Ultimately, the goal of any Jacksonville landlord is to find a good tenant that will care for their property, pay rent without issues, notify them of maintenance issues, and renew their leases.
While finding such tenants isn’t easy especially without experience, it most definitely isn’t an impossible task. The journey to finding an ideal tenant begins with how you choose to market your rental property.
The right marketing strategy will ensure your property gets as much exposure as possible. And, the more exposure it gets, the more your chances will be of landing the right tenant.
This article will provide you with an overview of ways to advertise your Jacksonville, Florida rental property.
Tip #1: Write a short, sweet, and descriptive rental ad.
You want to write an ad that stands out. This will help grab the attention of prospective tenants and make them read the rest of the ad. The following are some of the words you want to include in your headline:
- Warm
- Vintage
- Upgraded
- Unique
- Traditional
- Tasteful
- Spotless
- Spacious
- Remodeled
- Quiet
- Private
- Open space
- Modern
- Luxurious
- Landscaped
You can also check what your competition is doing to avoid using the same adjectives everyone else is using.
Once you have come up with an attention-grabbing headline, move on to the body of the ad. This is where you want to talk about the best features of your property.
In other words, it’s here that you want to convince the prospective tenant why your property is better than your competition.
You want to mention things like:
- The neighborhood
- The type of property
- The number of bedrooms and bathrooms
- Nearby things like shops and restaurants
- List of unique features in the property, like balconies, hardwood floors, etc
- Rent and security deposit amount
- List of utilities
- Whether you accept pets or not
- Recent upgrades or renovations
- Your contact info
As you mention these important details, make sure to avoid bland objectives, exclamation points, all caps, and saying what kind of tenants you’re looking for.
Finally, you want to include as many photos in your ad as possible. Make sure the photos are at their sharpest resolution as possible.
Tip #2: Advertise your property on various platforms.
The more platforms you advertise your property on, the more exposure your property will get. The following are some of the things you can do to advertise your rental property.
- Use word of mouth: This is still an effective marketing tool. You can provide incentives to your existing tenants for every qualified referral they bring to you.
- Use rental listing sites: There are many rental listing sites you can use at no cost. These include Craigslist, Zillow.com, Trulia.com, and HotPads.com.
- Use your own website: You can also create your own website to advertise to prospective tenants. This can be particularly beneficial if you have several properties.
- Use social media: Today, around 79% of Americans use social media to connect with one another. With such a large population on social media, it only makes sense for landlords to use it for their own advantage.
Tip #3: Set the right rent amount.
You should remember to include the rent amount in your rental ad. This is due to the fact that you only want to attract prospective tenants that are willing and comfortable to pay that rent amount.
Setting the right rent amount is key. You don’t want it to be too high nor too low. If you overprice your tenants, you may have a hard time finding interested applicants. On the other hand, underpricing your tenants will only mean leaving money on the table.
When setting the rent amount, there are several things that you want to keep in mind. These include historical unit prices, comparative properties, amenities available, and market demand.
Tip #4: Start the marketing campaign early.
Different states have different laws in regard to how much notice tenants should give landlords when they want to vacate. Generally speaking, though, most states, including the state of Florida, require tenants to provide their landlords with a 30-day notice of their intention to move out.
It is immediately after receiving this notice that you should start planning your marketing strategy. Waiting until your tenant has moved out to begin the marketing of your Jacksonville rental property is a mistake you don’t want to make.
Acting quickly will ensure you get a new replacement tenant fast, effectively reducing the amount of time your rental stays vacant.
Tip #5: Keep the Fair Housing laws in mind.
According to the Fair Housing Act, it’s illegal for any landlord to discriminate against a tenant based on seven protected classes. The classes are race, color, sex, national origin, religion, disability, and familial status.
As such, when screening prospective tenants, avoid asking questions such as:
- Are you married?
- How old are you?
- Do you expect to have kids soon?
- Are you on food stamps?
- Which church do you go to?
- Where were you born and raised?
These questions are discriminative. By asking them, you risk going to court over discrimination claims. The following are ‘safe’ questions to ask:
- When do you want to move in?
- Are you ready to pay all the move-in costs?
- How long have you been staying at your current property?
- Why do you want to move in?
- How many people living with you smoke?
- How many people would be living with you?
- How much money do you make per month?
- What kind of work do you do?
- Have you notified your landlord of your intentions to move out?
The bottom line
There you have it. 5 tips on how you can advertise your Jacksonville rental property. If you need additional help, please consider hiring expert help from a qualified property management company.
Remember, a vacant property costs you money. You not only have no income coming in, but you may also have to look elsewhere to pay for property expenses like taxes and mortgage.