A good marketing plan is invaluable when you are preparing to lease your Mesa rental property. When you know how to strategically market and advertise your property, you can count on lower vacancy rates, a larger pool of tenants, and ultimately - better qualified residents.
The way in which we market properties has changed dramatically over the last decade. No longer are people circling ads in the newspaper. Instead, most of your prospective tenants are scrolling through your listing on their phones. They’re tagging people in social media posts who are looking for their next rental home. They’re talking about the ideal Mesa neighborhood and what might be available there.
We’re sharing the best ways to market your Mesa rental property so you can make the most of this urgent time. Getting a good tenant in place quickly is your goal, and the right marketing can help.
Profile Your Ideal Mesa Tenant
Your marketing needs to target the tenants who are most likely to be attracted to your property. Fair housing laws don’t allow you to pick and choose who sees your ad or applies for your home. But, if you construct a marketing strategy based on who you think would make a great tenant - you can expect some success with your listing.
As soon as you know what kind of people are most likely to be interested in your rental property, you get a huge competitive edge. When you know who your ideal renter is likely to be a family with children and pets, you can focus on your fenced back yard when you’re marketing your home. When you have this type of renter in mind, you can save yourself time and effort by marketing directly to those tenants you’re hoping to find.
Good tenants, of course, share these qualities:
- They pay rent on time.
- They take care of your rental home.
- They follow your lease agreement.
- They’re easy to communicate with.
- They are likely to stay in place and renew their lease.
A little pre-screening during the marketing process doesn’t hurt. When tenants see your listing and call or message for more information, ask some pertinent questions such as when they’re looking to move, why they’re moving from their current home, and how much income the adults in the household earn together. This will help you decide whether they’re a good match and likely to meet your screening criteria.
Online Advertising Starts With Photos and Videos
Tenants are looking at your listing online, and they’ll look at the photos first. If there’s an online video tour available, they’ll check that out, too.
This is really what sells your rental home.
The photos count. If you don’t have any photos or you have blurry or grainy photos or just one picture of the front door - people aren’t going to click on that listing. But, if you have a gallery of photos that show every room in the house and those photos are bright and attractive, people will not only click through the photos, they’ll read your description and likely get in touch.
Include HD pictures of your rental home. You don’t necessarily need to hire a professional photographer to shoot things for you as long as you know how to work your camera and you can capture the best angles and the most attractive lighting.
Make sure to include pictures of the most important parts of your property. This includes a living room, bedroom(s) and bathroom(s), kitchen with a dining area, and exterior. Don’t be afraid to edit the photos for clarity and balance. You can retouch them, focusing on vertical correction, cropping, and HDR.
Videos are in high demand and especially good for tenants who may be out of the area or unable to schedule an in-person showing right away. Open houses just aren’t a thing anymore since COVID, and a good video tour online is your closest thing to those open houses of the past.
A video tour will help your listing stand out.
Write a Concise But Detailed Mesa Rental Property Description
A well-marketed rental home listing will include a detailed description along with those fantastic photos. Keep your description short. You don’t want to have long paragraphs that people just won’t read. But, you want to include all the important details. A good listing will mention:
- Square footage
- Number of bedrooms and bathrooms
- Rental price and security deposit requirements
- Whether pets are allowed
- General location and neighborhood
- Contact information
- Basic rental requirements
Make sure you’re not violating any fair housing laws with the terminology you choose for your listing. Focus on what your home has to offer. Don’t forget your contact information when you’re writing the copy that goes with the photos. Let prospective tenants know how to reach you, when and how to schedule a showing, and what some of your rental criteria might be.
Syndicate Your Marketing With Online Platforms
Online advertising is going to generate the most interest in your Mesa rental property. Make sure it’s showing up on sites like Zillow, Zumper, Rentals.com, HotPads, Trulia, and Rent Café.
Posting your listing on every rental site will become time consuming and monotonous. Leverage the power of syndication. This distributes your rental listing across a number of relevant websites. Its primary goal is to increase exposure and reduce vacancy rates, which makes it a great digital marketing tool for landlords and Mesa property managers.
Working with a property manager helps because we can help you get more exposure for your listing. Not only do we have the power of syndication with our own online property management software, we can also list your available property on our own website and on the Multiple Listing Service (MLS).
Social Media Can Market Your Mesa Rental Home
Most people have a love/hate relationship with their social media platforms, but when you’re renting out a home, it’s best to love it. You can post your listing and ask people to share it. You can include all the same great photos we talked about earlier. You can answer questions right there on Facebook and Twitter and other platforms when you generate some interest.
The more engagements you get, the more exposure you earn for your property. Don’t shy away from conversations, questions, or requests for information. Post your listing in local groups and on Facebook marketplace. Share it on Twitter with the hashtags that people are using to find rental homes. Look for opportunities in local groups and on community boards.
The goal is to connect with potential renters, so talk about things that those renters will find relevant. Maybe it’s something special that goes on in the neighborhood, like a weekly farmers market or live music on Friday night. Talk about the amenities provided, whether that’s in-unit laundry, a security system that’s been installed and only needs to be activated, or smart home technology that the property is wired for.
Respond to Inquiries Promptly and Prepare to Schedule Showings
It’s always a surprise when we hear about tenants calling for more information and owners not responding. You have to be quick to pick up the phone and answer emails. Good tenants have choices, even in a market like the one we’re currently experiencing. They’re not going to keep calling you and they’re not going to sit by the phone waiting for you to get back to them. They’ll simply move onto the next property that caught their eye.
Answer your phone and reply to messages. Answer the questions that prospective applicants have, and schedule showings. Don’t give tenants a reason to cross you off the list and move onto the next property. Be responsive and accessible.
Self-showing technology has grown in popularity, especially since the pandemic. Maybe you want to be there at the property yourself during the showings. That’s fine - it’s a good opportunity to meet potential tenants and talk about the property. But, if you’re difficult to schedule, don’t let your own limitations hold up the process. Instead, let tenants see the place on their own.
Provide self-showing technology like lockboxes or digital keys if you’re not able to show the home in person. Tenants are likely to appreciate the privacy of seeing a home on their own, when it’s convenient for them. Always follow up by asking if they’d like an application and offering to answer any questions.
Marketing is more than an ad on Craigslist or a For Rent sign in the lawn. When it’s properly used, a good marketing strategy can help you find better tenants faster. Marketing can reduce your vacancy time and get rent coming in earlier.
Investing time and resources in marketing can seem complicated. If you’re not sure you have the time or the expertise to take photos, write descriptions, and syndicate your listing and social media posts, work with a Mesa property manager who already has these systems in place. We can help. Please contact us at TCT Property Management Services. We manage homes throughout the East Valley, including Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler, Scottsdale, and Phoenix.
