Showing the Rental to a New Tenant!?

Today I finally started calling back some of the potential tenants who have been emailing me and leaving me voice mails (more detail on the delay in my last post, The Fair Weather Landlord).

First I listened to all the messages and numbered them in order of who sounded most promising/interested. I am also not ashamed to admit that I prioritized them by people who sounded "together" - those who strung grammatically correct sentences together (I gave a free pass to the two with Spanish accents) and left their name and number clearly and didn't ask questions that were answered in the ad.

The first guy I called (out of 9 on my list) said the place seemed "perfect" and he wanted to see it asap. He works right down the street, and he sounded very calm and mature on the phone. So I agreed to meet him out there after work today and showed him the place.

I got there early and shmoozed my existing tenant and a neighbor for a bit. They were in the driveway working on a car and drinking beer. Then I went in and made sure everything looked OK and waited. The new potential tenant showed up promptly and glanced around as I briefly showed him the place.

I like the vibe I get from him. He seems laid back but deliberate both in his speech and mannerisms. He's probably in his mid 50's and he appears to be partly Black and partly white. I'm not sure if that's the politically correct way to refer to him, but I hope is an indication that he won't have any problems with the inter-racial status of the couple next door! He smiled a lot, didn't inspect anything too closely, and has a seemingly stable job nearby which pays more than enough to cover the rent.

I had my sales hat on as we stood in the living room and discussed the neighborhood, the neighbors, and the fact that he's never lived in Texas through the summer. I wanted to close this deal. I assured him I'd replace the carpet and re-caulk the bathtub and that the air conditioner works perfectly well.

The conversation took a brief, weird but not totally unexpected turn when he asked about my marital status and age (we'd been talking about his girlfriend and current living situation, so it wasn't totally out of the blue). I answered, and he laughed and called me a "baby" and said he had been going to suggest we "get together" for dates but that he's too old for me. I faked a smile and nodded politely, mentally rolling my eyes.

He took an application and said he'll take the place and promised to cook dinner and invite me over to share it as soon as he moved in and bought some furniture. I ignored that comment and introduced him to the neighbors. They all seemed to get along swimmingly, to the point that I was bored and hot and ready to leave as I stood there in the sun chit-chatting with them all.

Luckily my existing tenant talked up the place and the area and me as a landlord, assuring the new guy that I do what I promise regarding repairs and that the summers aren't too unbearable.

As we left, he wanted me to take the "for rent" sign out of the yard - which I told him I wouldn't do until I got a deposit. He laughed as though we were flirting, and I smiled back, waving goodbye. I heaved a huge sigh of relief as I started my car and beamed a real smile. Hopefully this will be the only showing required; he wants to bring back the application tomorrow.