John dropped me a quick note asking me:

I have a tenant whose lease ends 5/31/09 for a SFH [single family house]…When would you start showing the house in order to have it rented for a 6/1 move in? Would you recommend striking a deal with the tenants on keeping the place in show condition or is that usually not a problem?

I try to start as early as possible, but 60 days is about the max that people are looking.  Here are some of my experiences, depending upon the neighborhood:

• The “typical” tenant in some areas will be looking 60+ days in advance.  I see this in South Minneapolis around the lakes.  I also experience this when renting houses   These same tenants will generally arrive at the apartment showing as planned.
• Other neighborhoods seem to thrive on procrastination.  I will get calls less than 30 days in advance, in fact, I will get calls 1 week before they are looking to move in.  I experience this often in both North and NE Minneapolis.  I will book 5 people to look at an apartment and maybe 1 will show up.

As for “striking a deal” with the tenants to keep it clean, I just expect that they keep the place in order.  Also, I work hard to show their place no more than 2-3 times per week to limit them being frustrated.  I book everyone at the same time, just like an open house.

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