Learn the essential strategies for marketing your rental property that will help reduce vacancy and secure tenants faster.
When your rental’s empty, it actually costs you money every single day it stays vacant and empty. You probably think that lowering your rent is the fastest way to fix your vacancies. However, there’s something else that’ll make an even bigger difference, and that’s effective marketing.
Basically, the way you present your property determines how quickly you’ll attract qualified tenants. Thus, by delegating your listing to a reputable rental management company in Northern Virginia, your property will be marketed on a variety of reputable rental sites and social media.
Writing Listings that Convert
Make a Strong Impression
Now your listing is probably the first thing your prospective tenants will see, so it needs to make a really strong impression. That’s why you shouldn’t just create a basic description. Rather, you should write a listing that gives people an actual reason to schedule a viewing with you.
You can start with a headline that really shows your property’s strong selling points. When you mention things such as a renovated kitchen or a convenient location, you just might be encouraging a potential tenant to keep reading.
Discuss Your Rental’s Benefits
Another thing you should pay attention to is your apartment’s benefits. For example, don’t just say your apartment has a balcony, but instead talk about how it’s an amazing place to enjoy your morning coffee or unwind after a long day at work. These little details actually go a long way in helping your tenants picture themselves living in your rental.
In addition, try your best not to sugarcoat throughout the description. Basically, if your listing overpromises more than your property can deliver, you’ll be wasting time showing the unit to people who’ll end up disappointed.
Perks of the Area
It’s also worth mentioning any nearby conveniences to your prospective tenants. Things such as shopping centers, public transport, restaurants, and even parks can all make your rental sound much more appealing. That’s because lots of tenants want a neighborhood just as much as they want a home.
Maximizing Professional Photos & Virtual Tours
Professional Photos
Unfortunately, even the best-written listings will get overlooked if your photos don’t make a good first impression. Now most of your renters start apartment hunting online, so your pictures are what will influence them to click or scroll past your listing. Thus, before you take any photos, you must make sure your property is clean, organized, and well-lit.
Besides, you can also get a professional photographer to help with your pictures, because they know the best angles and how to utilize lighting. If you can’t get a professional, you could always use a good-quality camera and take photos during the day, so your listing improves considerably.
Virtual Tours
Yet another valuable marketing tool you can try is having a virtual tour. In fact, highlighting virtual walkthroughs in your online listings allows tenants to explore the layout remotely. Plus, this is perfect for your prospective renters, because it’ll give them a better understanding of your property’s size and flow before they schedule an in-person visit. A virtual tour can also save you time by attracting more serious applicants. So instead of you having to answer repeated questions about the layout, you’ll let interested renters view your space beforehand.
Timing Your Listing to the Season
Now you might not know this, but the period you list your rental can influence how quickly it gets leased. Without a doubt, properties are rented throughout the year, but certain seasons naturally bring more prospective tenants into the mix.
For instance, spring and summer are usually the busiest times when you’re talking about rental activity. Thus, if you list during these months, you have a much better chance of increasing the number of inquiries you’ll receive. At the same time, if you’re marketing your rental during a slower season, don’t assume you’ll have a super long vacancy. Instead, you can try to make your listing as competitive as possible by responding quickly to any inquiries and also ensuring that your listing always stays updated.
Also, if you already know a unit’s going to become available soon, you should start advertising early before your current tenant moves out. This’ll help you reduce the amount of time your rental sits empty between leases. If your listing has been online for several weeks without much interest, you probably need to refresh it to improve your rental’s visibility and encourage new tenants to take another look.
In Conclusion
Reducing vacancy isn’t always about lowering your rent. Rather, it’s more about helping the right renters discover your property and giving them enough confidence to schedule a viewing. Thus, when you consistently market your property well, you’ll improve your chances of securing qualified tenants faster and keeping vacancies to a minimum.
