24 Qualifying, Closing & Follow-Up Practice Questions & Answers

1. 1. A leasing consultant asks her first prospect of the morning about the desired move-in date, household size, employment and whether the community's published income and rental-history standards can be met. Her next prospect arrives in a business suit, so she skips those questions and goes straight to the tour. What is the correct qualifying practice?

   • A.Ask a full set of qualifying questions of prospects whose appearance or manner suggests they may fall short.
   • B.Ask every prospect the same qualifying questions drawn from the written rental criteria and record the answers on the guest card.✓ Answer
   • C.Ask the questions a prospect invites with his own questions and leave the rest of the criteria to the completed application.
   • D.Ask the qualifying questions only after the tour ends, because raising income and credit early costs the community traffic.

   Every prospect must be qualified against the same written criteria in the same way, because the Fair Housing Act prohibits treating people differently in the terms, conditions or availability of housing. Selective qualifying based on appearance is disparate treatment even when the consultant's guess about who will qualify turns out to be right.

   Source: Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604(a)-(b); NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - qualifying prospective residents in accordance with rental policyReport a problem with this question

2. 2. During the qualifying conversation a prospect mentions that he fell behind on payments two years ago and asks whether that will be a problem. The consultant privately believes the file will be declined. What should the consultant do?

   • A.State the published screening criteria accurately, take an application, and let the screening result decide the outcome.✓ Answer
   • B.Ask for the details of the late payments and decide at the desk whether taking an application is worth the prospect's fee.
   • C.Take the application but flag the guest card so that the office knows to decline the file when the report arrives.
   • D.Tell the prospect that the credit history will probably be disqualifying and suggest a community with easier standards.

   Informally screening someone out by predicting the result denies that person the objective process every other applicant receives, which is the fact pattern of disparate treatment. The consultant's role is to describe the published criteria accurately and let the documented screening decision, not a guess, produce the answer.

   Source: Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604(a) and (d); NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - qualifying prospective residents in accordance with rental policyReport a problem with this question

3. 3. A prospect at the end of a tour says she is ready to apply and asks what she needs to bring. Before the consultant accepts the application and the application fee, what must the prospect receive?

   • A.A copy of the lease and its addenda, handed to her at the same time that the application fee is collected at the desk.
   • B.The written screening criteria, the fees and deposits, and which of those amounts are refundable, given before she applies.✓ Answer
   • C.The written screening criteria, delivered after the application is submitted so that the file is not slowed down at the desk.
   • D.A spoken summary of the income standard, with the rest of the criteria explained to her if the application is declined.

   Disclosure has to come before money changes hands: the applicant needs the qualification standards, the fees and deposits and their refundability in writing so that she can decide whether to apply at all. Giving the same disclosure to every prospect in the same way is itself the compliance behavior being tested.

   Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - ensuring prospective residents understand rental and screening criteria; Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604(b)Report a problem with this question

4. 4. An approved applicant tells the consultant that a friend will move in with him a few weeks after the lease starts, and asks whether that is a problem. What should the consultant do?

   • A.Explain that the addition is fine provided the whole household stays within the occupancy standard for that apartment.
   • B.Explain that the friend can be added by signing the lease at the office, since this household has already been approved once.
   • C.Explain that an occupant who is not on the lease may live there as long as the leaseholder stays responsible for the rent.
   • D.Explain that every adult occupant applies and is screened against the same criteria before being added to the lease.✓ Answer

   The rental policy applies to the household that will actually occupy the apartment, so each adult is screened against the same published criteria and then signs, which is also what gives the community a contracting party it can hold responsible. Allowing an unscreened adult to move in quietly both breaks the policy and destroys the consistency the file has to show.

   Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - qualifying prospective residents in accordance with rental policy; executing lease agreements (capacity of all adult occupants)Report a problem with this question

5. 5. Screening returns a result under which an applicant qualifies only if a guarantor signs, and the office requires one. The applicant asks why. Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act, how is that decision treated?

   • A.It is an output of the screening model, so the applicant is sent to the reporting agency and the office issues no notice.
   • B.It is an adverse action, so the applicant gets the notice naming the reporting agency and his dispute and free-report rights.✓ Answer
   • C.It is a conditional approval rather than an adverse action, so no notice is owed as long as the applicant ends up approved.
   • D.It is an adverse action only if the applicant refuses the guarantor requirement and the application is then turned down.

