2 Essential Listing Tips for Better Tenants

01 Jun 2 Essential Listing Tips for Better Tenants

Having success as a landlord starts with obtaining great tenants. If you have experience renting out your property, you know that tenants can embody a wide range, from nightmares that require you to go through court processes to ideal scenarios who pay rent on time and take good care of the property.

In order to attract those quality tenants, it’s important to do a great job with your property listings. Great listings, in the right place, will ensure that you have your pick of tenants, and you can filter them according to your renting needs. Here are 2 tips to help you attract your ideal tenants:

1: Check the Demographics of Each Listing Platform You Use

Most landowners think they have to cast a huge net in order to get the good fish. However, with the wide variety of listing options out there, that’s simply not necessary. In fact, it could be a waste of your money and time. Instead, hand-pick the listing publications that you use in order to appeal best to your target demographic.

Each publication or platform should have some statistics on their readers and users. Ask for details and put the most effort into the places that your ideal tenants spends the most time. Check for the income, life situation, and age of the readers.

You might choose to list your property in the local newspaper, on big online marketplaces, via social media, or through physical signs and advertising. If you’re aiming for a more senior and established couple, consider newspaper or conventional resources like real estate agents. If your ideal tenant is younger, independent and trendy, consider social media or online marketplaces. If your property is in a college area, you might only need to list it on the university’s housing site.

When you write your listing, remember to continue to appeal to your target audience. What are the most desirable aspects of a property in their eyes? If your property doesn’t have them, think about some upgrades, or an adjustment in your audience.

2: Take Excellent Photos – and Plenty of Them

A study by Trulia.com found that listings with 6 images or more are twice as likely as those with less. With the accessibility of online media, your listing has to be more than a few words and specs, as it would be in a newspaper classified ad.

There’s also a big difference between good photos and bad. Here are some tips to make your images speak:

• Use good lighting (more is always better). That means using natural lighting as much as possible, but also consider artificial lighting throughout the room, or reflectors. This will add depth to a room and help you draw emphasis to the features that you want.
• Stage the house so that it looks more homey and has the viewer automatically imagining living there.
• Get the space. Photograph from doorways and corners of rooms in order to make the property look more spacious and give the visual context necessary.
• Edit the photos afterward to make them more visually appealing and well-composed.
• When taking pictures of the exterior of your property, photograph from an angle in order to show the depth of the property and create more visual interest. Avoid poles and electric wires that obstruct the view.
• Use a good camera and a wide angle lens.
• If you’re ready to go the extra mile, consider filming a video tour of your house.

Tune in next month for Part Two, with three more tips for rental listings that get results!