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Attracting Tenants with the Power of Online Listings

One of the most challenging elements in choosing to rent out your property is bringing in potential renters. Gone are the days of scouring the newspaper for rental ads, with future tenants taking to websites like Craigslist to find their new home.

Using online listings has quickly become the new way for renters to find their next nest, as online resources make it quick and easy to compare and contrast many properties at once. Effective online listings paint a picture of the rental property and help potential tenants envision themselves in the rental.

Your first step as a property owner will be coming up with your property’s listing, something that will draw in your future tenant and make them feel right at home.

Highlight the Neighborhood

One of the most common things that you hear when talking about property, whether renting or buying, is “Location, location, location”.

Location matters to renters, and interests change depending on their family demographic or age group. Young, single renters are going to look for a hip or up-and-coming neighborhood; while renters with families are more likely to settle into a suburban area. Appeal to your audience when it comes to writing your listing!

Tip: If your listing is in the city, include a WalkScore rating. WalkScore is a third-party website that will show local restaurants, attractions, and points of interest as well as their ease of access to your property listing. It then takes that information and grants your property a score—100 being the highest—which relates to how easy it is to walk to those points of interests. 

If your listing is in the suburbs, include a list of nearby parks or schools so that families interested in renting will know what will be close by for their children.

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

When listing your property for rent, photographs can make or break the listing. Listings with photos can get an average of 60% more views than listings without, and having quality pictures of your listing can make even more of a difference!

Hiring a professional photographer is always an option, but make sure that you are using a photographer that specializes in real estate photography. Here are some quick tips if you choose to take photos of your rental property yourself:

  • Use natural light to flatter your Sarasota or Englewood property in both interior and exterior photos.
  • Find the best angles in your property to make the rooms look wide and open.
  • Make sure that your photos accurately depict your property: renters don’t want to be surprised when they tour the property.

Use Language to Your Benefit

You always want to be honest when listing your property for rent: tenants will appreciate an honest property owner more than just about anything! However, there are ways to use your words to benefit your listing.

Tip: Instead of saying that a house is “small” and “needs TLC,” you could say that your home is “cozy and ready to be modernized.”  If your home has a unique feature, like a claw-foot bathtub or fireplace, you can use words like “luxurious” or “elegant” to evoke certain feelings in your renter. Who wouldn’t want to live in a luxurious rental or have an elegant bedroom? 

Using stories to draw your potential renters in can be equally as effective. If your property has a three-season porch, you can write about how much your past renters have enjoyed having their morning coffee in the sunshine. As much as language can help you when listing your home, it can also hinder you. Make sure that you are checking your spelling and grammar thoroughly, and that you are not using jargon or regional slang that people from outside of your area won’t understand.

Property Managers Can Make Your Listings Shine

Creating a property listing that brings in potential renters can be a challenge: you want to make sure that you are highlighting the location of your rental, taking photos that accurately depict and flatter your property, and using attractive language when writing your listing. Learning how to write a listing that is beneficial to you and interesting to potential renters is a skill that can be honed over time, but good property managers are trained in writing property listings and enhancing existing ones for the benefit of property owners. Are your property listings as beautiful as they could be? Real Property Management of Sarasota & Manatee can help you optimize your listings! Get in touch with us today for a FREE assessment of your property!

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