   Adverse action under the FCRA covers any denial of or unfavorable change in the terms of the housing sought because of a consumer report, so requiring a guarantor, a larger deposit or a shorter term triggers the notice just as an outright denial does. The notice identifies the reporting agency, states that the agency did not make the decision, and tells the applicant about the free copy and the right to dispute.

   Source: Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. 1681a(k) and 15 U.S.C. 1681m (adverse action notice)Report a problem with this question

6. 6. A declined applicant telephones and asks the consultant to explain why the screening agency rated his credit the way it did. What is the correct response?

   • A.Walk the applicant through the screening report line by line so that he can see exactly how the rating was arrived at.
   • B.Refer the applicant to the agency named in the notice, which must give him a free copy of the report on request.✓ Answer
   • C.Explain that the office is not able to discuss the file because the decision belongs to the management company.
   • D.Offer to submit the applicant's file for screening a second time to see whether a different result comes back.

   The office can say what its published criteria are and that a consumer report was used, but it cannot explain the agency's rating, and the adverse action notice must tell the applicant that the agency did not make the decision and cannot explain it. The applicant's remedy is the free copy of his report and the right to dispute anything inaccurate in it.

   Source: Fair Credit Reporting Act, 15 U.S.C. 1681m(a); 15 U.S.C. 1681j (free file disclosure after adverse action)Report a problem with this question

7. 7. A consultant is fifteen minutes into a tour when the prospect scheduled for the next hour arrives early and sits alone in the office. A colleague is at the desk and free. What is the best handling?

   • A.Cut the tour in progress down to a quick walk-through so that the waiting prospect can be started on time.
   • B.Text the waiting prospect an apology and offer to reschedule his visit for a quieter time later in the week.
   • C.Step back into the office, greet the waiting prospect by name, and ask the free colleague to begin his visit.✓ Answer
   • D.Finish the tour in progress at its planned pace, since interrupting one prospect to greet another is unprofessional.

   Both prospects are owed the community's standard of service, and leasing is a team outcome rather than an individual possession of a lead, so the waiting prospect is acknowledged by name and handed to an available teammate. Neither shortening the first tour nor leaving a person sitting unacknowledged protects the community's first impression.

   Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - exhibiting professionalism and teamwork in the sales function; establishing rapport with prospective residentsReport a problem with this question

8. 8. A colleague is called away in the middle of a tour and asks a consultant to take over with her prospect. What should the consultant do to keep the visit useful to that prospect?

   • A.Show the two apartments the community most needs to lease and let the prospect compare them side by side.
   • B.Read the colleague's guest card notes, pick up from the needs already recorded, and confirm them with the prospect.✓ Answer
   • C.Start the needs assessment over from the beginning so that nothing the prospect said is missed or assumed.
   • D.Finish the walk quickly and ask the prospect to come back when the original consultant is on shift again.

   The guest card exists so that any team member can continue the same conversation, and confirming the recorded needs shows the prospect that his time was not wasted and lets the tour stay tailored to him. Restarting the interview or defaulting to the units the office wants to move both push the visit away from what this prospect said he needed.

   Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - exhibiting professionalism and teamwork; evaluating customer wants and needsReport a problem with this question

9. 9. While a colleague is out on a tour, an internet lead she has been working calls the office to ask about availability. What should the consultant at the desk do?

   • A.Take the call, answer the availability question, set the appointment, and note it in the colleague's record of that lead.✓ Answer
   • B.Take the call, give the availability, and ask the caller to ring back when the colleague is free to book a time.
   • C.Take the call and open a fresh guest card under his own name so that credit for the lease follows the work he does.
   • D.Take a message for the colleague to return later, since the lead is hers and the relationship has already been started.

   A lead that has to wait for one person to become available is a lead that converts worse, so the person at the desk serves the caller fully and then writes the contact into the existing record rather than opening a competing one. Keeping the history in one place is what allows the source and the follow-up to be evaluated later.

   Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - exhibiting professionalism and teamwork; interpreting lead tracking and lead ratiosReport a problem with this question

10. 10. Four prospects each say something as a tour ends. Which statement is the clearest buying signal, the kind that should be met with a close?

    • A.Do the buildings on the far side of the property have the same floor plans as the one we just walked through?
    • B.Would the apartment we just walked through be available if we wanted to move in at the start of next month?✓ Answer
    • C.What are the other communities in this price range around here generally like as places to live?
    • D.How long has the management company owned and operated this community here in the neighborhood?

