Yesterday I wrote a blog warning landlords of high rise and loft condos that some real estate agents and property managment companies are doing a very poor job of getting back to prospective tenants and/or their real estate agents. In the post I had given the benefit of the doubt to the agents musing that perhaps they were experiencing technical difficluties with their voice mail.

Today, I realized I was being too kind. I called one of the same three agents I referenced in yesterday’s blog to schedule a time I could show their rental listing at a large and distressed high rise condo building along the Camelback Corridor area of Phoenix. The agents assistant informed me that the only way I could show the rental condo would be if I went to her boss’s office to “check out” a key. Ok, it’s a little bit of a hassle but I figured the office must be close to the condo building right? Wrong. They wanted me to drive to Guadalupe and Gilbert in order to pick up a key, then drive to the Biltmore Area of Phoenix, show the property and then return the key to their office. No thanks!

How many times do you think that condo gets shown? Probably zero.

Do you think the owner of the property has any clue that their agent is making it so difficult to show his property? Definitely not.

Guess how much money the landlord is losing every month that the place sits empty. About $1,500 per month not to mention the negative cash flow over and above that because the $1,500 rent won’t cover the mortgage, hoa, and other expenses. Ouch.

Landlords, “secret shop” your agents to find out if they’re doing everything possible to rent out your properties. You may be losing big without having a clue why. And if your agent complains that he or she doesn’t make enough money “doing rentals” to work it hard then hire someone who is willing to do whatever it takes in today’s tough market to serve his client’s needs. Call us. The number is (602) 476-1881.