Showing a rental property to potential tenants can be very stressful, especially if you don’t like dealing with people. This may sound strange since you own a rental property, but this is a common fault for landlords that you need to overcome. You are not only selling the right to rent your property, but you are selling yourself as the landlord, so building rapport with the potential tenants is part of the process
Trying to organise times and dates around your own work can trickier than it’s worth, so sometimes it’s best to set one time and date for an open home, so everyone arrives at the same time. This will work well if you still have a current tenant. If you are showing potential tenants at different times, just for your safety (especially at night), bring a friend along.
Below are some other steps to effectively show your property and attract quality tenants and get your property rented quickly and effectively.
- First impressions and the wow factor are first priority when walking up to the house. If the exterior of the property looks dilapidated, the chances of getting new tenants are pretty low. Make sure that your property is well painted, inviting, with lawns cut and gardens tidy.
- Fix up the interior. If the property is unoccupied, make sure that any problems have been fixed. If your property is not vacant, stop by first to avoid any embarrassing situations. Always make sure your tenant is given plenty of notice of your visit.
- Get it clean. Really clean. There is nothing worse than a filthy house or apartment. Make sure an unoccupied dwelling is sparkling clean, and check on occupied properties ahead of time to make sure they meet your approval.
- Know your selling points. What features does your dwelling have? Keep these in mind while showing your property. For example, if the appliances are new or if the view is spectacular, make a point of it.
- Make sure the carpet or wooden floors are clean. In rented dwellings, the carpet is usually the first thing to suffer. If the carpet has not been professionally cleaned, have this done in advance, allowing enough time for it to dry before showing it. If the carpet is in bad shape, you may need to replace it.
- Show the home furnished or unfurnished depending on the circumstances. Some people prefer a blank slate so that they can envision their own furniture inside a property. However, if you have problems renting a vacant property, try adding some furniture (staging the property). It may be such a blank slate that no one can imagine anything about it. If your dwelling has some downsides, such as small rooms, you can fix this by strategically placed furniture.
- Set the temperature. If it is really hot or cold before an appointment, go into the property ahead of time to make sure it is comfortable. People will not want to stay in a place that is too hot on a summer day, and they may miss the good points of your property. The same problem is true if the property is freezing cold. If your property has a heat pump, get there early and turn it on.
- Turn on the lights. If your property has had the electrical service turned off, have it turned on again before showing the property. No one can see much in the dark, and your potential tenants may think you are trying to hide something. Also during the day open the curtains so light can pour in – this has the added bonus of airing the property out.
- Show the grounds. If your property has a pool, a deck, or an interesting feature outside, show it to your potential tenants. Take them on a tour of the grounds so that they can get an idea of what it would be like to live there. But remember they all need to be in top shape, otherwise tenants will look at it as hard work, rather than a wow factor.
- Finally, if all this sounds like too much work and you just can’t face showing another potential tenant around your property, then let Inspire Property Management handle it for you. We do this for a living, and we have a wonderful specialist team that would love to impress you with our service and expertise. Call us today.