Listing and posting the Sign. (Continued from Previous)

... Continued.

Once you have all of this together, it’s time to list the house.  My favorite site for qualified tenants is Zillow. Other sites such as Rent.com and Rentals.com do add more exposure and we have had good results with both of them. Trulia, Hotpads, and Postlets are good also, but they pull data from Zillow, so don't waist the money.  Craig’s List may add more exposure, but the prospective tenants usually never seem to qualify.

Let’s start with the description. Put as much information into the description as you can.  Talk about the neighborhood, schools, rooms, updates, features, and amedities.   Give as much information as possible.  Most sites limit the amount of room you have so if there is space, put in your tenant requirements.

If there is a place for a virtual tour or virtual walkthrough, put it in.  Upload every photo you can.  If there are more photos than can be uploaded to a particular site, put in a link to where the prospective tenant can view the rest.   Put in a link where they can download an application.

Some sites will not allow external links so make sure to put in an email address where they can send a note asking to see the rest of the photos, video, or the application. The more information, the better. Also, don’t forget to include the phone number where they can contact you.

If at all possible, put up a sign in the front yard so that when people are driving by, the can easily identify the home.

There are only three things that you need to put on a sign.   For Rent (or Sale if it’s being sold).  A phone number printed in big bold text.  And a large QR Code so that a prospective tenant can use their smart phone to look up more information if they are not ready to call you on the phone.  That’s it.

The biggest mistake that people make when putting up as sign is placing too much information or writing the text so small it’s hard to read from a distance.  If you can't read it from three houses away, it's too small.

The QR Code is a fabulous tool. It cuts down on neighborhood peepers that only want to look for the sake of looking, completely wasting your time.  And since so many people have smart phones now days the phone call of folks calling just to ask how much the rent is greatly reduced.  QR Codes can be generated for free. Just do a Google search for Free QR Code Generator.

Make sure the QR Code large enough that a phone can read it from the car so people feel more comfortable using it but not so large it takes over. I usually use an image that is 4 inches by 4 inches.

A Very Important Side Note.  Write down everywhere you posted the information about the home. After it is rented, everything needs to be removed from every site. Crooks use the internet just as much as the good guys do. So for the safety and security of your tenants, it’s not hard to hit that delete button and remove all photos, videos, and floor plans.

Now to spend time answering phone calls, responding to emails, and showing the house.