"Call Our Office M-F, 9-6" and Nobody Calls: Answer Rental Texts by Text

"Call Our Office M-F, 9-6" and Nobody Calls: Answer Rental Texts by Text

A renter messages about your two-bedroom at 12:40 PM. You're at work, so you send the reply you always send: "Thanks for reaching out! Please call me to set up a showing." They never call. They were still looking at listings when your reply arrived, and the next landlord answered their questions in the same thread.

This guide is for rental agents, property managers, and landlords with a day job or a full showing schedule. It looks at what happens when a reply asks a texting renter to switch to a phone call, why it's so common, and how to keep the conversation in the channel the renter picked.

What landlords saw when they asked renters to call

Two BiggerPockets threads about listing rentals on Facebook Marketplace describe the same pattern. Both are several years old, so treat them as practitioner experience, not current data.

• "Call our office M-F, 9-6." Cody L., a rental property investor in San Diego, used a saved reply along the lines of "Yes, it's available. To setup a time to view call our office @ xxxxxxx M-F, 9-6." His result: "I've had a grand total of zero leases from FB. In fact, we've had ZERO calls from FB." He added that he'd gotten "maybe 2 or 3 replies back" after answering (BiggerPockets, "Post rental on Facebook Marketplace").
• "They all want to text me with 50 questions." Jon A., a landlord in Asheville, North Carolina, wrote that "people just want to message all the time and not make a phone call." He pastes his number and asks people to call "because I can't stop what I am doing at work all day to answer text messages." What surprised him: "I am constantly shocked at is how few people actually call the number." He returns calls after work (BiggerPockets, "Do you post your listings on Facebook?").

Neither landlord was doing anything unreasonable. You can't stop mid-meeting to answer a stream of texts, and a phone call feels faster. But from the renter's side, a reply that says "call me" doesn't answer anything. It adds a step, and it moves the conversation to a channel they didn't choose, often during hours when they can't talk either.

What the surveys say (and don't)

There's no single survey that settles "text or call" for prospective renters, and the numbers depend on who is asked and about what:

• In an older Zillow piece, 71% of renters who asked about a listing expected to hear back within 24 hours, and only about half (51%) said they got the timely responses they expected. Zillow's advice: "Learn (and use) their preferred method of communication." It also noted that 42% of renters in rural areas follow up on a listing with a phone call, so not everyone wants to text (Zillow Rentals, May 22, 2019).
• Buildium, the property management software company, wrote in May 2024 that 59% of renters in its surveys want to communicate with their property manager by text message, and that openness to texting had grown by double digits over two years (Buildium, May 23, 2024). That's about current residents talking to their manager, not strangers asking about a listing, and Buildium doesn't publish the sample on that page.

The practical takeaway is simpler than any percentage: the renter already told you how they want to talk by the way they contacted you. If they texted or messaged, reply there. If they called, call back.

Why "call me" loses the lead

• It answers nothing. The renter asked if it's available, what it costs, or whether pets are OK. "Call me" leaves all of that open, so they keep contacting other listings.
• It asks for a channel switch at a bad time. Renters often message from work, on a break, or late at night. "Call our office M-F, 9-6" can mean waiting until tomorrow and making a call during their own workday.
• It puts the effort on them. Messaging lets a renter ask about five listings in five minutes. A phone call is one listing at a time. The listing that's easiest to talk to wins.
• It filters out the wrong people. Some landlords use "call me" on purpose to screen out casual "Is this available?" clicks. That works, but it also drops serious renters who simply don't call strangers.

Four ways to answer by text when you can't text all day

1. Reply in the same channel, with substance. The first reply should answer their question from your listing details (rent, bedrooms, area, pet policy if it's filled in) and ask one easy question, such as move-in date or bedrooms.
2. Put the common answers in the listing, and in a saved reply. Several landlords in these threads said renters ask questions already answered in the ad. A short saved reply that repeats the basics and links the full listing saves you typing the same thing twenty times.
3. Offer showing times in the thread. Give two or three real open times and let them pick by text. "When can you come see it?" is easier to answer than "call me to schedule."
4. Save the phone call for later, if you want one. Once someone has booked a showing, a quick call is a reasonable next step. Asking for it first is where most drop off.

