The follow-up playbook that fills units
What to send, when to send it, and when to stop — from the first text to a booked tour.
The renter who texts your listing at 9:40 at night isn't waiting for you. They texted four other listings in the same minute. The first real answer usually gets the tour.
Most leasing teams don't lose leads because they're bad at leasing. They lose them in the gaps: the text that sat until morning, the follow-up nobody sent, the “just checking in” that got ignored. This is the sequence I use. It's short on purpose.
1. The first reply: answer what they asked
Answer the question in their message first. Then ask one question back. Not five. One.
That's it. You confirmed availability, gave the two facts they'll ask about next (price, move-in), and moved the conversation forward. Speed matters more than polish here — a clear answer in a minute beats a perfect one in three hours.
2. Same day: offer two tour times
If they reply, go straight to a tour. Don't ask “when works for you?” — that's homework. Offer two real times.
If they go quiet after the first reply, send one nudge the same day with the same two times. Then leave it.
3. Day two or three: give them something useful
“Just checking in” is a message about you. Send something about the apartment instead — a photo of the kitchen, the parking situation, the pet policy, the laundry. Something that answers a question they haven't asked yet.
4. Day seven: close the loop
After a week, ask directly and give them an easy out. People answer this message more than any other, because it's the only one that doesn't ask for anything.
If they don't answer, stop. You can re-open the thread later when a new unit comes up that fits what they told you.
After the tour
- Same evening: thank them and send the application link. Don't wait until tomorrow.
- Next morning: one line — “Any questions about the application?”
- If they toured somewhere else too, the first complete application usually wins. Make yours the easiest one to finish.
What to stop doing
- Long paragraphs. Renters read on a phone, between other things.
- Asking for everything up front. Qualify in a couple of questions, not a form.
- Following up with no new information.
- Letting evening and weekend leads wait. That's when most renters are texting.
Where Pace fits
This sequence is simple. The hard part is doing it every time, at 11 at night, for every lead. That's the part Pace handles. It sends the first reply from your own number, offers real tour times from your calendar, and runs the follow-ups — then hands the conversation to you when something's unusual.
We set it up for you on a 15-minute call. Your number, your units, your rules.
