When advertising a rental property online it is imperative that it is done properly.

You want to show the full potential of that property and to let prospective tenants know what makes your property a cut above the rest.

You need your property to quite literally scream “Rent me” and, regardless of how luxurious or sought after your property might be, if it’s not advertised properly then that isn’t going to happen.

Choosing your Advertising Agent

No doubt, if you’ve advertised properties online in the past, you will be more than aware of just how many online advertising agents there are and choosing the one to best suit your needs is no easy task.

If you have a marketing budget then it pays to shop around online and take a look at any other Landlord reviews on that Property website. It’s also worth remembering that cheap and cheerful doesn’t necessarily mean the best deal and, even if you spend a little more than first intended on advertising, if your advert is put together correctly and achieves the results you want then you will soon recoup those costs anyway.

Once you have found the online letting agent that offers the services that fit your requirements and the quote suits your budget, the next step to advertising your rental property is creating the advert itself.

Creating your property Advert

Photographs
It’s virtually impossible to market a property with blurred, out of focus photographs or, worse still, no photographs at all. Tenants like to see what they will be getting for their money and if there’s no picture then they tend to skip to the next ad.

When taking your pictures use a good quality, digital camera, don’t be tempted to take them on your mobile phone. It’s also a good idea to take several shots of the same room so that, when the pictures have been uploaded onto your PC or laptop, you can pick the best of the bunch.

You can afford to get a little creative here by picking the best angles to emphasise each room and photographing the best locations of the property. For example, if the kitchen is particularly spacious and newly fitted then this would be a big draw for prospective tenants so a clear, bright photograph of the new kitchen including as much of the living space in the shot as possible is a must.

The Text
When writing the description for your advert there are a few golden rules to follow:

•Capital Letters: Never write your description in CAPITAL LETTERS, it may look bold and attention grabbing but it won’t help to market the property and really just comes across as rude plus, capitalising sentences is a habit widely disliked by many property advertisers.

•Cut out the Abbreviations: Instead of using abbreviations for the rooms and features such as b/r for bedroom or w/m for washing machine use the entire word. It looks far more professional and is likely to cause less confusion than instances where prospective tenants end up trying to work out particularly obscure abbreviations.

•No Empty Words: It pays to be a little more creative with your text rather than using a barrage of empty words and phrases such as ‘lovely’ or ‘nice’. Choose words which will entice your readers and draw in the interest.

•Target Market: It makes sense to aim your advert at your target market for example, if you live in a university town and are expecting your property to be snapped up by a group of sharing students then tailor your ad to fit that specific market and give examples of why your property is the perfect rental decision for students.

•Tenant Preference: Also, make it very clear in your advert the type of tenant you will and won’t accept, whether it’s tenants with pets, DSS, smokers or students. After all, it’s your property and you have the right to choose the most suitable type of tenant for that property.

• Local Amenities: The area in which your property is situated and what that area has to offer is also a big part of marketing your property and it’s well worth listing as many of the local amenities as possible such as schools, shops, pubs, churches, transport links as well as surrounding towns and villages and the property’s proximity to the coast.

• Emphasise the Features: If the property comes with mod cons such as a double oven, dishwasher or power shower then it pays to emphasise these features and the benefits of these features for example, if the property has a newly fitted power shower it may appeal to a prospective tenant more if you say something like “The bathroom boasts a new power shower with adjustable massage functions to help you relax and unwind at the end of a long, tiring day” rather than just saying “There’s a new power shower in the bathroom”.

• Sell the Unusual or Quirky Qualities: Prospective tenants love the quirky, unusual and bizarre so if your property is lucky enough to come with an unusual feature such as exposed oak beams, original floor boards or a stained glass window then this is something you can really play on to draw in the interested parties.

• If it’s ‘All Inclusive’ make it clear: If you are renting your property on an all inclusive basis then make sure this is clearly stated in the ad. Tenants love to think they are getting a bargain or even something for free so this will really act in your favour.

• Give as much Information as Possible: Although your ad should be clear, concise and easy to read this doesn’t mean that you can’t add everything you think is important. Try to put yourself in the tenant’s shoes and think about the type of things you would want to know if you were considering renting your property. Including as much information as you can in your advert also means that the interest you do receive will be from prospective tenants who want to arrange a viewing and not individuals who just require further information before making a decision.

• Contact Details: Don’t be tempted to put your personal contact details on the advert. Any prospective tenants wishing to view your property will contact the online letting agent in the first instance and you will then be notified of the interested party and their contact details and vice versa.

 

If you are a landlord looking for more sound advice on renting out your properties please pay a visit to LettingaProperty.com