Opinions and/or advice please :)

[cozzafrenzy]

Hello All,I`m soon to be placing an ad on rentfaster.ca for my first rental property (I take possession early June) and was wondering if you could take a look at what I`ve got... please be gentle, I`m still a noob.


Superb Inner City Bungalow Main Floor near LRT and ALL amenities

Bright and charming 3 bedroom main level bungalow in Radisson Heights. Hardwood and tile throughout. Good sized kitchen with modern appliances, plus plenty of counter space and cabinets. Lots of windows so you can enjoy the sunny west exposure. Private west back yard in which to enjoy those summer evenings(all that`s between you and Radisson Heights Park is your back alley). Large living room with brick fireplace and big bay window. Walk to the grocery store and ALL other amenities; they are less than 2 blocks away. All this on a quiet street within walking distance to the LRT! Don`t miss out!  Available mid-June.
(detached garage negotiable)
Call Jon @ 403-613-3667 or email [email protected]





Dang... is there a way to upload images (or a word doc) from your computer, or only from web sites?

 

[Mecheng]

QUOTE (cozzafrenzy @ May 27 2010, 12:55 AM) Superb Inner City Bungalow Main Floor near LRT and ALL amenities

Bright and charming 3 bedroom main level bungalow in Radisson Heights. Hardwood and tile throughout. Good sized kitchen with modern appliances, plus plenty of counter space and cabinets. Lots of windows so you can enjoy the sunny west exposure. Private west back yard in which to enjoy those summer evenings(all that`s between you and Radisson Heights Park is your back alley). Large living room with brick fireplace and big bay window. Walk to the grocery store and ALL other amenities; they are less than 2 blocks away. All this on a quiet street within walking distance to the LRT! Don`t miss out! Available mid-June.
(detached garage negotiable)
Call Jon @ 403-613-3667 or email [email protected]


I noticed you don`t mention price, is that intentional.
Some LL like to have applicants call and discuss this others like it to be clear up front.
Its probably a personal choice in the end but if applicant are searching by price range how does your ad fit in?

 

[PaulPoulsen]

The structure of a great ad is there but it just needs to be fleshed out. Right now you`re listing features. While that`s a good start, you need to add to those features by explaining their benefits. Do that by asking yourself, "So what?" after a feature.

EXAMPLE:
"Hardwood and tile throughout."

So what?

Hardwood is a classic look that you can be proud of. You also don`t need to bother buying a vacuum to keep it clean. If you`ve got allergies, hardwood and tile floors help minimize the surfaces where allergens can be trapped.

EXAMPLE:
"Good sized kitchen with modern appliances, plus plenty of counter space and cabinets."

So what?

Well, if you like to entertain or host formal dinners, the large kitchen is perfect for up to ten (or however many) guests. If the space isn`t quite that large, you could say that it is big enough to sit down and have a meal with the family each day and that`s a great way to become closer. Lots of counter space means you`ll be in heaven if you like to cook as there`ll be plenty of room for your kitchen gadgets. And lots of cabinets mean everything has its place and it`ll be easy to keep the space clean and organized. And when you`re organized, you`ll be more efficient and get more done in a day.

I also really try to paint a picture about each room and each element in the property. You want prospective tenants to fall in love with the idea of living in your home before they even step foot in the door. Write a little narrative and pretend you`re walking the prospect through the house.

Start your sentences with verbs as long as it doesn`t sound forced. People love to be told what to do so give them instruction!

"Private west back yard in which to enjoy those summer evenings!"
...turns in to...
"Enjoy those summer evenings in your private west back yard!"

Or even better, use a verb that`s stronger than "enjoy."

"Soak in the sun and feel its rays drench your body with warmth as you relax in your private west facing backyard!"

And use lots of pictures. LOTS. A couple of each and every room as well as a bunch of the outside of the property (front and back).

 

[harland]

QUOTE (PaulPoulsen @ May 27 2010, 12:10 PM) The structure of a great ad is there but it just needs to be fleshed out. Right now you`re listing features. While that`s a good start, you need to add to those features by explaining their benefits. Do that by asking yourself, "So what?" after a feature.