    A buying signal is a question about owning the thing rather than about the thing itself, so asking whether a specific apartment can be had on a specific date is the prospect mentally moving in. The other three questions gather information and call for a fuller answer, not for an attempt to take the application.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - proactively closing prospect customers (recognizing buying signals)Report a problem with this question

11. 11. A prospect has said that a short commute matters most to him, has heard how this location serves that need, and now says the apartment looks good. What should the consultant do next?

    • A.Ask for the application directly and begin it at the desk while the prospect's interest is at its highest.✓ Answer
    • B.Offer a second look at the same apartment so that the prospect can see it once more without any pressure.
    • C.Describe the remaining amenities in detail so that the prospect leaves with a full picture of the community.
    • D.Send a follow-up message that evening with photographs and let the prospect decide over the next few days.

    The close can be offered once a stated need has been uncovered and a matching benefit has been presented, and both conditions are met here, so the consultant asks for the lease at this logical opportunity. Adding more features or deferring to an evening message asks the prospect to decide later, when interest and memory of the apartment have both cooled.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - proactively closing prospect customers; the three-step relationship sales process (needs assessment, presentation, close)Report a problem with this question

12. 12. A consultant wants to use an alternative-choice close with a prospect who liked two floor plans. Which offer is a correct use of that close?

    • A.Ask whether the prospect prefers the corner home or a plan that is fully leased but may open up later this season.
    • B.Ask whether the prospect wants the advertised rent or a lower rent the consultant can request from the manager.
    • C.Ask whether the prospect prefers the second-floor home available on the 10th or the corner home available on the 20th.✓ Answer
    • D.Ask whether the prospect would rather apply today or wait until the household's other decision-maker can visit.

    An alternative-choice close asks the prospect to choose between two things he can actually have, so both options must be real, available and within the consultant's authority to offer. Pairing an available home with an unavailable one, with a delay, or with a discount nobody has approved makes the choice false and puts the consultant behind a promise he cannot keep.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - proactively closing prospect customers (alternative-choice close)Report a problem with this question

13. 13. One home is left in the floor plan a prospect wants, and two applications on that plan are already in screening. The prospect asks how quickly she has to decide. What should the consultant say?

    • A.State that the plan is effectively gone and offer to put her on a waiting list for the next home that opens up.
    • B.State that availability shifts constantly and that no home can be counted on until a lease has been signed.
    • C.State that one home in that plan is left and two applications are pending, and explain how a home can be held.✓ Answer
    • D.State that homes in this plan usually go within a day, so she should apply before she leaves the office today.

    Urgency is persuasive only when it is true, and here the real facts are urgent on their own, so the consultant states the actual count and the pending applications and explains what it takes to hold a home. Manufactured scarcity, exaggerated speed and blanket disclaimers all mislead the prospect and cost the community credibility when the prospect checks.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - proactively closing prospect customers (urgency based on actual availability); Fair Housing Act, 42 U.S.C. 3604(d)Report a problem with this question

14. 14. At the close a prospect says the apartment is nice but that he wants to think it over. What is the most effective next step?

    • A.Accept the answer, thank the prospect, and wait for him to call once he has made up his own mind.
    • B.Offer a rent concession that expires tomorrow so that the prospect has a reason to decide right away.
    • C.Ask what is still unsettled, answer that point, and agree on a specific day and time to speak again.✓ Answer
    • D.Repeat the strongest features of the community until the prospect's hesitation has been talked through.

    Wanting to think it over is a procrastination objection, and it is handled by finding the unresolved point behind it and then converting the delay into a scheduled next contact rather than an open end. Discounting to force speed, repeating features and simply waiting all leave the actual objection undiscovered.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - proactively closing prospect customers (objection types and the admit, explain, resolve sequence)Report a problem with this question

15. 15. A prospect says the quoted rent is higher than a nearby community's advertised rate and asks the consultant to do better. The rent comes from the community's automated pricing system. What should the consultant do?

