Are you renting out your Huntsville property for the first time? Or, has a tenant recently moved out, leaving you with a property vacancy to fill? A great marketing strategy can help you find the ideal tenant for your property.
It doesn’t matter how great your property is, if no one knows it’s available, it won’t be filled. You need to know how to get the word out quickly enough to send interested applicants your way.
An effective advertising strategy will attract a large pool of prospective tenants. In turn, this will increase your chances of landing a great tenant. A great tenant will care of your property, pay the rent on time, notify you of issues promptly and renew their lease with you multiple times.
The following are some tips to help you successfully advertise your vacant Huntsville rental property:
Invest in Photography
Photos are an essential part of any effective rental marketing strategy. A single still image can convey more complex ideas than a written description.
It’s no wonder why listings with photos command more attention from prospects than those without. Study after study has confirmed how effective visual marketing is.
Prospective tenants will usually spend most of their time looking at photos. For positive feedback, invest your time in taking quality photos, or hire a professional photographer. To prepare for a home photoshoot, you can:
Stage Your Property
In other words, make your Huntsville rental property look its best. Dispose of any trash. Clean your property thoroughly. Depersonalize the home. Make important repairs or renovations. Keep the home neutral by choosing a balanced color scheme.
The goal is to curate a space that a prospect can envision themselves living in. Your property needs to look aesthetically pleasing and functional to help tenants connect emotionally.
Pay Attention to Lighting
Lighting is key in capturing a great image. To get the best texture, color vibrancy, and luminosity of objects, natural lighting is best.
Ideally, take photos during the day. If the weather isn’t great, you can reschedule your shoot or make use of artificial lighting.
Think About the Angles of Your Shots
The corner of a room is always going to provide the widest vantage point. Capturing two walls from a corner shot will give prospects the best possible view of the unit.
We suggest creating a shot list to stay organized during your shoot. The shot list might include rooms like bedrooms, bathrooms, dining areas, kitchens, living rooms and outdoor spaces.
Work With a Great Camera
The better quality the camera, the better quality your pictures. Ideally, work with a camera that has a resolution of at least 72 pixels.
Write a Good Copy
Another important aspect of your Huntsville rental property advertisement is the copy. Match the outstanding photos you’ve taken with an accurate description of the property.
Writing an accurate and engaging description will help you attract prospective tenants. A good ad copy can also help renters find your property easily on search engines like Google.
Two important sections of your ad copy are the headline and the summary description. The headline is what prospective tenants first see when they view a rental ad and determines whether or not they continue reading.
An effective formula for your headline contains the most relevant information about the unit. We suggest including the number of bedrooms, the rent price, the location and what type of a rental property it is. Providing a tenant with this information off the bat will help you narrow your pool of prospective renters.
Another important aspect of your ad copy is the summary description. This is where you want to paint a picture of what living in your property would be like for prospective tenants.
Let prospects know what makes the property stand out from the rest. Highlight unique features or amenities the property comes with. Choose the right adjectives and detail a few things about the neighborhood.
We suggest also mentioning relevant information regarding:
- Any restrictions you might have, for example, when it comes to pets.
- What utilities are included in the rental price.
- Amenities that come with the property.
- Any other fees the tenant will be required to pay other than the rent, such as a security deposit.
Providing this information will ensure that you only bring in prospective tenants who are genuinely interested in renting out the unit.
Distribute the Rental Ad
Once you have a stunning listing, you’re ready to market the unit. However, the listing is only going to be effective if it’s able to reach a large pool of prospective tenants.
Consider where prospective tenants would be looking for a home to rent. If your ideal tenant might search for properties online, you might consider posting to multiple online platforms and real estate sites. For tenants who won’t go online, you can create yard signs, flyers, posters and local classifieds.
Hire a Property Management Company
Advertising a rental property requires great skills, experience, and understanding of the local property market. As a first time landlord or landlord managing multiple properties, you might need help achieving the desired results when advertising your Huntsville rental property.
Hiring an expert property management company like Advantage Property Management might be the solution to your problems. Our team can help you market your property extensively to attract a large prospective tenant pool. We can also help with tenant screening to help you find your ideal tenant.
Bottom Line: Marketing Your Huntsville Property
Advertising your Huntsville rental property well is key to landing your ideal tenant. The ideal tenant will in turn help you optimize your return on investment. We suggest investing in quality photography, writing a good copy and disseminating your ad on multiple platforms.
If you, however, find the marketing of your property daunting or don’t have the time to create an elaborate advertisement, consider partnering with Advantage Property Management.
Advantage Property Management provides property owners in Huntsville with a full suite of tried-and-tested property management services, including marketing. Call us today at (256) 308-1152 to learn more!