Is Your Rental Ad The Reason You Aren’t Getting Calls?

Your Rental Ad Sells Your Rental For You

I don’t think all landlords are lazy, but I’m constantly amazed by some of the rental ads I see online for rental properties. It’s like the writer took thirty seconds to put down a couple features of the property and thought they were done.

News flash, you’re not.

This is front and center for me right now as I have a vacancy at a property that is a two hour commute from me. I need to write an ad that attracts the type of tenants I want to rent to and that sells the property as I don’t want to make twenty or thirty trips up to meet people!

The good news is here is what my competition has in their ad (sorry if this belongs to you)

built in 2012, modern, includes washer, dryer, fridge, stove, dishwasher, microwave central vac. lots of parking, close to downtown, parks, hospital, highway 2a. lots of storage, basement area for extra room

It has five pictures and the main picture is an external shot of the townhouse complex with no indication of which unit it is and it actually looks very similar to the place I’m renting, but they didn’t put too much effort into selling it in my opinion.

It took me almost two hours to write my ad and although it’s not perfect, I’m pretty happy with it and I’m already getting a great response to it. Here’s how it reads.

Looking for a modern three bedrooms place to call home? This three bedroom two and a half bath property is going to make someone a beautiful home, so why not you!

The three good sized bedrooms upstairs are bright, have large closets and are perfect for a new family or someone who needs a little more space. With a full bath on the upper level and two linen closets, storage won’t be an issue, but even better is the ensuite off the master!

Yes, the master bedroom has it’s own full ensuite with tub and shower giving you the privacy and quiet place you need. Plus with the huge East facing windows in the room, you can wake up to the sun shining in every morning making it the favourite room of your house! What an incredible way to start your day.

The main floor is ideally set up with a welcoming living room as you come in the front door with plenty of room for entertaining or just a relaxing night at home after a busy day. Then as you walk through the main floor, first you’ll see the half bath on the main floor tucked away to the side, then further in is the wide open kitchen and dining area and the two french doors leading to the back deck that let summer in and provide you a quiet oasis to unwind on.

The secluded back space is shaded by several beautiful pine trees and helps make you feel like you are out in the country and away from the city. Plus, it provides a great place to BBQ and relax after a day’s work.

Finally, the lower basement level is ideal for storage. As an unfinished space it’s a large blank canvas for you to set up and organize as you wish and giving you roughly 700 square feet of storage. Of course you’ll want to leave a little room to take advantage of the washer and dryer that are included which means no more trips to the laundry mat and more home time for you.

Built in 2007, this modern townhouse is approximately 1,400 square feet and has everything you need. From the included washer and dryer to fridge, stove, built in microwave and even a dishwasher, all the conveniences to make this a home you love are here.

Being located along 55th street and beside 56th Ave, the location is ideal for a family. The High School is located just a few blocks West and the elementary and Catholic schools are located just a few blocks East of the property making walking to and from school quick an easy. Add in the several nearby park and fields and your kids will love the area.

The particulars. This is a non-smoking property and unfortunately we don’t allow pets. We are very particular and we do full credit and reference checks on tenants before a lease is ever signed. We are initially looking at a six month lease and at the end of the six month term will look at a yearly renewal.

Now for the numbers. Rent on this fantastic three bedroom two and a half bath home is $1,395 per month and we require a matching security deposit plus the first month’s rent before moving in. Utilities are extra and will need to be put in your name.

We are currently repainting the interior and expect this property to be available as early as the November 15th, but can also work with a December 1st occupancy.

We will be onsite again on Thursday November 13th from noon until 3, so if you are available to view it, you should email us right away, or you can call or text Bill at xxx-xxx-xxxx. Note this is a long distance call from Xxxxxxx, but if you text me I can return your call as soon as possible.

This highly desirable property in a great area will not last very long so if you are interested and would like to come for a viewing contact us ASAP.

So which property would you want to see? I have ten pictures (the max allowed) and my main image is the kitchen picture at the beginning of the article. Why the kitchen? Because the kitchen typically sells the property. The picture below is another image I used that gives an idea of the space.

Painting A Picture

Part of my goal with my ad was to create a picture of a home that someone wanted to live in. I didn’t want to just tell them I had appliances and I was close to a few things. I wanted them to know what I was close to, how the property was laid out and to present an experience.

I believe I mostly achieved that, but when compared to the competition, it wasn’t hard. So the question for you is, which one would you want to go look at?

It was almost a year ago I received an email from a very nice lady down in Texas that was having problems filling their vacant rental property. She’d sent a copy of the ad and I made several suggestions to help her re-write the ad to make it more appealing.

In less than a week she sent the new ad and I wanted to go rent the place it was so well done! Their phone didn’t ring off the hook, but it definitely picked up (the area was pretty tough at the time for rentals), which goes to show the difference a good ad makes.

Now please don’t take this as an offer to send your ad in for help writing your ad!! My time is too limited and I’ve apparently set a bad precedent by being so available to everyone for questions and answers.

The important lesson from this article for you will be too hopefully learn a lesson about what you can do to help market your property to get more showings, get better tenants and get your vacancies filled faster.

Yes it requires going that extra mile, but the return is well worth it! And don’t forget to let me know which one you’d rather rent?