    • A.Match the advertised rate of the other community for the first term and note the change on the guest card.
    • B.Point out the weaknesses of the nearby community so the prospect understands why its advertised rate is lower.
    • C.Offer to ask the manager for an exception, since a lease signed this week is worth more than the difference.
    • D.Restate the value against the needs the prospect described and explain that rates move with demand and term.✓ Answer

    A price objection is answered with value tied to what this prospect said he needed, plus an honest explanation that the rate reflects demand, term and availability rather than the consultant's discretion. Hinting that a lower number is available on request teaches the prospect to negotiate every rate and sets up a promise the office may not honor.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - proactively closing prospect customers (price objections and automated revenue management pricing)Report a problem with this question

16. 16. A consultant has taken a completed application and the fee from a household. What makes the handoff of that file to processing complete and accurate?

    • A.The application signed and the fee logged, with the verification documents gathered after the result comes back.
    • B.The guest card attached and the tour notes summarized, with household income confirmed verbally at the desk.
    • C.The applicant's name, contact details and desired home recorded, with the remaining fields filled in during screening.
    • D.Every field completed, each adult applicant's information present, the fee documented, and the disclosed criteria in the file.✓ Answer

    Screening can only be run on a file that is complete, and a blank or a missing adult means the household is not being measured against the same criteria as everyone else. Documenting the fee and the criteria disclosure in the file is also what later proves the applicant was told the standards before paying.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - supporting the transition from prospect to resident (application, lease, move-in); ensuring prospects understand rental and screening criteriaReport a problem with this question

17. 17. Right after her application is taken, an applicant asks what happens now. What should the consultant tell her?

    • A.That the timing rests with the reporting agency and that she should call the agency to find out where it stands.
    • B.That her home is held in her name from today and that the office will call her only if a problem comes up.
    • C.That approval looks likely from what they discussed and that she can plan on the move-in date she named.
    • D.How the screening decision is reached, when she can expect an answer, and how the office will contact her.✓ Answer

    The transition from prospect to resident is managed by setting accurate expectations about the process, the timing and the method of contact, which is what keeps the applicant from filling the silence with worry or with another community's tour. Promising a result, promising a hold that policy has not granted, or handing the question to the reporting agency all substitute a guess for the office's own commitment.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - supporting the transition from prospect to resident, including follow-upReport a problem with this question

18. 18. A prospect who needed a home with a den left without applying because none was available. A den plan opens up two days later. What is the most useful follow-up?

    • A.Send the standard weekly newsletter with the current specials so that she sees the community is still in touch.
    • B.Wait for her to call, since a prospect who leaves without applying has usually chosen somewhere else.
    • C.Call her, say the den plan she wanted has opened, give its available date, and offer a time to come see it.✓ Answer
    • D.Text a short message every morning asking whether she has yet made a decision about the community.

    Follow-up earns a reply when it carries new information tied to the need the prospect actually stated, and here the need and the new availability match exactly, so the contact ends with a concrete next step. Repeated generic contact is persistence without value and trains the prospect to ignore the community.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - supporting the transition from prospect to resident, including follow-up on every leadReport a problem with this question

19. 19. A new resident moves in tomorrow. Which set of tasks belongs to the leasing consultant preparing for that move-in?

    • A.Confirm the home is ready, arrange keys and access, assemble the welcome packet, and prepare the condition form.✓ Answer
    • B.Approve the final move-in charges, adjust the rent to the market rate, and update the month's operating budget.
    • C.Finish the punch list in the apartment, change the filters, and test the appliances before the resident arrives.
    • D.Schedule the make-ready crew, order the carpet installation, and inspect the paint against the make-ready standard.

    The consultant owns the resident-facing side of move-in: verifying the home is genuinely ready, having keys and access working, and having the welcome materials and the move-in condition form ready to complete and sign. The trade work and the make-ready schedule sit with maintenance, and the charges and rates sit with the manager, so the consultant confirms and escalates rather than performs them.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - supporting the transition from prospect to resident (move-in checklist, welcome packet, apartment readiness)Report a problem with this question

20. 20. Last month consultant A gave 40 tours and signed 8 leases, consultant B gave 60 tours and signed 9 leases, consultant C gave 30 tours and signed 6 leases, and consultant D gave 25 tours and signed 7 leases. Who had the highest closing ratio?

    • A.Consultant B, whose 9 leases came from 60 tours given
    • B.Consultant C, whose 6 leases came from 30 tours given
    • C.Consultant D, whose 7 leases came from 25 tours given✓ Answer
    • D.Consultant A, whose 8 leases came from 40 tours given

    The closing ratio is leases divided by traffic, so the ratios are 8/40 = 20 percent, 9/60 = 15 percent, 6/30 = 20 percent and 7/25 = 28 percent. The consultant with the most leases has the lowest ratio here, which is why the denominator has to be computed rather than assumed from raw lease counts.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - evaluating personal sales performance; marketing formulas (leases divided by traffic)Report a problem with this question

21. 21. A consultant logged 60 telephone leads, set 30 appointments from them, had 12 of those prospects actually tour, and signed 5 leases. Which stage is weakest, and what should she change?

