What Makes an Attractive Rental Listing?
Your rental listing will be the first impression that prospective tenants have of your property, and with so many rentals on the market, it must make an immediate impact. An attractive rental listing does more than list rooms; it sells a lifestyle.
In this article, we will look at the elements that create an effective rental listing, why professional photos are non-negotiable for creating an impressive listing, and much more.
What Makes an Attractive Rental Listing?
A great listing gives a sense of what each day will look like at the property; it builds confidence in potential renters and eliminates all speculation. Here are some of the top things you need to know when leasing out your property to find the best applicants:
A Clear, Compelling Headline
Your headline will be the very first thing that prospective renters view when they visit your website or search through listings. Do not use ambiguous descriptions such as "Nice Apartment." Highlight your property's most desirable characteristic.
Examples include: "Two Bedrooms with a private patio that gets sun-drenched near the center city." A headline that specifically describes benefits from renting your property attracts immediate interest and helps to eliminate people who do not desire the features you have.
A Detailed, Story-Driven Description
Describe what it is like to live in each room. Explain how the morning sunlight will brighten up your kitchen. Describe how easy it is for you to entertain guests because of the open concept. Use simple but descriptive words so that potential tenants can envision themselves living here.
Additionally, describe the number of floors this home has, as well as the amount of storage available to residents, and if any new improvements have been made recently. The way you write the description of this property will create an emotional attachment with potential tenants that will motivate them to set up a viewing of your rental property.
Honest and Specific Amenities
Trust is created through transparency. List every amenity clearly, including in-unit laundry/dishwasher, off-street parking, and pet policies. If a particular feature is unavailable, be honest up front to save everyone's time.
The applicants you will receive will be looking for a home with those specific amenities, which will reduce "no show" tours and early lease termination. Always provide accurate information - unhappy tenants may post negative reviews, affecting your ability to find additional tenants.
Transparent Rental Terms
Surprises kill a deal. Rent, Security Deposit, Application Fees, Pet Rent, and Utility Responsibilities should all be clearly displayed at the top of the rental posting. In addition, specify whether you allow short-term leases (i.e., month-to-month) or if you require long-term leases.
Providing complete financial information and policy details up front allows applicants to qualify themselves, eliminates the need for back-and-forth inquiries, and identifies serious renters who have already mentally prepared themselves to sign a lease.
A Strong Call to Action with Urgency
While a compelling listing provides direction on what comes next, it leads to one thing: Scheduling a viewing of the home. Add a call to action at the end of your listing using wording similar to: "Schedule your viewing today... this unit won't last."
Also, include multiple ways for them to respond (phone #, email address, online form), and direct them straight to your scheduling tool or application. By creating a sense of urgency regarding the availability of the unit (without being dishonest), you'll motivate serious renters to take action sooner rather than later.
Why Do Photos Make or Break the Listing?
Take real estate photos to capture the property's best features. They are often a tenant's first impression of a rental property. Tenants typically look at many properties at one time. Photos that appear unclear or dark may give a bad impression to potential tenants and cause them to quickly move on.
On the other hand, clear and tastefully photographed homes create emotional connections prior to the reading of the description of the property. Here are some statistics to consider:
A property owner can expect up to 55% more calls about their rental property when they have professional photographs.
Properties with 20 or more photographs rented approximately 2 weeks sooner than those with fewer than 20 photographs.
In as little as 3 seconds, a potential tenant forms an opinion of whether or not they would like to rent a specific property based on the visual appeal of photos.
Photos must show not just the space within a home, but also the warmth and livability of it. If a landlord does not take the effort to include high-quality photos, they will likely lose his/her top prospects to the competition. The investment in quality photographs will ultimately pay for itself through increased speed in filling vacancies.
Using the Features vs Benefits Framework
Instead of simply listing your features, tell the rental applicant's story about how those features improve his/her lifestyle. Here’s how:
Stainless Steel Appliances
The rental applicant may care that you have new stainless steel appliances, but he/she probably care more about having a place to cook a Sunday dinner without an old appliance getting in the way.
Rather than saying you have "stainless steel", which is a good feature to mention, describe a scene of cooking Sunday dinner with ease because of your stainless steel appliances. Describe your kitchen as clean and reliable.
In this manner, you can show the rental applicant that your kitchen is a place where cooking meals is fun and easy, and not a chore. When you host guests, your kitchen should be a seamless process.
In-Unit Washer and Dryer
This amenity takes away from the rental applicants' frustrating weekly task of going to the laundromat. Emphasize the freedom of no longer needing to find change, haul heavy laundry baskets, and wait for other people using the washer/dryer.
Describe the value of being able to work on personal projects while running a load of laundry. The benefit is not in the washer/dryer itself; it is in being able to get things done at home when you need to and having the ability to run a load of laundry and watch a movie at the same time.
Large Windows
It's important to go beyond simply stating how large the windows are. You should be able to describe the morning experience when sunlight pours through the windows into the living room, generating a warm and welcoming ambiance. Sunlight naturally allows for larger spaces, lifts moods, and also helps keep plants alive indoors.
The advantages can include a brighter daily environment, as well as being connected to the outdoors, thereby converting a physical aspect of a building into an actual health advantage that tenants experience.
Walk-In Closet
To get rid of clutter and morning stress, prioritize storage space by translating a walk-in closet into "the end." The true benefits of this will be, is organizational serenity and feeling together.
In order to illustrate this, tell of having specific places for each pair of shoes and all your seasonal coats, etc., and finally have a peaceful bedroom with no clutter. What you're giving your tenants is the opportunity to live luxuriously in terms of space and make their daily routines feel like they require very little effort or dignity.
Off-Street Parking
While a parking space is a great convenience, there is much more to its value than that. Turn a parking space from a strip of paint on the ground into a feeling of relief after a long day, and then watch as you drive right into your reserved parking spot, where you can let out all the tension that has built up inside you.
There won't be any circling the block in heavy traffic while trying to find a parking spot, without getting a ticket. This means that your tenants will receive security, save them time, and enjoy the quiet luxury of knowing exactly where they will arrive without any added stress.
Conclusion
Your best leasing tool is an attractive rental ad. Using both vivid descriptions of benefits and professional photos and clearly stated terms in your rental advertisement, you will attract renters and get the units rented as quickly as possible. A poor listing can cost you the qualified renters.
If the idea of complying with Fair Housing Laws and marketing for rentals feels like too much work, advertise your rental property with the help of a local Philadelphia property management team to make sure it adheres to the local fair housing laws.