EXAMPLE:
"Hardwood and tile throughout."

So what?

Hardwood is a classic look that you can be proud of. You also don`t need to bother buying a vacuum to keep it clean. If you`ve got allergies, hardwood and tile floors help minimize the surfaces where allergens can be trapped.

EXAMPLE:
"Good sized kitchen with modern appliances, plus plenty of counter space and cabinets."

So what?

Well, if you like to entertain or host formal dinners, the large kitchen is perfect for up to ten (or however many) guests. If the space isn`t quite that large, you could say that it is big enough to sit down and have a meal with the family each day and that`s a great way to become closer. Lots of counter space means you`ll be in heaven if you like to cook as there`ll be plenty of room for your kitchen gadgets. And lots of cabinets mean everything has its place and it`ll be easy to keep the space clean and organized. And when you`re organized, you`ll be more efficient and get more done in a day.

I also really try to paint a picture about each room and each element in the property. You want prospective tenants to fall in love with the idea of living in your home before they even step foot in the door. Write a little narrative and pretend you`re walking the prospect through the house.

Start your sentences with verbs as long as it doesn`t sound forced. People love to be told what to do so give them instruction!

"Private west back yard in which to enjoy those summer evenings!"
...turns in to...
"Enjoy those summer evenings in your private west back yard!"

Or even better, use a verb that`s stronger than "enjoy."

"Soak in the sun and feel its rays drench your body with warmth as you relax in your private west facing backyard!"

And use lots of pictures. LOTS. A couple of each and every room as well as a bunch of the outside of the property (front and back).


That`s great info Paul!! Exactly, what I was thinking but wouldn`t have been able to explain it as well. One other thing I might add is, are pets welcome? If so, maybe say something like, "because I am a pet owner and couldn`t imagine living without mine. Therefore, I could never say no to a well behaved pet". Many people love their pets and really like to hear their LL feels the same. A pet deposit is not a problem and tennants are happy to pay it if it means they get to keep their companion.
Also, I think mentioning price is important. Many tennants scroll past ads that don`t provide them.

 

[PropertySolution]

I try to keep my descriptions short & sweet. But at the same time emphasize on the best/popular features. Most prospective Tenants are thumbing through hundreds of rentals and don`t have time or patients to read through long winded descriptions. Offering my web addy for further information is where I can be descriptive and detailed.
Catch their eye, FREE things stated in an ad tend to grab their attention than its up to you to keep it. FREE PARKING, UTILITIES INCLUDED, 4 NEW APPLIANCES, PETS WELCOME are a few examples. Renovated is losing its appeal as 90% of units are being renovated (in Edmonton anyhow) and its almost expected now, mention this is your long-winded version.

Good Luck

 

[cozzafrenzy]

Thanks Everyone!
The input is much appreciated. I wrote this ad based on the rentfaster.ca format, so price, pets, utils, etc will definitely be included in the ad along with a whole lot of pictures.
Cheers.

 

[JohnS]

QUOTE (PropertySolution @ May 27 2010, 10:08 PM) Catch their eye, FREE things stated in an ad tend to grab their attention than its up to you to keep it. FREE PARKING, UTILITIES INCLUDED, 4 NEW APPLIANCES, PETS WELCOME are a few examples. Renovated is losing its appeal as 90% of units are being renovated (in Edmonton anyhow) and its almost expected now, mention this is your long-winded version.

Good Luck

Paul`s ideas would work much better for me than Bernie`s ideas. I like the idea of evoking emotion, as so many other ads don`t do it.

Good luck renting it!

JohnS

 

[PropertySolution]

QUOTE (JohnS @ May 28 2010, 01:55 AM) ... I like the idea of evoking emotion, as so many other ads don`t do it...

JohnS


There may be a reason for that.

Every market is different, economy plays a big part.

 

[PaulPoulsen]

QUOTE (cozzafrenzy @ May 27 2010, 09:08 PM) Thanks Everyone!
The input is much appreciated. I wrote this ad based on the rentfaster.ca format, so price, pets, utils, etc will definitely be included in the ad along with a whole lot of pictures.
Cheers.

