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1100 sq ft single family house 2/2/1. Available April 15th. Here are the applicants, pick your choice (this is a game but facts are real)
1. Male, age 22, new college grad. — Credit score 650 no evictions, no felonies, new job $52K, says he doesn’t smoke, no pets, wants to move in May 1st
2. Female, age 43, Credit score 650 moving to area for new job for established company opening a new office in area — no evictions, no felonies, new job $60K, says she doesn’t smoke, no pets. Resume on Linked in shows job changes constantly. Last job ended in December and was 7 months in tenure. Says she will work from home until the office opens. Wants to move in April 15th.
3. Married couple. She 27, he 32. Her Credit score 720. He works for cash as construction worker (no SS#), she is legal assistant for 4 years for Immigration law firm. Salary $68K. No kids, a small dog. Both say not smokers but facebook has photos of him smoking (photos a few years old). Wants to move in ASAP.
I still have the ad active....... but how would you rate the above in order of 1,2,3rd choice.
1100 sq ft single family house 2/2/1. Available April 15th. Here are the applicants, pick your choice (this is a game but facts are real)
1. Male, age 22, new college grad. — Credit score 650 no evictions, no felonies, new job $52K, says he doesn’t smoke, no pets, wants to move in May 1st
2. Female, age 43, Credit score 650 moving to area for new job for established company opening a new office in area — no evictions, no felonies, new job $60K, says she doesn’t smoke, no pets. Resume on Linked in shows job changes constantly. Last job ended in December and was 7 months in tenure. Says she will work from home until the office opens. Wants to move in April 15th.
3. Married couple. She 27, he 32. Her Credit score 720. He works for cash as construction worker (no SS#), she is legal assistant for 4 years for Immigration law firm. Salary $68K. No kids, a small dog. Both say not smokers but facebook has photos of him smoking (photos a few years old). Wants to move in ASAP.
I still have the ad active....... but how would you rate the above in order of 1,2,3rd choice.
Honestly, I'd keep looking. There are issues with all of them and not enough info. But, with just the above info, I'd choose in this order:
1) College grad. Least likely to actually smoke or already have a pet. Will probably party, may want to get a roommate or sneak one in, possibly be a slob or not be good about mowing lawns, etc., but probably want to take care of his credit score and won't likely consider it's possible to break a lease.
2) 43 year old female. Yes, she'll probably move soon, but isn't likely to have a pet, if she moves so much. You never know about smoking unless you smell it on her. If you verify her last job was far enough away that she had to move for this new job, that's a good reason to move, at least.
3) Married couple. I don't like that they want to move asap or that you already know they're lying about the smoking. I like her job, but something else is wrong with their situation, if they are having to move asap. I don't care if he doesn't have a SS#, but getting paid in cash means you can't verify his income and that's a real issue.
Lots of other questions and issues, but as far as playing this game goes, those are my picks.
1) College grad for reasons others have discussed.
I'd cross the other two off of the list as I don't get a warm and fuzzy due to the potential lying about smoking from the husband in example 3 (it's possible that he's stopped smoking as the photos were a few years old, but I'd always wonder about honesty either way due to the photos) and the work history of example 2 concerns me (I'd be concerned that I'd have to find someone else to rent mid-lease).
1100 sq ft single family house 2/2/1. Available April 15th. Here are the applicants, pick your choice (this is a game but facts are real)
1. Male, age 22, new college grad. — Credit score 650 no evictions, no felonies, new job $52K, says he doesn’t smoke, no pets, wants to move in May 1st
2. Female, age 43, Credit score 650 moving to area for new job for established company opening a new office in area — no evictions, no felonies, new job $60K, says she doesn’t smoke, no pets. Resume on Linked in shows job changes constantly. Last job ended in December and was 7 months in tenure. Says she will work from home until the office opens. Wants to move in April 15th.
3. Married couple. She 27, he 32. Her Credit score 720. He works for cash as construction worker (no SS#), she is legal assistant for 4 years for Immigration law firm. Salary $68K. No kids, a small dog. Both say not smokers but facebook has photos of him smoking (photos a few years old). Wants to move in ASAP.
I still have the ad active....... but how would you rate the above in order of 1,2,3rd choice.
If I had to choose among the 3 listed above, I would rank them in reverse order from how you have listed them. In other words, #3 would be my first pick, #2 my second choice, and #1 my last choice. You have to "read between the lines" when evaluating rental applicants. You can't go by just what is listed on the application. Often times, what's NOT listed is more important than what is listed. You have to use experience and intuition in order to make an educated guess on what is not listed that might be of concern to you as a landlord.
Clearly, #3 is the best applicant. She is steady and dependable and will see that the bills are paid on time. He is much less dependable and perhaps is hiding income from the IRS, but that's not your worry. You just want the rent on time and want them to take care of the place. The little dog may be a minor problem, but as long as you make it clear that any damage done by the dog will have to be paid for by them, that should take care of that. Also let them know that if the dog barks a lot and bothers other tenants, that's ground for kicking them out and keeping their deposit.
Applicants #1 and #2 are about a tossup. #1 has NO rental record, and considering his age and just graduated from college, he may be a problem when he discovers single life in his own apartment with a new job. Much partying and many late night visitors are to be expected. In addition, he may not have the first clue about how to keep a place clean.
Applicant #2 strikes me as a perpetual "victim". Something is always going wrong in her life requiring constant job changes and constant moving. Something bad is always happening to her, and it's always (allegedly) someone else's fault. She is only marginally a better risk than #1, and it's mainly due to her being more mature.
College grad. Will be eager to please, and starting at $52K means he has a good job with room for advancement.
I worked with a woman like #2....same resume. She has had 4 jobs in the last 4 years. Some people just cannot stay at one place, may not be a problem for you if she seamlessly goes from one to the next, but if she's relocating why chance it.
Married couple if you really don't want smokers, they're not a good choice.
What is the rent? My first choice would definitely be #3. But only after doing an in-home visit to verify their current living conditions. In today’s world it’s a must. No hoarding, dog stench or damage, smoking smell or meth labs....no problem but must be verified.
You are stacking the deck with equally poor choices.
A big no on Number 3. I had a pair like that once. The woman was a legal assistant who thought she was a lawyer. The man was an auto mechanic. They gave me nothing but grief for a year.
As for 1 and 2, I'd want to read the actual credit reports instead of just relying on the scores.
650 is right on the cusp between fair and poor and there's got to be a reason for it. The 43 year old woman might have negative entries (delinquencies)where the college graduate may have no negative entries and just not enough positive entries for a better score yet. If that was the case I'd go with the college graduate.
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