I was thinking of starting a leads generation business and the nitch was going to be college kids looking to get out of dorms and into some rentals. I have not gotten back any feedback good or bad from the realtors I have sent a survey to. Is this not the type of lead a realtor would be interested in. If no then why not? I live in NY, the 5 boro area. Thanks for your help.

I don't know of any Real Estate Agents who focus on doing Rentals.

And most College Students have so much debt, it will be a long time before they can pull together the resources for a Down Payment.

I don't smell anything lucrative in what you're talking about.

I was thinking that many college students already pay for dorms and many get money from their parents so why not just use that money to live off campus. From what I understand, most realtors get a % or one months rent as a commission. Around her rent could be from 800-2000. I am in sales for a different industry but I would love a warm lead and make a quick commission, even if it's not from the sale of a house.

I am glad for you. From what I know about Rentals, the Fee typically flows from the LandLord to the Agent . . . . not from the Tenant to the Agent.

In exchange for the Fee, the LandLord is expecting a quality Tenant whose references have been checked and whose credit has been screened. It may not be quite as "quick" as you perceive, and froth with liability.

What are you offering that a 3" X 5" Card on the Bulletin Board at the Student Union wouldn't accomplish ?

Try it for a while yourself. Good Luck!

What type of leads would you like to get?

In this case the fee would be from the landlord to the agent. I would gather the college students information and sell them to agents who are interested in working them. In my area the majority of college students live off campus. Money can be an issue but if they are already paying for dorm living then they can use that money toward the rent. Most college students complain that the college does not do enough for housing. A 3 X 5 card in limiting because most people that have rentals go to a realtor to have them rent out the space. I am providing leads to a realtor who just needs to confirm the college student is a good fit for the renter. It seems like a no brainer to me. Would you work a lead like that?

I think your scenario would sound a little more lucrative if you provided a source of LandLords who "might" rent to Students . . . . after all they (the LandLords) would be the Clients who are paying the freight. Contracts have to be signed with the Landlords to 1st get them to agree to cough up any fee.

You usually want to work out from the Specific to the General . . . . not in from the General to the Specific.

I've lived and worked on 5 different College Campuses, and it always seemed that there was a flurry of rental activity regarding rentals in the late Summer each year, and then that was it until the next year. When I rented a decent apartment off-campus, I'd endeavor to hold on to it over the Summer from year-to-year, usually by paying 1/2 the rent. Of course, "I" was an excellent Occupant, unlike the majority of rowdy kick the walls in and tear up the furniture people who got drunk by looking at a glass of wine.

It's very hard to do any kind of background check on people who have a bit of stability in their lives; I can't imagine how much time would be consumed trying to scrub the College Students before taking responsibility for them with a Landlord.

That's something you could do !