How ShowMojo Helped Rentwell Transform its Business Model with Leasing Automation

Rentwell Begins Its Deep Dive on Service

To go deeper rather than wider, Hock needed to get himself and his team off of the leasing hamster wheel. He needed to systemize and outsource the most time-consuming, low-value (but essential) activities in the leasing process.

That meant syndicating listings to all the major sites, making them look as nice as they could, generating leads, capturing and nurturing the best leads, and screening out the non-serious prospects.

It also meant automating most of that process, with some manual oversight.

Simple in theory, but less so in practice.

ShowMojo Can Help With That

Fortunately for Rentwell, ShowMojo could help with all of that and more.

To start, with every new listing Rentwell adds or listing change the team makes, ShowMojo syndicates that data — listing details, photos, watermarking, and more — to as many as 50 Listing Sites.

But syndication? In 2024, that’s table stakes. Once Rentwell’s listings were active, ShowMojo kicked into high gear.

With a configurable pre-showing questionnaire, Rentwell could Weed Out Unqualified Leads based on listing-specific income, pet profile, and move-in date requirements. Rentwell sets these criteria for different properties and localities and can even add their own custom criteria.

Once the criteria are set, Rentwell can leave all the screening to ShowMojo.

Then, ShowMojo Nurtures Every Serious Prospect who makes it through screening like a tiger mom. Without Hock or his staff having to lift a finger, the platform:

• Responds to all listing inquiries via text and email with messaging that’s specific to the listing the prospect inquired about.
• Watches for rent reductions and emails every prospect who inquires about the listing to inform them of the reduced rent.
• Emails every prospect who expresses interest in similar listings in the last month when Rentwell posts a new listing.
• Cancels any upcoming showings when listings go off-market, including sending a text notification to the prospect when appropriate. Then directs each prospect to schedule another showing at Rentwell’s similar, on-the-market listings.

ShowMojo was, and still is, a tremendous help. When we were growing, we weren’t able to hire fast enough. ShowMojo was key to filling in those gaps.
TJ Hock, COO, Rentwell

Rentwell Gets Even More Focused With Self-Showings

In 2019, not long before the pandemic made Self-Showings all the rage, Rentwell switched to 90 percent self-showings.

Chief among Rentwell’s concerns ahead of the switch was security for the newly minted self-showing units. And while digital security in 2024 is a never-ending game of cat and mouse, ShowMojo helps ensure Rentwell stays one step ahead.

ShowMojo does this with digital features that:

1. 1. Enable Rentwell’s team to review scheduled showings before they’re accepted.
   2. Verify the prospect’s identity and confirm their location at the start of the showing.
   3. Automatically distribute time-limited, individualized access codes.

Rentwell takes it a step further with a feature from ShowMojo called Fully Automated Identity Decisioning with Precise ID. This feature incorporates Experian’s Precise ID product — the same tech banks use to verify identities before handing out a credit card or checking account.

(this feature is included for free in any ShowMojo account that can conduct Driver License and Document Verification).

How Rentwell Manages Self-Showings With ShowMojo

Satisfied with the Security System ShowMojo helped him implement, Hock turned his operational eye to optimizing the process of self-showings.

With ShowMojo’s Leasing Automation, Rentwell had all the steps from generating a lead to converting, screening, and scheduling a showing for that lead covered.

But there was still the issue of ensuring prospects could get in the door of a self-show unit without the assistance of a leasing agent, in the rare event there was an issue. Plus, Rentwell still wanted to accommodate prospects who — for whatever reason — wanted to speak to a live person.

Enter Live Answer.

Without any extra staffing, any time someone calls Rentwell’s leasing line, Live Answer enables Rentwell to:

• Provide fast, courteous responses when a prospect wants to speak to a live person.
• Assist prospects with self-showing access.
• Add another line of defense against self-showing fraud.
• Route important leasing calls directly to the Rentwell office.
• Correctly route anyone who unintentionally dials the leasing line (like prospective and current owners, current residents, and maintenance calls).

Hock summed up all the efficiencies ShowMojo helped his company gain:

Effectively we went from 3 full-time showing agents to none. And we don’t need as many admins — on 1300 doors, we have two leasing managers. I don’t think we’ll ever go back to live showings. The security is great.
TJ Hock, COO, Rentwell

Over time, Rentwell began to swap out its old access devices to MojoBoxes to facilitate self-showings. According to Hock, the MojoBox Digital Lockboxes are a superior option because of their reliability and the fact that they don’t require an internet connection. This makes it so Rentwell isn’t constantly fixing access devices. Plus, the team can easily manage self-showings for units that have spotty cell coverage.

What Rentwell Looks Like With Leasing Automation

For Rentwell, Leasing Automation is about more than just operational efficiency. It’s about what that operational efficiency means for the business.

Thanks in part to Outsourcing and Automating Most of Its Leasing Process, Rentwell was able to realign its business model to prioritize service excellence, customer retention, and internal stability.

Today, Rentwell staffs its own service providers that handle everything from landscaping, HVAC, new installations, remodeling and construction, and routine maintenance. This streamlines work order execution, enhances property oversight, and minimizes headaches for Rentwell’s staff. Together, Hock and Coldwell have also opened an investment branch of Rentwell.

By the time this story hits the press, there’s a good chance Rentwell will be launching a new way to create value for real estate investors and landlords.

Would you like to discover what Leasing Automation could empower you to do with your property management business? Schedule a demo, or start a free trial today.