How To Become An Apartment Locator

If you’re looking to become an apartment locator, the first step is to get some experience. Work with a real estate agent or find a company that needs help advertising their properties. This will allow you to learn how to effectively market apartments and work with clients.

Next, decide if you want to be an employee or an independent contractor. Some companies will hire people to work as employees, while others prefer to hire independent contractors for the same job. You can do the work yourself as an independent contractor and set your own rates and hours, but it might not be as stable as working directly for someone else.

If you decide that being an employee is right for you, consider getting certified as an apartment locator so that potential employers know what they’re getting when they hire you. There are also online courses available that can help prepare you for this career choice if you don’t want to complete a formal course at a local college or trade school.

How To Become An Apartment Locator

With the record number of home foreclosures and families reorganizing personal finances, often downsizing and cutting back on expenses are the only options. Apartments have advertising budgets to attract quality applicants to their complexes. For families, finding and relocating to a new residence can be stressful, time consuming and overwhelming. Providing a service to merge the efforts of the two can generate a hefty revenue as an apartment locator business. Get started by completing a few simple steps.

1. 1.Identify the need for an apartment locator service in your local area. Make phone calls, followed by in-person visits to local apartment complexes announcing the benefits of the services you provide. Start by locating properties for family and friends, and use their successes as testimonials to the efficiency of your service.
2. 2.License your new apartment locator business with the state. Obtain a unified business license to operate within the state you will conduct business. Determine a structure for your business, such as a corporation, limited liability company or sole proprietor. Contact your city licensing agency to determine if additional permits and licenses are required for your business type.
3. 3.Rent, lease or convert a home office space. If you will meet with applicants and apartment representatives in your office, leasing an affordable commercial space will provide a more professional environment. Convert a room in your home to operate your new apartment locator business if you plan to conduct business through Internet or fax transmissions.
4. 4.Create a strategic operational and marketing plan. Follow your plan to measure successes, grow your business and build a data base of clients and applicants. Promote your apartment locator business with fliers, business cards, refrigerator magnets, mass mailings, advertisements in local community papers and temporary specials, such as fee free for 30 days.
5. 5.Collect apartment finder guides for your area. Use apartment guides to compile a working database of complexes and online resident feedback. Categorize by name, location, price and number of bedrooms. Take special care to accurately match with apartment seekers. Check online for apartment features and amenities before referring. Check areas and note added features, such as easy access to bus lines, shopping and schools.
6. 6.Purchase office equipment, furniture and supplies. Stock your office with supplies and furniture, such as pre-screening applications, staples, copy paper, file folders and cabinets. Purchase database and word processing software to electronically maintain applicant and client information.
7. 7.Pre-qualify applicants before referring. Ensure applicants meet the income, rental history and criminal background requirements before making referrals. Obtain a release from applicants to conduct preliminary background checks. Employ the services of a background investigation service to collect additional information, such as credit reports.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being an Apartment Locator. For example, did you know that they make an average of $28.05 an hour? That’s $58,353 a year!

Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 7% and produce 26,500 job opportunities across the U.S.

What Does an Apartment Locator Do

There are certain skills that many Apartment Locators have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed Communication skills, Interpersonal skills and Listening skills.

How To Become an Apartment Locator

If you’re interested in becoming an Apartment Locator, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We’ve determined that 56.4% of Apartment Locators have a bachelor’s degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 3.6% of Apartment Locators have master’s degrees. Even though most Apartment Locators have a college degree, it’s possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Choosing the right major is always an important step when researching how to become an Apartment Locator. When we researched the most common majors for an Apartment Locator, we found that they most commonly earn Bachelor’s Degree degrees or Associate Degree degrees. Other degrees that we often see on Apartment Locator resumes include High School Diploma degrees or Master’s Degree degrees.

You may find that experience in other jobs will help you become an Apartment Locator. In fact, many Apartment Locator jobs require experience in a role such as Realtor. Meanwhile, many Apartment Locators also have previous career experience in roles such as Sales Associate or Administrative Assistant.