Certain amenities are guaranteed to draw prospective tenants to your property. Traditional perks like balconies, air conditioning, and paid utilities will always be on a savvy renter’s wish list, but today’s tenants want more than you might expect. Ask yourself these questions and start making your property as attractive as possible:

How green are you? According to a recent survey on www.relocation.com, 88% of apartment hunters consider the environment when looking for a rental. Your property will score high if it boasts energy-efficient appliances or windows, water-saving toilets or showerheads, individual garden plots, or renewable energy resources.

How tech-savvy are you? Similar surveys report that 80% of renters consider Internet access when looking for a new home. Many leases now include free (or price built-in) Internet access. 

As flat screen televisions become more popular, consider the wall space needed to accommodate them, as well as solutions for concealing wires. If possible, offer more than one cable TV/Internet provider. The competition means better prices and/or services for your tenants.

How pet-friendly are you? Apartment hunting can be tough for pet owners, especially tenants with dogs. Though many owners prefer not to allow pets, investment in pet-proofing and a liberal pet policy (for example, accepting dogs up to 45 lbs.) will be repaid by animal lovers flocking to your property. In a competitive market this may be one of the easiest enhancements to make.  A larger security deposit and charging pet rent (from $25-50 per month per pet) can overcome many objections from property owners. 

You may not be able to install a second bathroom, but even small improvements in these areas will make your property stand out from the crowd.

Craigslist is an excellent source for tenant leads, but to use it efficiently it's important to understand how the site works. While Craigslist is "free," there is a hidden cost: your ads require constant attention. If you don't re-post frequently, your ads will be pushed to the bottom of the queue. Users that post every day risk being marked as spam, so the market has responded with a variety of third-party posting services and applications to help. Some are free/low-cost ad generators like vFlyer, which expedite posting chores by creating template-based HTML ads in just a few seconds. Castle has had great success with this program. Other services; however, violate Craigslist's terms of service by automatically posting every day. Castle Management never does this. We manually re-post our ads every 48 hours to keep our clients' advertising safe and high on the list.

Remember, over 2,000 ads per day can be posted in your market, and listings disappear fast. Helper applications can't replace the close observation you'll get from Castle.

Craigslist is the easiest, most direct way to reach potential tenants. It’s free, and it’s used by renters of all income brackets. Many property management companies have ditched traditional advertising and rely completely on Craigslist. Of course the best advertising strategy depends on your location and target market, but the following tips will help you get the most from Craigslist ads.

1. Provide Property Details. Be thorough. Describe the property, the unit, and the neighborhood. Be sure to include the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as square footage if it’s a selling point.  Also mention pluses like garages, yards, cul-de-sacs, proximity to schools, and attractions; highlight amenities like swimming pools and fireplaces in bold text. If possible, avoid too many bullet points. Use simple, direct, descriptive language, like you’d see in a newspaper article.

2. Highlight Important Terms. Every renter will look for the numbers, so make them easy to find. Highlight monthly rent, security deposit, move-in costs, and pet policies. Clearly state lease terms.

3. Organize, Organize, Organize. Make your listing easy on the eyes. Use brief parargraphs (3 – 4 sentences) and lists when possible. Don’t use all caps—it’s tough to read and looks unprofessional. Vary font sizes when necessary, but do it sparingly.

4. Show Off. A pictures is worth a thousand words. Craigslist allows you to upload four pictures per listing. It’s best to post an exterior picture, plus pictures of the kitchen, living area, and bedroom. Postings with pictures get more clicks. At Castle, we watermark our pictures to prevent them from being stolen and used in fraudulent ads.

5. Provide Your Contact Information. List a phone number and email address. Bold this text and place it at the top and bottom of your listing.

To get the most from Craigslist, you should also learn about third-party applications that promise to streamline the posting process.  We use the vFlyer program to make our ads look more professional, but similar applications abound.  Make sure to read next week's post on potential Craigslist drawbacks, which will also cover Craigslist terms, conditions, and how it treats your listing once published. With these strategies in mind, new tenants will be beating a path to your door. Good luck!