I have several ads up on Zillow and marketplace and other rental sites

I have a nice ads lots of pictures, and explain the apartment interior well.

I have a graduate student who contacted me as he is interested in renting a room that I have. He is presently in New York and won’t move to the area until mid August. The room is available now and I certainly won’t hold it open unless he pays for July and August rent.

He wants me to go to the apartment and use the WhatsApp app and give him a video tour as I’m walking around the apartment. I told him that I thought the pictures were pretty self-explanatory, but that was not good enough for him.

Do any of you do this? Do you think it makes a big difference in whether somebody would except the apartment or not?

If I do this, I will have to coordinate with his time frame, and it might or might not make a difference in his decision. I have other interested applicants anyway. Any thoughts?

Next!

People who make demands never quit with the demands.

He went to a university in Bangladesh and he is presently in Potsdam, New York, at another school of engineering

He does have a legitimate email address for the large university close by however, you never know.

It sounds like you will be taking a different, local applicant because you are more comfortable with that.

That's fine.

But, to answer your question, "Do any of you do this?"

Yes. I offer a virtual option for them when scheduling a viewing, if they are from far away. I tell them to choose between FaceTime and Skype, and we do it at the predetermined showing time. They also upload their photo ID, which "should" have a far-away address and I know who I'm talking to.

About a year ago, I rented to a couple from NM this way. He's in the military, so income was continuing. They were the best tenants - except they left too soon : (.

All the neighbors have told me they were wonderful neighbors.

So, it can work successfully. You can screen for cooperation, watch their dog obey commands, answer questions, etc

I would do it differently next time, though - I would hire a local Realtor (in their city) or somebody to do an in-home visit for the see-and-smell part.

Even if I have a video, they want / deserve to see I'm a real person with access to the inside of the house, as well as I want to meet them.

Also, photos alone can be very hard to piece together to understand the floorpan & true size. I like to include a floorpan in the ad with the photos.

If the student is not originally from the US, WhatsApp is the default for communication more than likely.

Does this person have a photo ID that shows where he is living at now? If they are not willing to cooperate with you and provide it, then they will not qualify.

Jo,

This is a very reasonable request.

BUT I already posted a video.

Young prospects live and communicate by video.

WhatsApp is an everyday popular app even in the US.

My normal advertising includes a walk thru video I do with my iPhone and post on YouTube for free. I have not had a request for a live walkthru since.

Each YT video will get several hundred views.

Tip: iPhone 14 has a built in stabilizer. Or use a GoPro.

MARK Twain said “I like progress. It’s change I hate.”

The world is changing and we must adjust or be left behind.

BRAD

He strikes me as being very demanding. I'd be afraid that he expects concierge service whenever he wants it. A special in-person video just for him.

Just this year, I had people from out of the area send a friend or relative to view for them. I expect that and can accommodate that request. One took videos and the other was walking through the house, taking video and talking to the potential tenant at the same time and filming whatever the tenant wanted to see. That tenant and cousin arranged to have their meeting at my convenience. It was at the time that I offered to do a showing.

Not sure why so many LLs think this person is overly demanding.

It's a simple request.

Gotta learn to work with Gen Z

AND today's technology.

WhatsApp is free phone to phone live video, even internationally, and works with any smartphone. Not limited to iPhones like Facetime.

As others have mentioned, you can create ONE video after a turnover/cleanup is finished and either post it on your website or on a cloud service like DropBox or Google Drive, then just send them a view-only link to it. Even better, just upload it to Zillow. They have a specific place for "video tour."

It's the way things roll now.

The other thing about this is you'll have to devise a way to do the 2-minute in home inspection for anyone moving in from out of town. I recommend if they qualify fully on paper (include credit, background check, landlord refs, and income verification), then have a starving REALTOR floor agent from a local office go do your tour. For $50 or whatever you offer to PayPal over to them, you'll have so much more peace of mind knowing someone checked on what their current home looks, smells, and sounds like!

Well, I want to say that I did go over and contact him on WhatsApp. He is an engineering student at a university in Potsdam New York, and will be moving to this area mid August. He was very grateful for the video and thank you all for encouraging me to do videos, especially after cleanup.

We get the "I don't want it until August" all the time.

My response is that we are showing NOW for immediate availability (When showing in February or March, it is for June availability). If you wait until August, this one will likely be gone. Most people who wait until they arrive in August aren't happy with what is left.

90% or more of leases in my university town go from June 1 until the end of May. People pay for June, whether they are here or not, to have satisfactory housing locked in for the start of classes in August.

The first guy who wanted the video, I did a walk-through and he liked it, but then he asked me if he could do just a one semester term from August to December. I told him no, that I require a year’s lease. He told me he was going to think about it.

His friend, however, who is still in Bangladesh is very interested in the room. I am going to go over and do another video recording with him today at noon. I already sent him an application. He is very interested, but he does want to see the apartment which I understand. I will also just make a video recording for myself for the future.

I’ll keep you all posted on how this goes. I think he will be taking that room as it is completely furnished along with the whole apartment, it’s a two minute walk to the university, bus line and he has no vehicle, however, until I get this application and his security deposit/holding fee, I will keep moving forward.