Rental Property Marketing Mistakes

It’s every landlord’s goal to generate a consistent rental income from their investment properties. But to achieve this ultimate goal, you must ensure that your rental property is always occupied.

Effective marketing is key to avoiding being stuck with a vacant rental. Unfortunately, this is an area where many landlords tend to make mistakes that damage their ability to secure a tenant.

The good news, though, is that most of these mistakes can be fixed after you have acknowledged them. With that in mind, here are some of the significant rental mistakes you can make when marketing your property from Campus Connection Property Management.

Not Having a Strategy

Every successful marketing process has a well-thought strategy behind it. Without a plan, your likelihood of failing only increases, further extending your vacancy rates and damaging your return on investment.

For an overarching strategy, make sure your marketing tactics cover the following areas in detail.

• Unique selling points. These should help you stand out from the competition.
• Target renter type. Know what kind of tenants you’ll be targeting from the beginning, such as professionals, families, or students.
• Online and offline marketing platforms. Use as many appropriate rental listing platforms as possible for maximum reach.

If you’re just starting out as a landlord, consider hiring a qualified property manager to help handle developing a marketing strategy for you.

Not Listing Your Property on Multiple Channels

Just listing your vacant rental property on one channel simply won’t be enough to find a good tenant. To maximize your chances of landing a quality tenant, use as many relevant platforms as possible.
Use a combination of both online and offline marketing strategies. Examples of online marketing platforms include social media, and rental listing sites like Zillow.com, Apartment.com, and Trulia.com.

When it comes to offline platforms, you can use options like yard signs, local dailies, and flyers and posters. Doing this will broaden your reach to as many prospective tenants as possible.

Not Having a Target Audience in Mind

To have a successful marketing process for your rental, make sure to have a preferred target audience in mind. Trying to market to anyone and everyone can leave your marketing campaign falling flat and appealing to no one, leaving you stuck with your property vacancy.

When you know the type of tenant you’re targeting, you’re able to craft a relevant message that specifically resonates with your target audience. Before distributing your rental listing, make sure you do due diligence first. Specifically, know what types of people would be most interested in your property. Examples of audiences include professionals, students, families, and tourists.

Using Uninspiring Photos

Much of your success when it comes to rental marketing will depend on the photos you use on the listings. Most tenants will look at the photos of your rental before reading the description, and first impressions are very important

That’s why using photos rather than written copies tends to work best. For best results, make sure to use the following best practices when it comes to photos.

• Take photos from a wide vantage point to capture as many details in one frame as possible.
• Do the photo session during the day when the [lighting is optimal](https://www.jmcvisuals.com/blog/the-best-time-of-day-for-real-estate-photos0.
• Show any attractive landscaping, gardens, or outdoor spaces.
• Include a photo of the neighborhood, such as the street view.
• Take photos of every room, such as living areas, bedrooms, bathrooms, and the kitchen.
• Highlight all special features the property has, such as built-in shelves, fireplaces, or architectural details.

Not Readying Your Property Before Marketing It

You may not get away with marketing your property as-is. This is especially true in a down market, where prospects tend to have many options to choose from.

As such, before you begin listing the property, make sure you assess its condition first. Are there any unaddressed repair or maintenance issues? If so, fix them first. State laws require that landlords only rent out habitable units that meet certain health, safety, and building codes.

Additionally, consider some cosmetic upgrades, such as updated landscaping or fresh paint for the walls. A property that looks well cared-for will be sure to attract more high-quality tenants.

Not Providing Tenants with the Amenities They Want

This can be a costly mistake on your part as a landlord. There are certain preferences that tenants have when choosing a home to rent.

Failing to provide tenants with functional and modern appliances can make your marketing efforts futile. If the budget allows, make sure you provide the tenant with things like an oven, refrigerator, dishwasher, washer and dryer, and energy-efficient appliances.

Other amenities can include reliable high-speed internet, extra storage spaces, heating and air conditioning, and outdoor spaces.

Using Discriminative Language in Your Rental Ad

This is a common mistake among newbie landlords. They inadvertently include statements that go against the dictates of the Fair Housing Act (FHA). As per the FHA, landlords must treat their tenants fairly, equally, and respectfully regardless of certain protected classes.

Some of the protected classes include race, color, religion, disability, nationality, and sex. As such, it’d be unlawful for you to use language on the rental ad that shows either preference or limitation based on any of those classes.

Not Monitoring the Performance of Your Rental Ad

After you have drafted a proper rental listing, make sure to keep track of its performance. If it isn’t giving you the desired results, make appropriate adjustments. You may even want to pay for some ads to maximize your reach.

Conclusion

While this list isn’t exhaustive, these are some of the most common rental marketing mistakes landlords make. Steer clear of these to ensure high occupancy rates for your rental property and consequently a high ROI.

For expert help in this regard, look no further than Campus Connection Property Management. With our decades of combined property management experience, we can provide you with all the landlording help you need. Get in touch to learn more!