Showing your property is an important part of renting it out. The marketing process requires a fantastic listing, a lot of online advertising, and ultimately, a showing that converts prospective tenants into applicants.
You don’t want to dismiss the marketing and advertising phase of your rental experience. Attracting well-qualified tenants to your property is an important part of earning as much as you can on it. Moving quickly through the process ensures you’re not losing money on long vacancies.
Quality tenants matter because they’re likely to pay rent on time, take care of your investment property, follow the terms of the lease agreement, and renew that lease year after year. A good tenant is attracted to a good property. So, make sure what you’re offering is worthy of their time and money.
Here are some home showing tips that will help you get your property quickly rented to excellent residents, and for the highest rents.
Good Showings Start with Good Listings: Provide Photos and Videos
Professional photos will lead to an attention-grabbing listing, which will lead to a lot of showings.
Tenants are almost certainly going to scroll through photos first when they’re viewing rental ads. You want to grab and hold the attention of tenants who will hopefully be coming to see your property. This is an opportunity to make an excellent first impression.
Take and post a lot of engaging photos that accurately reflect your property. Investing in professional photography is always a great idea, but you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on a photographer. Find someone who knows their way around a camera. Or, use your own phone. High-quality pictures are possible from most mobile devices.
Consider using video, too. It might take a little extra time and effort, but a video tour can give prospective tenants an ideal introduction to your property. They’ll have a general idea of what they’re going to see when they arrive for a showing, and they’ll be that much closer to applying for your home.
Professionally Clean and Make Sure all Repairs are Complete
Potential residents will get in touch to schedule showings because they liked what they saw on your listing. The property must reflect the pictures you took and the description you wrote. It’s important that everything in the home works, and the property is well-maintained. Take care of all maintenance issues and repair needs - no matter how minor - before you begin showing the home. You don’t want tenants walking through a property where drawers are loose and doors are unhinged.
Be obsessive about cleanliness. It’s easy to overlook smaller cleaning details like dusting or vacuuming. Hire professionals who will be extremely detail-oriented, and make sure that the home looks as clean as possible.
Keep the Lights On and the Water Running
Make sure the utilities are on at your property before you begin to schedule showings. You can’t exactly expect prospective tenants to be wowed by a dark home where they can’t test the plumbing.
Tenants will want to know exactly how things work at your property before they agree to rent it. They’ll need to turn on lights and run faucets.
Have some lights on before tenants arrive. Open all the window blinds and make sure there’s plenty of natural light coming in. When you can offer a clean, empty property that’s open and spacious, you’ll find you have successful showings.
If you’re committed to staging the home, do it with minimalism in mind. A few pieces of well-placed furniture can look good, but you don’t want a property that’s full of personal items or furnishings. Tenants will want to imagine how the property will look with their own things inside of it.
Invest in Self-Showing Technology for Maximum Efficiency
Don’t hold up the showing process by insisting you’re there to walk prospective tenants through the property yourself. This is no longer necessary, and they’ll appreciate being able to see the home on their own time, and according to their own schedule. They’ll appreciate the sense of privacy you’re offering when you allow self-showings.
There is plenty of self-showing technology available to landlords and property owners who want to make it easier for tenants to see their homes. You can download apps, install smart locks and digital keypads, or work with a showing service to get entry and security taken care of.
As property managers in Norfolk and the surrounding areas, we have noticed that self-showings have increased the amount of interest we generate in vacant properties. It’s brought down vacancy rates and attracted a larger pool of tenants. By offering self-showings, we’re able to eliminate the delays that can occur as schedules are juggled.
Almost everything that tenants want and need is on-demand these days. When they want to see a rental property, they want to see it right away. Scheduling days or weeks out is not a great business plan. Sometimes, a prospective tenant is only in town for a day or two and has very limited availability.
Using this technology is efficient, convenient, and safe, and it increases the number of tenants we have viewing our properties. It gets your home rented faster, and it keeps marketing costs low.
Showing Tips to Improve Your Curb Appeal
Curb appeal is what sets a standard for your tenants. They’ll see how the outside of your property looks and immediately make some assumptions about the inside of the home. We have a list of tips for getting the right kind of attention for your curb appeal when you’re showing your property:
Perfect Paint
How’s the condition of your paint?
Paint remains a cost-effective investment, even as the cost of paint rises. Be willing to invest in high-quality paint, whether it’s interior or exterior paint. Fresh paint is a great way to increase your curb appeal as well as your rental value. If it’s faded, chipped, or simply unattractive - schedule some painters to give your exterior paint a modern, clean update.
Focus on the Front Door
Pay special attention to the entry to your property. If tenants are going to walk through the front door, you want that front door to get their attention in a positive way. Make sure it’s clean and clear of cobwebs and gathered leaves and dirt. You want it to be welcoming, so consider throwing down a cute welcome mat. If the door needs new hardware, that won’t be too expensive. A shiny door knocker or a new door handle will get attention and look great.
A few pots of flowers isn’t a bad idea, or maybe a hanging plant. Wind chimes can be attention-grabbing. Don’t be afraid to make the entry look pretty. It will move you towards your goal of renting your property quickly.
Pressure Washing
A quick power wash is inexpensive and easy. There’s likely to be a lot of debris, dirt, pollen, and wayward leaves clinging to the outside of your rental home. Your driveway and sidewalks can usually use a good cleaning, too. Pavement tends to get darker as the dirt accumulates. The washing will rinse away everything old and dirty and give your property a clean and fresh look. If you don’t have your own power washing vendor, you can rent the equipment or hire a service. It won’t be too expensive.
Exterior Lighting for Aesthetics and Security
Good lighting outside your property is more than just curb appeal. It also helps your tenants to feel safe in their home. This is something they’ll notice when they come to a showing. Put your prospective tenants at ease. Show them that there’s plenty of light and safety when they are coming and going. Make sure there’s good lighting at the front door, on the side of the house, and in the back. Motion lights can be a good idea, too.
Update Landscaping
Offering a well-landscaped home is an excellent way to earn the highest possible rent and attract qualified tenants. You want it to look clean and pretty, but also low-maintenance. Low-maintenance plants and simple landscaping features will enhance your curb appeal.
Follow Up After the Showing
Here’s one final tip: don’t let the showing be the last time you hear from those tenants. The rental market is moving quickly, and you want to motivate tenants to complete an application if they’re interested in your property. Once you know they have seen the property, get in touch. Ask what they thought. Listen to their feedback. Offer application instructions.
Showings are an extremely important part of your marketing process. It’s worth the time and money required to make your showings stand out. This is one way to set your property apart from the others that tenants are seeing, and it’s also an opportunity to let them know what kind of landlord you’ll be if they do rent from you. Be responsive and accommodating.
If you’d like some help showing your property, please contact us at Doud Realty Services. We provide expert property management in Norfolk, Portsmouth, and Hampton Roads, as well as surrounding areas such as Virginia Beach, Suffolk, Chesapeake, and Newport News.