Not that I would`t use Rentfaster.ca but I get the overwhelming majority of my leads from Rentboard.ca (90%+).

We`ll use Rentfaster.ca, Rentboard.ca and RentEdmonton.com and 9 times out of 10, Rentboard.ca provides our tenant.

However, that experience is strictly in Edmonton. I can`t speak as to how effective the site is elsewhere.

 

[PaulPoulsen]

QUOTE (JohnS @ May 28 2010, 01:55 AM) Paul`s ideas would work much better for me than Bernie`s ideas. I like the idea of evoking emotion, as so many other ads don`t do it.

Good luck renting it!

JohnS

QUOTE (PropertySolution @ May 29 2010, 11:27 AM) There may be a reason for that.

Hi John,

I think you`re only partially right. A huge portion of advertising revolves around evoking emotion in the intended audience but, for whatever reason, that mindset hasn`t permeated the rental market.

When watching TV or listening to the radio, you`re almost guaranteed to stumble across an advertisement for Coca Cola, McDonald`s, or Apple (iPad, iPod, iPhone). All of these products try to convince you through right brain emotion as opposed to left brain logic. Sure, Coke may occasionally tell you to enter a contest or McDonald`s will remind you that the McRib is only here for a limited time but the consistent message that they`ve been selling all of us for decades is their product makes you feel good. Recently, Apple has been the king of this kind of message. When the iPad was released, people stood in line overnight to fork over $800 on a product that sure looks cool but doesn`t (as yet) serve any real purpose.

The flip side of that coin is car dealers. Every car ad you`ve ever seen, heard or read is essentially the same ad. If you`ve got bad credit, no problem. The boss is away so we can sell these cars at ridiculously low prices until he returns. We`re overstocked and we MUST move these vehicles. Buy now and make no payments `til next year. We`ll throw in a trip to Mexico. Over and over it`s the same message just with a different dealership name tacked on the end of the commercial.

The most obvious difference between Coke and us is that Coke has millions (billions?) of dollars at its disposal to hire the best marketing people in the business. We, on the other hand, look to each other and simply replicate what the other guy is doing without any thought as to whether or not the other guy is experiencing any measurable success with his/her methods.

As landlords, we need to ask ourselves, "Do I want to be Apple? Or do I want to be the used car dealer down the street?"

In my mind, if you want to be Apple, it doesn`t make sense to emulate the marketing model of other landlords and hope for different results.

 

[PropertySolution]

I`m not to sure where you were going with that post because you lost me when I started getting an overwhelming craving for a big mac and coke!!! LOL

 

[terri]

Paul,

Okay, I completely agree with the "use a lot of pictures" part, but...

"Soak in the sun and feel its rays drench your body with warmth as you relax in your private west facing backyard!" that feels way over-selling to me, like I would be severely underestimating the intelligence of my tenant profile. As well, I would be careful to use soak in the sun etc during a heat spell in the summer when "shady" backyard might be more desirable. (sorry, had to add that, it`s killer hot here in toronto right now)


Jon,

I think it`s quite good,

A bit more information would be good: rent? utilities included or extra? what appliances? laundry? dishwasher? microwave? is there a/c? (that would be a big seller for me today.
could you say that your backyard overlooks the park? or is the fence too high?

really in the end you can go on and on with descriptives but pictures will say so much more. I know that you were trying to upload them.

Good luck!
Terri

 

[cozzafrenzy]

Here is the rentfaster.ca version. It is generating a fair bit of interest - 141 views and 3 showings lined up so far.
http://www.rentfaster.ca/Calgary-Apartment...VNUSU5HNTIwODU=

 

[Cannice]

remember to screen your tenants and take your time
bad tenants will distroy your investment
credit check and screen for employment
make sure you get a letter form employer
the one screening tool I use the most is I insist on checks for payment
and not money orders
tenants often move just before being fired , they know thye wont have a reference soon so they move while they are still working
when a tenant tries to offer you cash is means he dosent wat you to be able to garnish his bank account