Why Leasing Takes Longer Than It Should—and Why I Built Tenant Access
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This might be uncomfortable to say, but it needs to be said.

Most leasing agents are taking longer to lease properties than they should—not because the market is slow, but because the process is.

In my experience, leasing drags on when agents:

• Haven’t made enough mistakes yet
• Aren’t learning from the mistakes they have made
• Haven’t been properly trained
• Or simply aren’t motivated

Sometimes it’s a mix of all four.

I didn’t come to this conclusion from theory.
I lived it—personally—with a family property in Glendale, Arizona.

A Property That Sat Vacant for Four Months
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My uncle owns a townhome in Glendale. He’s elderly, and watching his property sit vacant month after month was genuinely stressing him out.

The home sat empty for four months.

Two different property management companies couldn’t lease it.

I stepped in and leased it in one day—for more than the previous listing price.

That wasn’t luck.
It was process, attention to detail, and using the right technology.

The First Leasing Agent: In-Person Only, Rarely Available
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The first leasing agent relied entirely on in-person showings and was rarely available.

I reviewed their online listing and immediately saw problems:

• Important features were missing
• The description was generic and forgettable
• The photos didn’t help a renter imagine living there

I rewrote the remarks, added missing features, improved the flow, and helped get a highly qualified tenant scheduled.

Great credit.
Solid income.
Prequalified.

The tenant liked the townhome.

And then… nothing.

The leasing agent never followed up.

That property sat vacant for another two months.

The Second Property Manager: More Tools, Same Results
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We hired another property management company in the greater Phoenix area. On paper, they looked promising.

They still couldn’t lease the property.

They used a showing service with codeboxes that didn’t work with the smart locks already installed on the home. That meant:

• Tracking down a physical backup key
• Putting it in a lockbox
• Trusting strangers to return it
• Hoping it wasn’t copied

When we interviewed them, they said they were open to using technology. I explained that the smart locks were already connected to a centralized dashboard with automated leasing and built-in showings that worked across listing sites.

It was free for them to use.

They still had my uncle drive a physical key to their office.

And that key was used for months.

After two more months, the property was still vacant.

The Listing Was the Real Problem
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When I pulled up the listing, the issue was obvious.

They left out:

• Covered carport parking (a big deal in Phoenix heat)
• A private, low-maintenance enclosed yard
• A built-in doggy door
• Proximity to a dog park
• Additional reserved parking
• A private outdoor storage unit

All great features.

None mentioned.

The description was canned and generic—indistinguishable from dozens of competing listings.

The hook was “$300 off move-in costs,” but it didn’t explain how or why.

The photos were professional, but incomplete. They didn’t let a renter mentally move in.

Starting Over (And Automating Leasing the Right Way)
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My uncle fired the second management company.

He picked up the backup key and hoped it was the only copy floating around. Thankfully, exterior cameras with motion alerts helped ease the anxiety.

Then I did what most leasing agents don’t do.

I scoured every competing listing within two miles.

I rewrote the description to clearly show what this property had that others didn’t:

• A yard without the maintenance of a detached home
• Covered parking so your car isn’t an oven
• Extra parking and storage
• A layout that actually made sense

I added language about a reduced security deposit with approved credit, making it more competitive than nearby single-family homes requiring full rent plus a full deposit upfront.

Then I fixed the photos:

• Added images showing the updated shower and tile
• Showed the full layout
• Added yard, parking, storage, and community photos
• Included a map view showing the nearby college and dog park

Leased in One Day—From Out of State
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We leased the townhome in one day.

To tenants with dogs.
Strong income.
Satisfactory credit.
An 18-month lease.

I leased it from Denver, using the smart locks already installed and keyless access software connected to them.

Each showing used:

• A one-time passcode
• Time-restricted access
• ID verification

My uncle simply transferred the property and connected devices to my dashboard.

That moment—being able to take over leasing access remotely, securely, and instantly—was honestly pretty cool.

And it was a big reason Tenant Access exists today.

The Real Lesson (And Why Tenant Access Was Built)
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My uncle is happy.
The tenants are happy.
And I’m relieved it worked out.

There were a few maintenance items, but handling them remotely with expiring access codes made that easy too.

I’ve spent years leasing and selling properties. I ran my own brokerage. I trained leasing agents and new real estate agents.

And here’s the truth:

Leasing isn’t about luck.
It’s about differentiation, details, and reps.

Generic listings don’t lease fast.
Lazy follow-up kills deals.
Manual access slows everything down.

The status quo will just sit.

And owners—and their families—pay the price for it.

That’s why we built Tenant Access:
to help property managers and owners automate leasing, go fully keyless, move faster—and improve security.

Learn more by clicking to schedule a call with someone on our sales team to go keyless the easy way: https://www.mytenantaccess.com

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