There are many ways to generate interest in your rental property. Without interest it is difficult to find the right tenant or to fill a vacancy when you want to. On the flip side, the more interest you have the more likely you can find the best possible tenant.
With all the real estate rental websites currently available, it is not enough to throw your property on a site and wait for emails to flood your inbox. A lazy and scattered post will equal uneven results. You may get a few curiosity calls, but you won’t have the interest you desire. You are better off spending time to make sure your ad is perfect rather than throw anything you can think of online. The goal is to find the best possible tenant, not simply put your property on a website. Here are five tips to get your rental ad noticed and generate more interest in your property.
- Quality Pictures: We live in a time when people would much rather see pictures, or even a video, over reading something. Sure, there is still a large segment of people who like reading, but when it comes to anything online it is difficult holding interest for more than a few minutes. The starting point for online property interest is in the pictures you supply. A good picture of the property can do more than anything you can put in words. If you do not have pictures, you need to get them. Take photos of every side of the house, including the street and the garage. Ideally, you should photograph the property when it is vacant, but if you can’t make sure it is as clean as possible. Take a picture of every room you plan on putting in your listing. Even if it is a bad picture, it is still better than nothing. The more pictures you add the more that readers will get a true sense of your rental.
- Headline/Subject: Regardless of what you may see on the individual website, you need to assume there will be competition. If your rental ad post doesn’t stand out it will get lost in the crowd. As important as pictures are, the starting point is your subject line. In a few short words you need to describe your property and even tell a little something about it. If you are looking to attract students, you can say something like “perfect student rental property just 1 mile from campus.” If your property is more for a growing family, you could say something like “all the benefits of home without the cost of a mortgage.” Whatever your say, it is important to think about your target market. There are probably at least a handful of other properties that a prospective renter will look at in one sitting. If your subject isn’t catchy they will go right past it and not even give it a look.
- Good Description: If a prospective renter clicks on your ad, they are at least interested in the property. From there it is up to you to reel them in. Not every renter will be interested in your property. Your price may be too high, or it may not have everything they are looking for. What you don’t want to do is waste time on showing the property to people who aren’t truly interested. Your ad should describe the property, so they know exactly what they are getting into. Never assume that a feature in the property isn’t important or won’t appeal to tenants. If there is a garage or a fireplace, make sure you include it. If the house is on a quiet street or furnace is new make mention of that as well. Anything you can even remotely think of that adds value to the rental you should include in the description.
- Be Informative: Along with a description of the rental you also need to add as much information as you can think of. Tenants will look for the obvious ones such as the price, square footage and lease date. You also need to include rules regarding pets, smoking and parking. You should make it clear what you require for a security deposit and any other house specific rules you can think of. After reading your ad and seeing the photos a renter should have a very good idea of what they are getting with the property. Don’t try to hide any faults or defects with the property. They are going to find out soon enough anyway. The more property information you include, the fewer wasted showings and the better tenants you will find.
- Call To Action: At the end of your ad you need to include a call to action. You don’t want to sound like a salesperson, but you do need to create some urgency. Start by including a link to your website if there is an online application. If you don’t have a website, include a phone number or email they can reach out to if they have any questions or want to schedule a showing. It is a good idea to prescreen your tenants prior to showings so you don’t waste time. The easier you can make it on your tenants the smooth the overall process will be.
The quality of your rental ad goes a long way in finding good tenants. Don’t throw your ad online without thinking about it and making sure it has everything needed to generate interest.
