Best Sites For Advertising Your Rental Property Listing
By Space Coast Daily // November 10, 2021
Methods of advertising rentals and properties have significantly changed over the past decades. Not so long ago the main options available for finding tenants were ads in the newspaper or sticking a sign on the yard. These methods have now largely disappeared.
Nowadays, the Internet offers a variety of options of paid and free rental listing sites which allow you to gain a large amount of exposure efficiently and affordably. This makes it convenient for both landlords and renters.
But with so many listing sites out there, how can you be certain you’re listing in the right place so that your property will be seen? In no particular order, here’s the list of the best rental websites you can try today!
1. Craigslist.org
Craigslist is arguably the most popular site to list a property on. It’s known as the place for free listings. renters can search by category and location. There’s also a forum where you can communicate with others on the same topic.
You may freely upload your property details in the form of photos, videos, and creative writings. But since it is so popular and is only loosely regulated, scammers are everywhere. So make sure to double-check each time you put in information.
2. Move.com
Move.com is part of a more extensive network of websites covering various aspects of the property industry.
The site allows you to provide tenants a comprehensive breakdown of the relevant property information, including the price history, amenities, and more.
3. Apartments.com
Apartments.com claims to have more than 500,000 units for rent on their site at any given time. There’s the easy-to-use search function as well as all the standard features you’d expect for a rental listing site to help tenants to find the most suitable property for them. They charge a monthly premium for listing your property.
4. Realtor.com
Realtor.com is considered one of the best free rental listing sites. Users can easily find information about property for sale and property for rent based on location, budget and categories. They also have an easy to use app with a notification function to inform tenants about listed properties.
5. Walkscore.com
Walkscore measures the ‘walkability,’ proximity to nearby locations. These locations are schools, libraries, restaurants, or other amenities that actively attract renters. The score ranges from zero (which is the least walkable) to a hundred.
6. Zillow Rental Manager
Zillow Rental Manager allows you to list your rental property on various platforms. There are 26 partner sites that you can freely choose from in order to maximize the exposure of your listings.
Zillow also offers other benefits, including a large database that includes information on approximately 110 million properties.
Bonus: Landlord Studio
Landlord Studio is a property management software with an inbuilt rental listings feature. This feature allows you to create your own unique listing, set up a prescreening questionnaire, manage applicants, and run tenant screening reports. Once you’ve selected your tenant you can then use the system to collect rent online and easily track your property’s income and expenses for tax time.
Final Words
There are numerous tools and software available on the market today that make finding tenants and managing your properties easier than ever. Many of the best rental listing sites are free, however, as advertising costs are generally a deductible business expense, spending a bit to maximize your rental listings exposure could well be worth it.
On top of the above listed sites you can explore tactics that utlize social media to increase your listings reach – for example, share your unique rental listing URL in Facebook groups or on their marketplace. The best sites have an easy to use interface and high traffic volumes.
Finally, when creating your listing make sure to abide by fair housing rules. Your description should entice enquiries from qualified applicants but must not discriminate against any of the protected classes. Respond to inquiries quickly, and make sure your application process is streamlined and easy to understand.
