Some managers and landlords have an agreement with one or more residents or owners where the occupant of the home conducts the showings. While this may seem unconventional in certain circles, occupant-conducted showings can level up your leasing game in several different ways and benefit your business. 

Here are the most compelling reasons to consider doing occupant-conducted showings for your occupied listings:

• Occupant-conducted showings means less work for the manager/owner. Without having to conduct in-person showings themselves, you, your leasing team, or your owner have the freedom to work on other tasks, or avoid the cross-town drive in traffic.
  
  
• Doing the showing themselves might be more pleasant for the occupant. Rather than feeling like they need to make themselves scarce in time for a showing, the occupant can remain on site and provide useful insight to a prospective renter based on their experience living at that property.
  
  
• There can be a financial incentive for the occupant. Providing an incentive for occupants to conduct showings can help ensure that not only is the occupant motivated to conduct a positive showing, but they also have a reason to try to "sell" the place to the prospective renter if they receive a bonus for conducting a showing that turns into a new lease.
  
  
• The occupant might be the best sales person for the place. They will know all of the nooks and crannies of the property, and be able to highlight its best features since they are the ones closest to the unique features of the property on a day to day basis. They can provide practical insight into the property and what it is like to live there, which is a perspective that can increase the prospective renter's own interest in living there.
  
  
• Unlike self-showings, this can lead to a zero vacancy rate. With occupant-conducted showings, you can potentially get a new lease signed for the property before the current occupants even vacate. With a zero vacancy rate, you can take on more properties and have ecstatic owners raving about your leasing prowess.

If these reasons seem as compelling to you as they do to us, here are some Dos and Don'ts to keep in mind when considering occupant-conducted showings:

• DO ensure the prospect knows in advance that the current occupant is doing the showing.
• DO follow up with prospects post-showing to make sure everything is happening as expected.
• DO consider the current occupant's schedule and convenience.
• DO offer an incentive for occupants to conduct showings.
• DON'T force an unwilling occupant to conduct showings.
• DON'T use occupant-conducted showings with a trouble occupant.

We're fans of occupant-conducted showings because this approach can save a ton of time, give a prospective renter a more personal view of the property, and even allow you to achieve the highly-coveted zero vacancy rate. Better yet, ShowMojo's Showing Acceptance feature allows you to automate as much of the showing process as possible, including occupant-conducted showings.