I can be blunt, if nothing else. Honest to a fault as well sometimes. Maybe that is a bad thing and maybe that is a good thing. Perhaps it depends on the eye of the beholder. Yesterday, I had a couple come in to talk about renting an apartment. They stated they don’t need it until possibly February, one said; March, the other one said. Right off the bat I don’t believe either one of them. They could be the dreaded Shopper.
In any event, I invited them to sit while I finished with a Prospective new Resident filling out an Application and giving me the Deposit. Usually, when others come in to the Leasing Office, as I am assisting someone with the application process, there is added interest on behalf of the new arrivals. They almost immediately feel a certain level of excitement and want to be a part of the energy. Not this couple. They each sat down on opposite sides of the room and took out their phones. Hummm.
The Applicant left and I asked the couple to join me at my table to discuss what was going on with them in their housing search. I asked the usual questions, trying to establish some rapport, trying to gain a sense of their “story.” Everyone has a story.
They seemed to be on guard and then began bad mouthing their current apartment and most especially, their Property Manager. Actually, this didn’t surprise me; this happens quite a bit. They continued a long list of items they didn’t like about their place, the manager, the maintenance team, the flooring, the appliances, the look of the apartment, the feel of the apartment. I finally asked them was there anything they did like and why did they rent there if they hated the apartment. Hadn’t they seen it before they signed the lease?
One of the couple stated it didn’t matter, they move often. In fact, she said, they had moved five times in four years. My brow furrowed. I kind of snarled my lip and leaned forward with my elbows on the table.
“I see,” I said. “Well, let me explain something to you. You may not mind moving so much. That’s your prerogative, but my goal in working with Residents is to find them a home they love. The last thing I want is to have you sign a lease here thinking this is only a temporary place. My whole philosophy is that you choose somewhere that meets your needs and exceeds your expectations. I’m going to show you a couple of styles today and you need to be honest about what you like and what you don’t like.”
One of the couple looked at me with an almost defiant look. So, I called her on it. “Are you upset about what I just said?” I asked. “It’s just that I want my Residents to love being here and if you don’t think you will be happy here then I don’t want you to rent here. I don’t want you to come in to this Office every month to pay your rent and complain because your carpet is not new or the tile is not the color you want or you hate the vaulted ceiling and gas fireplace. When you rent an apartment here, you tell me what you want and I will make it happen BEFORE you move in and you will see what you are getting before you sign your Lease.” I went on to explain that I thought they were choosing too hastily and I was so excited that THIS time, they started early enough to get what they want and what they deserve.
I took them to two different apartment styles so they could experience each floor plan with no pressure. I have seen people who display absolutely no expression when touring (these are usually engineers. Don’t get me wrong; I love engineers – I married one once! – but they can be pretty deadpan in the facial expression department.) But this couple was sulky, unsmiling and domineering in their tones of voice.
When we got to the townhouse though, all of a sudden, they took their gloves off – with one another, not me. It was almost embarrassing how loud and argumentative they were being with one another. But then I got tickled by all their emotion and I started laughing. They stopped and then started smiling and suddenly it was as if we were old friends.
“Well, now, at least I know where you each stand and now I think we can go back to the Office and talk about which apartment home will work for you when you move in 2013.”
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