09/03/2026
One thing that has helped us stay consistent lately is treating this like an actual daily operation instead of waiting for messages to come in and reacting to them.
We’ve been averaging around 7–10 scheduled walkthroughs per week, and a big part of that starts before most of the tenant buyers we’re working with are even awake.
I usually wake up early, get my day organized, and build out my follow-up list before I start making calls. I’m writing down names, properties, who needs a callback, who messaged the night before, who got off work late and never responded, who needs another property option, and what walkthroughs need to be confirmed.
A lot of my leads are coming through Zillow, so there are usually fresh inquiries mixed in with conversations left over from the prior day. Rather than letting all of that live inside my inbox, I try to turn it into an actual schedule for the day.
Time zones matter too. Most of the properties I’m working are in the Midwest, while I may be operating from a completely different time zone. If you're on the West Coast working Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, etc., you can't necessarily operate on West Coast hours. I adjust my mornings around the people I'm trying to reach. By the time they're getting ready for work or starting their day, I want to already know who I'm calling and why.
Another thing I've learned is not to mentally lose the deal just because somebody doesn't like the first house.
You can spend time talking to a tenant buyer, answering questions, scheduling the walkthrough, coordinating access and following up—then they walk inside and say, “Nope.”
Maybe it's the smell. Maybe the condition is worse than they expected. Maybe the neighborhood isn't for them. Maybe they just don't like the layout.
That does not automatically mean the lead is dead.
You already did the hard part: you found someone who is actively looking for a home.
Instead of saying, “Okay, thanks anyway,” I ask what they didn't like and what they actually want. Then I go back through the availability and send them the next options that make sense.
If they want something cleaner, send the cleaner properties.
If they need another bedroom, adjust the search.
If they want to be closer to work or family, look at the surrounding markets.
Then schedule the next walkthrough.
I've had buyers pass on one property and immediately start looking at the next options I send them. That person should stay in your pipeline because the right property may not even be available today. A seller or investor could add a property next week that fits exactly what that buyer told you they wanted.
That's why I think follow-up is such a big part of filling.
Don't look at every unsuccessful walkthrough as wasted time. You learned the buyer's criteria, you've already established communication with them, and now you're in a better position to match them with the next house.
The process for me has really been:
Prepare early → respond quickly → call consistently → schedule the walkthrough → follow up afterward → identify the objection → offer another solution → keep the buyer in the pipeline.
You can't control whether somebody loves the first house they see.
You can control whether you follow up with them afterward.
Stay organized, stay persistent, and keep good faith that the right buyer and the right property eventually cross paths.
Big shoutout to Cameron Peters for encouraging me to share more of what has been working. The group has helped me tremendously, so hopefully some of this helps somebody who's just getting started.
— Ruben😁
