Selling or renting – It’s how you advertise your property that counts!

Regardless of whether you’re a tenant or a landlord, you’re probably aware there is stiff competition to secure a good tenant. With so many apartments and units for lease, landlords need to present their property in the most positive light to stand out from the crowd – and it begins with your online advertising.

First impressions begin online!

No-one wants to waste time looking at properties that won’t fit their needs. As a result, potential tenants do a lot of online pre-screening of rental properties. This means you need to ensure your property is marketed in the best possible light.

After searching for criteria such as location, off-street parking and numbers of bedrooms and bathrooms, tenants look for things like:

• How will my furniture fit in this property?
• How big are the rooms?
• Is there sufficient storage for my needs?
• Will it be a good fit for myself and my family?

That’s why the team at Stills Properties often suggest landlords invest in professional preparation of a floorplan for their property. In a competitive market, providing this level of detail will help your property hit the top of a potential tenant’s inspection list.

In addition, property styling has now become important as it helps potential tenants visualise where their furniture will go and the lifestyle they will enjoy while living in your property. For vacant properties, Stills Properties recommends investing in “virtual styling”. This is where furniture is added to the advertising photos using specialist software tools.

Photos that sell don’t come from a phone!

Many property managers still use their smart phone to take photos of investment properties. While it may save landlords money in the short-term, it will damage their income stream in the medium-term.

Image is everything when it comes to potential tenants choosing to attend an open of your property. The more people who attend, the faster you will lease it. Therefore, having great photography is essential. In fact it’s been proven to reduce vacancy times over and over again. In turn, this increases the revenue you’ll receive from your investment property.

5 Questions you should ask your property manager

When marketing your investment property, potential tenants are attracted to ads with flair – that showcase a property in the best light. Great tenants will also evaluate whether the property suits their design style, furniture and lifestyle. These things go beyond simple search criteria so when choosing your property manager, ask them:

1. What’s your strategy for marketing my rental property?
2. Which advertising platforms will you use?
3. Why do you prefer these platforms?
4. How will you make my investment property stand out from others in my area?
5. Who will take the photos?

Professional from start to finish

Great tenants want their rental experience to be easy. It starts with finding the right property for them and continues with the experience they have with their property manager. That’s why it’s so important to choose your property manager carefully.

At Stills Properties, we have over 35 years’ property management experience and we have always ensured our landlord clients have the shortest possibly vacancy rates. To learn more about how we would market your rental property to minimise any vacancy time, call Brigitte on 1300 091 638 or email propertymanager@stillsproperties.com.au