5 ways to appreciate tenants
March 1, 2009
1. Send hand-written thank you notes. The hand-written part is most important. Notes typed on a computer and printed out neatly just don’t work as well. Your thank you note doesn’t have to be long, just a sentence or two, thanking your tenant for something specific. For example, “Thanks so much for bringing the problem with the plumbing to my attention. I always appreciate being able to make my properties a better place to live.”
2. Give move in gifts. They may be fruit baskets, bottles of champagne, a sampler of toiletries, or whatever. The fact that you are giving them a gift is what is most important. What you are doing is showing them you are thinking about them, and that they are important to you.
3. Send birthday cards. Or anniversary cards, theirs or the date they moved in.
4. Make occasional calls asking if they need anything. “Hi, this is John Doe, your landlord. I was just calling to see if there was anything you needed there. Something that needs repair, something that didn’t get done that should have.”
5. Listen to what they say when they talk to you:
• Don’t interrupt (but . . . but . . . but).
• Ask questions, then be quiet. Concentrate on really listening.
• Prejudice will distort what you hear. Listen without prejudging.
• Don’t jump to the answer before you hear the entire situation.
• Listen for purpose, details and conclusions.
• Active listening involves interpreting.
• Listen to what is not said. Words implied are often more important than words spoken.
• Think between sentences.
• Make notes.
• Digest what is said (and not said) before engaging your mouth.
• Demonstrate you are listening by taking action.
About the Author: Bob Cain
Some 30 years ago Bob Cain went to a no-money-down seminar and got the notion that owning rental property would be just the best idea there is for making money. He bought some. Trouble was, what he learned at the seminar didn’t tell him how to make money on his rental property. He went looking for help in the form of a magazine or newsletter about the business. He couldn't find any.
Always ready to jump at a great idea, he decided he could put his speaking and writing skills to work and perform a valuable service for other investors who needed more information about property management. So Bob ferreted out the secrets, tricks and techniques of property management wherever he found them; then he passed them along to other landlords.
For over 25 years now, Bob has been publishing information, giving speeches, putting on seminars and workshops, and consulting for landlords on how to buy, rent and manage property more effectively.