Renting a property used to be a
fairly straightforward affair.
You would buy the local newspaper,
turn to the classifieds section and start circling prospective properties with
a pen.
But the internet has turned much of
the way we do business on its head, and property rentals are no different.
A recent study by the Residential
Consumer Property Seeker Report found 85 per cent of renters use the internet
as their main tool to search for property, while only 16 per cent make it to
the third page of rental listings.
The
message is clear
Investors need a strong online presence that ranks highly on internet
search listings.
You want to be seen — ideally
on the first results page —and you want your property to look good.
While much has been written about
how prospective tenants can appear attractive to landlords, it is equally
important that investors put
their best foot forward.
First impressions count and there
are sure-fire ways to ensure you maximize your online presence and thereby minimize
the amount of days (or weeks) your property is vacant.
Say
cheese
We have all come across those rental
listing photos that appear dimly lit and dinghy.
Not attractive is it?
When organizing photos for the
rental property you plan to lease, it is important to ask yourself, ‘Would I
want to live here?’.
Which is why investors need to get
out of the mindset that professional photography is only for selling.
Quality photography will attract
more prospective tenants, increase engagement and enquiry levels, and lead to
larger numbers at your next open.
Furthermore, hiring a professional
photographer is a one-off cost, but, as long as the property remains in a
similar condition, you can use those photographs for up to five years.
If you have a rental property
earning you $600 per week that is a $30,000 buying decision, so investors who
are not using professional photos are not giving themselves the best chance.
Don’t be afraid to add some nice
touches, either.
Make sure the lawns are tidy and the
house is spotless before the photographer arrives.
If you are attempting to rent in a
market with high vacancy rates, you may even consider hiring a small amount of
furniture to show off the rooms.
Staging, as this process is known,
is a great way of standing out from the crowd.
Position,
Position, Position
Make sure your property is listed
with the property listing sites. Then it is worth paying a little bit extra to
upgrade your rental listing package so you can maintain a prominent position on
the respective sites.
This will ensure you don’t “drop off
the radar” so to speak, and it will allow you to maximize your exposure to as
many prospective tenants as possible.
Naturally, it is important to select
an eye-catching photo for the search results page.
Maybe the house has a huge backyard
or great views that you can show off?
It may even help to change the main
photo after a few weeks to freshen up the ad if you find that enquiries drop
off.
Get
social
Sometimes there is no better place
to look for a tenant than in your own social network.
We are huge consumers of social
media and it cannot hurt to spread the word.
Tweet your real estate ad, or post
it to Facebook.
Rather than simply writing that you
have an apartment or house for rent, take some time to spell out in the first
few sentences what makes your property attractive to tenants.
Tenants value amenities and
location.
If your place has a dishwasher and
is a hop, skip and a jump from a popular café strip, make sure to mention these
attributes.
The likelihood is that at least a
few of your Facebook friends will “share” your post putting it in front of
hundreds, if not thousands, of people via social media alone.
Talk
the talk, walk the walk
There is no point going to such a
huge effort to showcase your property online, only for it to be a disappointing
experience in real life.
First impressions count. You want to
let prospective tenants know that you treat your investment like a business.
Make sure that any outstanding
maintenance is completed prior to tenant showings and if the property requires
a clean or the gardens are in need of some tender loving care, get it done.
Like attracts like, right?
If you want a first-class tenant be
sure to put forward a first-class property for rent.
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