong with "old school" tactics, although as I've mentioned in the past you are much less old school than some land lords I know. Look at you all on the Internet and such!

Anyway, I'm 100% comfy talking to strangers. I may not have mentioned it before, but for 5 years my job was to take 150-170 high school students I'd never met before and try to teach them something about why you should never leave a preposition dangling and why Shakespeare was still relevant today. All the while too I was an instructor in my Army unit, so getting up in front of a group, some of whom are strangers, bored to tears, thinking about anything other than what we're talking about is nothing I don't know how to do.

But as NE says, we have to automate. If I recall your response from the other day, you have 15-20 units. NE has I have no clue how many. I've got twice as many residential and almost that number of commercials units, plus I work a 7-4 job. There isn't time to meet everyone or chat for 20 minutes on the phone. It's got zero to do with comfort level: there are simply so many hours in the day.

Plus, my method works. You've seen my stats: < 5% vacancy and < 2% eviction. The numbers don't lie, although I suppose one could say I'm lying about my numbers to make myself look good. I guess we just have to trust each other given that we've cracked open several good beverages in fellowship, so what's the need to lie among friends like this? I may boast, but I won't lie.

Anyway, your "old school" methods do have a lot of value, particularly for smaller land lords, I think. The personal touch is something a lot of Ma and Pa land lords have to figure out thru trial and error if they aren't gifted with interpersonal relationships, so they could benefit. Also, your negotiation tactics work for anyone regardless of new or old school. Maybe in a year or so consider picking that manuscript back up and hitting the old type writer...or do you use a quill and inkwell? I'M KIDDING!

But seriously, do you? (*grins)

Happy Friday, Roy and friends! Crack open a frosty beverage and appreciate how amazing our lives are blessed.

Sid,

I hope Jeffrey does not read what I am about to write here. At the last convention in Nashville, I had a brief conversation with Jeffrey about what is involved in writing a book manuscript, then getting that manuscript published and then 'what happens next in trying to sell the book!'

Roy, here’s an idea for you. You’re probably not going to do it though, because it’s all automated and digital and YouTube related. There are tutorials on YouTube on how you can publish a book on Amazon. You can get all the information out there to design your book and then it doesn’t print until someone purchases it. They click buy and Amazon publishes your book and mails it to them.

I like the way Roy does a lot of things. In some ways I do some of it.

In recent years I have been in several VERY BAD accidents. I wasn't expected to survive any of them. I did, but I am very limited in what I can do physically now.

A person my daughter had hired through a company to be my caregiver after one very serious accident showed up for a very very short time and than deserted me. On the day before Christmas I was alone and couldn't do as much as get a drink of water or make it to the bathroom..

Meanwhile I had a new tenant moving into one of my houses. I had talked to her a fair amount before deciding to rent to her. She was moving in the day before Christmas. She found out I had been in a very serious accident and where I was. She showed up at my unlocked door, let herself in, and gave me a simple meal, etc.

At some point she mentioned the next day was Christmas. I think she realized how concerned that made me for finding any help. She then went on to say that meant she didn't have to go to her regular job the next day. Did I want her to come over to help me again? And she came over on Christmas to help me all day.

Let me add on that the person who had been present at her moving in called me to report things were OK there and that he had told her where I was. It was still quite a surprise to me when she showed up.

NE,

Another book author I know who has published 5 books on RE investing (not Jeffrey) gave me the inside poop on dealing with Amazon in getting a book published and what happens next when Amazon sells your book. It was a horror story not worth repeating here.

I do watch YouTube RE videos but for amusement purposes only and not for any serious educational value. I am thinking about my making a new post here about what I think about all of the new millennial/Gen X RE gurus with videos on YouTube now. All of them are under the age of 30 and they all claim to be multi-millionaires which resulted from all of the properties they had flipped for huge profits. I can tell the RE guru business has not changed that much since the 1980's.

Carolyn, this story warms my heart . Automation is lovely, but human touch is still essential to LIFE imo. Whether its the 'human touch' of one landlord talking to another over an internet forum, or the mail carrier asking how your trip went when you restarted your mail after a trip. Or, a person taking a day off of work to help a stranger in need.

Simple kindness, simple things that can greatly improve another's day.

No, every interaction with tenants doesn't need to be, nor should it be, social work level, nor social justice warrior level ( misguided people, mostly, to my way of thinking.) And, probably, for most tenants, swiftly helping them realize their pleadings, ramblings, diatribes are not useful in a landlord-tenant relationship is best, imo.

If I want an out I set my phone to go off and when I does I just say “ sorry I have a meeting to attend or a doctors appointment “ I works.

Years ago I prearranged for my son to call me when I was negotiating buying a car. I carried on a bogus conversation with another car sales person and I got the deal I wanted.

You can always hang up on yourself. I do this in the event a call slips by my robocall app.

caller: "My name is Dexter and I want to talk to the owner of the business... Am I speaking to the owner?"

me: "yes."

caller: "Well I want to tell you how you can increase your business via our website design--have you considered upgrading your website to XYZ?"

(i do my own PHP and website and we have more HVAC business than we can handle due to WOM)

me: "well I could really use..."(CLICK)

Hello Roy

What about an e-book? I've paid the $xx.xx via paypal and the book gets emailed to me. All profit baby!