Is your property vacant because your advertisement is pathetic?

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If your property is vacant and your advertisement is pathetic, you have little chance of leasing your property quickly and to a quality tenant.

Long gone are the days where tenants called in to collect a black and white copy of the rental list.  Everything is available at the tips of the fingers on computer, iPad and smart phones.  Considering the longevity of digital advertising and the unlimited opportunity for agents to upload quality photographs and write long descriptive advertisements, it’s a mystery as to why we are still seeing ads like these below.

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The examples shown  were screenshot from the number one leading real estate website – www.realestate.com.au on Friday the 11th of December and are still the same as we post this nearly a week later.

The first  advertisement has been listed for 10 days  and yet there’s no photograph, or address.  There’s a saying, “you can’t sell a secret.”  The longer this advertisement is on line, the further down the pages it will go meaning that when a photo is eventually uploaded, the owner has missed out on valuable time on the first few pages of realestate.com.

The second advertisement has a photograph that isn’t straight and the photographer didn’t take the time to move the rubbish bins from the front yard.  For a 2 bedroom house at $360 per week, this won’t  appeal to the majority of tenants.  It could be magnificent inside but anybody scrolling through the 158 available properties in the Gympie area is not likely to spend time clicking on an ad that looks like this.

The third advertisement shows a very grainy picture date stamped in 2014.  At $310 per week, this investor is competing against 4 bedroom homes with an ensuite and double lock up garage yet this property only has 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom.  Without a quality advertisement, this owner is unlikely to achieve the advertised price.

The Right Way To Advertise Your Home

Whether you are listing with an agent or trying your hand at self-management, it’s important to do the following:

  • Invest in professional photography.  We believe in professional photographs so much that we cover the cost as a gift to our clients.  As a result, our clients secure tenants faster and at a premium price.  Hannah McLaren of Properties in Focus is contracted to take quality photographs of ALL of our rental properties.  You can check out her work on the few vacancies we have left by clicking here
  • Include an address.  The main reason agents don’t advertise the address of a property stems from fear of their competitors targeting their listings, which they wouldn’t need to worry about if the property is leased quickly.  Tenants don’t want to have to call and wait for a response to be told the address.  If they like the home, they want to know if it’s in the location they desire (particularly regarding catchment areas for schools).
  • Sell the features in the heading.  People are busy and will quickly peruse a heading to see if a property is going to meet their needs.  The heading should summarise the best features.
  • Write a descriptive advertisement.  No different to selling a property, rental properties should SELL the property to the tenant.  If the home has a verandah, paint a picture.  Reading, “Come home after a long day at work and enjoy a quiet coffee on the rear verandah, looking out over the mountains” will appeal much more than, “This three bedroom home has a rear verandah.”

Property investors should spend time researching before selecting an agency to manage their property.  A great way to start is to take a look at the way the agent promotes their vacancies.  Visit www.realestate.com.au  

In a few days we’ll be posting an article on how to properly price your property to ensure that you secure quality tenants quickly.