You don’t have to be a marketing expert to effectively advertise your Eureka rental property when you’re looking for tenants. You do, however, need to remember a few important things. 

Photographs are essential. These are the first things prospective tenants will look at when they see your listing. You need a great description to go with those photos. Tell the tenants reading what your property has to offer that other properties don’t. 

It’s also important to know where you should be marketing your property. Which sites get the most traffic? Which sites are full of scams and drama?

As professional Eureka property managers, we have a number of resources and strategies that we employ when it comes to marketing rental homes. The result is a reduced vacancy time, a well-qualified tenant, and a profitable rental amount. 

We’re sharing some tips on how to market your Eureka rental home.

Exceptional Photos for Eureka Rental Listings

Good pictures tell a story. They can sell something faster than words. 

Think about your own experiences as an online consumer. When you’re looking for clothing, electronics, even groceries - you look at the pictures first, don’t you? Photos create an emotional connection to the seller and the buyer, and that’s the connection you want to establish with prospective tenants when they’re scrolling through homes to rent. 

Great photos are an opportunity to make a meaningful first impression. 

We always include a lot of photos, and we make sure they’re good photos. A professional photographer probably isn’t necessary, but use a good camera and pay attention to lighting and angles.  Clean up the property before you start snapping those photos. You don’t want mops and debris in the background. 

Every listing should include photos of:

• The outside of the property and any backyard or front yard space. Even if you’re renting out a unit in a multi-family building, if there’s a courtyard or a patio, you should show it off.
• Kitchens and bathrooms (make sure they’re spotless!).
• Bedrooms.
• Family rooms and dens.
• Special features like new appliances, fireplaces, or garden bathtubs.

Consider creating a video to go with your photos. This may take a little extra time, but it can be beneficial for tenants who want to feel like they’re touring the property before they schedule an in-person showing. It’s also great for non-local tenants who are moving to the area. 

Descriptions and Contact Information 

The photos are a fantastic first place to start. Once you have a great selection of pictures, write a well-written description that provides all the information a prospective tenant needs. 

You want to be informative but brief. Tenants will lose interest very quickly if you’re leaving long paragraphs for them to read. Concise, active descriptions that get their attention are better. When you are detailed with your description, you can also eliminate people who may have loved the pictures of your rental home but need larger bedrooms or more square footage.

Your listing should include all the features your rental property, including: 

• Number of bedrooms and bathrooms.
• Square footage.
• Whether there’s outdoor space.
• Appliances and amenities such as in-unit laundry or a dishwasher.
• Whether there’s carpet or tile or hardwoods on the floors.
• Rental amount.
• Deposit amount. 
• Lease terms, such as whether pets are allowed.
• Move-in date.

Always include contact information with the listing as well as instructions on how to schedule a showing. You’ll want to make the showing process as easy as possible on interested tenants. Be available when they are or set up self-screening capability with digital locks and keys.

Advertising Eureka Rental Homes Online 

Once you have the listing written and the photographs loaded, post it online. 

Most tenants in Eureka and throughout Humboldt County are using sites like Zillow, Zumper, HotPads, Rent Café, PadMapper, and Rentals.com. It can be time-consuming to post your ad on every available platform. Working with a professional property manager, you can leverage our technology and software to quickly syndicate your listing on all the popular rental sites. 

It saves you time and money. 

We get plenty of questions about Craigslist, and whether it’s a good idea to post there when you have a home to rent. 

While there are a number of good reasons to use Craigslist, we advise that you’re cautious. You’ll get a lot of traffic from prospective renters. However, the ease and accessibility of that site also leads to the potential for scams and your listing could be stolen by someone hoping to make money off properties that aren’t theirs. Be wary. Watermark your photos if you can.

Don’t forget the power of social media. 

When you share your listing on your social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others, you’re exposing that you have a home to rent to a larger audience. Not only will your own network see it, that network can share it with their own networks. There’s always someone who knows somebody who is looking for a new home. Leverage those relationships. 

Focus on Fair Housing When Marketing Properties