The rental market is a competitive arena. Hundreds of property listings are published every day. Making a rental property stand out among millions of others is a feat that not all rental agents can accomplish.
Aside from the competition, more and more tenants are becoming particular when choosing what kind of property to rent; the features and luxuries it could offer.
As a rental agent, you need to improve your strategy of marketing rental properties in Canada. One of the best weapons you could use in such a competitive market is a kickass property listing.
A property listing is often the first thing prospective tenants see when looking for properties to rent. In this day and age, it only takes a few clicks on a smartphone or laptop to find listings of available properties in one’s desired location. That is why it is vital to adapt and go digital as well.
A digital property listing is easy to create, but the real challenge is how to make it catch the attention of tenants, give them information, and entice them to send an application.
The effectiveness of a property listing to gather strong leads highly depends on its contents.
Catchy Headline
The title of your listing should hook your target market. Avoid keeping headlines generic by limiting it to features like property type, the number of bedrooms, location, and rent price. Highlight unique features that would set it apart from other properties.
For example, if the title of your listing is “One-bedroom apartment available for rent,” it will not get as much attention as a listing with the title “Spacious Bachelor Suite in the Heart of Toronto w/ In-Suite Laundry & Free Parking.”
Make sure your listing does not contain typos even on the headline, avoid using all caps, and stay away from using abbreviations that are not widely known.
Multiple Attractive Photos
One of the things that frustrate potential tenants the most is clicking a listing with an attractive headline but finding no photos of the property. It is equally worse if there are photos, but they do not attractively showcase the property, the image quality is poor, there are one or two photos in total.
Producing property photos for marketing purposes requires time, effort, and creativity. For better images, take note of the following:
- The property must be tidy and free of clutter before you take photographs.
- Take advantage of daylight. You want the tenant to have realistic expectations of what the property looks like on a normal day.
- Photos taken from the far corners of a room can give a better and wider angle.
- Two or three photos are not enough. Post photos of all bedrooms, kitchen, living space, bathrooms, and other unique selling features (e.g., fireplace). Also, add facade photos for detached properties.
Specific Description
Provide the list of amenities and features that the property offers. Include:
- # of bedrooms and bathrooms
- furniture and appliance
- floor area
- laundry
- common space and shared amenities (pool, gym, lobby, etc.)
- availability of parking, storage, and outdoor space
- policies (smoking, pets, late rent, etc.)
- proximity to schools, hospitals, shopping centers, parks, and other establishments
Avoid enumerating these details in paragraph form. It is easier on the eyes if the information is in bullet form. It can easily maintain the attention of a person who is going through tons of other listings.
Rental Price
Tenants appreciate transparency. Include the monthly rent, included and excluded utilities, and other extra costs like parking, storage, pet fees, etc.
Hidden charges can put tenants off and jeopardize a deal before a lease agreement is signed. It is better to be on the same page to leave no room for distrust.
Contact details
As mentioned earlier, it takes time, effort, and creativity to create the perfect listing. However, even with all the high-quality photos and well-written property descriptions, all your efforts will go to waste if tenants cannot get in touch with you.
Putting your contact details is their call to action. The number of inquiries and applications you receive is one factor in gauging the effectiveness of your listing. It will help you determine if your listing and marketing strategy needs improvement.
Try creating a listing on Padleads and see for yourself. Syndicate them to other platforms frequented by renters to increase your reach. Just make sure that your listing stands out so that you can use that exposure to your advantage.