    • A.Lead to lease at about 8 percent; ask for more advertising so that more telephone leads reach the office.
    • B.Show to lease at about 42 percent; add a stronger closing attempt at the end of each tour that she gives.
    • C.Lead to appointment at 50 percent; pick up calls faster and ask for the appointment on every single call.
    • D.Appointment to show at 40 percent; confirm every appointment beforehand with directions and a reminder.✓ Answer

    The stage rates are 30/60 = 50 percent lead to appointment, 12/30 = 40 percent appointment to show and 5/12 = about 42 percent show to lease, so the biggest drop is the appointments that never turned into visits. That stage is fixed by confirmation contact, directions and reminders, not by buying more leads at the top of the funnel.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - interpreting lead tracking and lead ratios; evaluating personal sales performanceReport a problem with this question

22. 22. Traffic to a consultant has held steady but her leases have fallen for two months running. Which review of her own numbers best identifies what she should change?

    • A.Her own leases divided by her own tours, and then her conversion at each stage from lead to appointment to show.✓ Answer
    • B.The community's total traffic count for those two months set against the same two months a year earlier.
    • C.The advertising spend by source for the period set against the number of leases each of those sources produced.
    • D.The number of leases each teammate signed in those two months set against the number that she signed herself.

    Self-evaluation starts with the ratio the consultant personally controls, leases over her own traffic, and then breaks the funnel into stages so that the failing step can be named. Year-over-year traffic and advertising spend are community-level questions for the manager, and comparing raw lease counts with teammates explains nothing about which part of her process slipped.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - evaluating personal sales performance (closing ratio and stage conversion)Report a problem with this question

23. 23. A consultant's closing ratio is well below the team's, and she explains that the traffic she happens to get is weaker than everyone else's. What is the sound way to treat that ratio?

    • A.As a signal to examine each step of her own process: greeting, qualifying, presentation, close and follow-up.✓ Answer
    • B.As a figure that evens out over time, so several more months of data are needed before anything is changed.
    • C.As a measure of traffic quality, which is set by the marketing plan and lies outside a consultant's control.
    • D.As a reason to take fewer tours so that each remaining prospect can receive much more of her attention.

    A closing ratio is a diagnostic on the consultant's own process, and the value of tracking it is that it points at the step that is failing so coaching, shop reports and guest card audits can be aimed there. Treating it as a verdict on traffic quality removes the only part of the equation the consultant can actually change.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - evaluating personal sales performance (why self-evaluation matters)Report a problem with this question

24. 24. In one month a consultant received 90 leads, 45 of which became appointments; 36 of those prospects toured the community, and she signed 12 leases. What is her closing ratio, and why that figure?

    • A.80 percent, the appointments that toured divided by the appointments that she set that month
    • B.27 percent, the leases divided by the appointments set, which is her booked demand for the month
    • C.13 percent, the leases divided by all leads received, which is the widest measure of her month
    • D.33 percent, the leases divided by the prospects who actually toured, which is her traffic✓ Answer

    The closing ratio uses traffic as its denominator, meaning the prospects who actually came and were shown the community, so 12 divided by 36 is about 33 percent. Leads and appointments measure earlier stages of the funnel and produce different, lower ratios that answer a different question about where prospects are being lost.

    Source: NAAEI CALP Exam Blueprint - marketing formulas and closing ratios (leases divided by traffic)Report a problem with this question

Practice questions only — not real exam items, and not affiliated with or endorsed by the National Apartment Association or NAAEI. Questions are written to the domains and tasks of the published CALP Exam Blueprint. This bank covers the leasing consultant's own work; the property-manager credential and the maintenance technician credential are separate banks on this site. Landlord-tenant law — notice periods, deposit limits and return deadlines, entry rules, fees and eviction procedure — is set by each state and often by each city, and is deliberately out of scope here; fair housing is covered at the federal level, and your state or city may protect additional classes. Exam format, eligibility, and scoring are set by NAAEI and change from time to time; confirm the current requirements before you register. Official CALP exam blueprint →