Here is the three step process I take to create rental listings that attract the best tenants - even when I’m priced above market rent! This process is built on my experience letting hundreds of houses, and meeting thousand of applicants going back 10 years.
If you are interested in attracting the best tenants, for the most rent fast! then you will want to get to know these following three steps before you list your property for rent.
Attracting the best tenants starts with a stand out listing. Your listing is made up of the following three parts - Photos, Script and Video. Thoughtful use of Photos, Script and Videos will make your listing stand out, and increases the number of enquires your listing attracts, which helps you find the best tenant for the most rent fast! It is critical to get these three things done well.
Let’s start with photos. The Exterior Property Photo is most likely the first photo people will see when browsing your listing, which makes it the most important photo. So, lets focus on this photo. The first step to a bright exterior photo is lighting... lucky for us natural lighting is abundant and readily available. Make the most of natural lighting by deciding on a good time of day to take photos. Don’t take photos at mid day when the sun is not directly above you, because you will have shadows in all the wrong places. Mid-morning or after Mid-Day usually works well. For best results pick a time when the sun will be behind you as you are facing the front of the home - The Sunday will be just like a big light shining right on the front of your home! Now lets focus on what’s in the frame - there will be a background and a foreground, with the home in the middle. Make sure to include some blue sky in the background, and green grass in the foreground. This will help your building pop. Now, you should have a good photo of a “bright sunny home”. Make it your main listing photo - it’s the main feature photo that matters most, and we want it to pop out at viewers scrolling through the listings on their hand-held devices during peak times which is usually after hours - now we have their interest. We need to get them to take action using the script and the video. Learn more about exterior property photography at All-Things-Photography.com/exterior-property-photography/
Now, lets dive into the script. As you are writing your property discription, keep these factors in mind:
Your target Market - Is your property better suited to Families, Professional Couples, Singles, or Flat Mates? Highlight the things that matter most to your target market. For example, Families would be interested to know about storage for bicycles, kitchen space, car parking, the local school zone, where the closest supermarket is, as well as a park or recreation centre. Where singles and couples may want an easy care property with proximity to a gym and cafe, as well as public transport.
Make it Easy to Scan - We have become very impatient users on the internet, and studies have shown that people only read about 16% of what’s on the page. If the Viewer is not able to tell what the main features are with a quick glance, then viewers may move onto the next listing. Make your descriptions easy to scan by including bullet points, short paragraphs made up of just a few sentences each, lots of white space, and different size fonts.
Use Power Words - There are words and phrases that naturally elicit an emotional response in humans - This also increases sales. Some examples used in real estate are - Gentle, Landscape, Updated, Beautiful, Sunny, Warm, Spacious, Cosy... By being mindful of these words and phrases, you can better persuade your customers to take action. Jon Morrow at Smart Blogger has an entire list of words that can help make your sales copy more enticing here: https://smartblogger.com/power-words/
Now lets dive into the Video. An effective video will open your home up to viewers 24/7, and will better qualify prospective tenants - as they will already know what to expect when they get the to viewing. This will reduce the number of time wasting enquires you get and speed up the viewing process. A video is also a great way to sell features of the property that can’t be seen in photos. For example, commenting on double glazed windows which provide more warmth, and where the sun shines through in the am and the pm - creating your own quiet and warm sanctuary in a busy town location. It also provides an opportunity to comment on what can fit in a bedroom which may look small in photos without furniture. For example a queen size room looks small in photos when it is empty. But with video you can point out that a queen bed fits, with two side tables making the room perfect for a couple. Lastly, I like to take viewers to local attractions in close proximity to the property - like the local supermarket, park, cafe and gym. This adds a little fun to videos and helps viewers imagine themselves living in the area.
Anyone can make a video on their smart phone, and there are endless editing APPs available. A couple of tips - try to keep the video as smooth as possible, and speak up so that the microphone picks up your voice - loud and clear. I use a grip stabiliser, and a microphone for best results. Here is a short video I did without a grip stabiliser - I just pulled out my phone and pushed the record button: https://youtu.be/XS7LlHyEKAg
These are the three steps to creating listings that stand out. They are based on consumer research, and I have seem them work well in maximising rent and reducing vacancy, whilst attracting the best tenants. The key takeaway here is to have a listing that stands out from the crowd, with good photos, simple and effective script and a video to make viewers take action!