Here's the difference in a thread:

Renter (12:40 PM): Hi, is the 2 bed on Belmont still for rent? Is it ok for a cat?

"Call me" reply: Thanks for reaching out! Please call our office M-F, 9-6 to set up a viewing.

Text reply: Hi! The 2 bed on Belmont is $1,950/month in Lakeview. Pet policy: cats OK. The agent confirms current availability, but I can set up a showing. I have 1) today 5:30 PM, 2) tomorrow 11:00 AM, or 3) tomorrow 4:00 PM. Which works?

Renter: 2

(Example only. The listing, rent, policy, and times are made up.)

Where Sarah AI fits (and where it doesn't)

Sarah AI is a 24/7 SMS assistant for Chicago real estate agents, property managers, and landlords. It's built for the case in this post: renters who text, and an agent who can't text back mid-workday.

• It replies by text to every message on its number, day or night, so the conversation stays in the channel the renter picked. It says it's an AI assistant if asked.
• It answers from your listings. Sarah matches listings from your Google Sheet and only states details that are filled in there, like the pet policy, quoted as written.
• It asks practical questions, like budget, move-in date, bedrooms, and area, and offers real open showing times from your Google Calendar in the same thread.
• It books the time the renter picks after they confirm it, and alerts you by text (and email, if you add one).
• It hands off what you should handle: screening, fees, deposits, application steps, negotiation, and anything legal go to you with a one-line summary.

What Sarah doesn't do: it doesn't confirm that a unit is still available (the agent confirms current availability), it doesn't take or make phone calls, it doesn't follow up with renters who go quiet, it doesn't work inside Facebook Messenger or portal inboxes (you put Sarah's number in the listing so renters text it), and it doesn't sync with a CRM.

See how it works for landlords, property managers, and real estate agents, or read about Sarah in Chicago. Pricing is on the pricing page, and the compare page shows how Sarah lines up with other tools. You can also text the demo line and see what a renter sees.

Related reading

• Part-time agent with a day job? Covering lead texts from 9 to 5
• A new lead texts while you're mid-showing: who answers?
• Portal rental leads that never become a text conversation
• "Thanks, we got your message" isn't an answer
• "Can I see it today?" Book rental showings before renters cool off

FAQ

Do renters prefer texting or calling about a rental listing?

It depends on the renter, so follow their lead. Landlords in BiggerPockets threads about Facebook Marketplace said most people who message want to keep messaging and very few call when asked. Zillow's older renter research advised using each renter's preferred method and noted that many rural renters do follow up by phone. If a renter texts, text back. If they call, call back.

Should I ask rental leads to call me instead of texting?

Not as your first reply. A "call me" reply doesn't answer the renter's question and asks them to switch channels, often during their own workday. Answer the question by text, offer showing times, and save the call for after they've booked, if you still want one.

How do I answer rental texts when I'm at work all day?

Put the common answers in your listing and in a saved reply, block showing times on your calendar ahead of time, and have someone or something reply by text with real open times. That can be a colleague, an assistant, or a text assistant like Sarah AI that books from your Google Calendar.

Can Sarah AI answer Facebook Marketplace messages?

No. Sarah works on its own SMS number, not inside Facebook Messenger or portal inboxes. Put Sarah's number in your listing so renters text it directly.

Does Sarah AI call renters?

No. Sarah only texts. It doesn't make or take phone calls. When something needs you, such as screening, fees, or a legal question, it hands the conversation off to you with a summary.

Book a demo

Want renters who text at lunchtime to get answers and a showing time by text, while you stay at work? Book a demo and we'll walk through a renter's text, Sarah's reply from your listings, and the showing landing on your calendar.