When it comes to building a successful rental portfolio, providing good-quality, energy efficient, attractive and welcoming rental properties is only half the battle – people also need to know about them and what they include.
This is where a good, experienced letting agent comes into their own, marketing your homes effectively to ensure they are always occupied and enabling you to reduce any void periods.
In what ways, though, will a letting agent market your property?
Online and newspaper advertising
In this day and age, a strong presence on all the major property portals is vital, as this is where many tenants will head first to check out available rental properties. At Letting Solutions, we ensure your property appears on Rightmove, Zoopla, FindaProperty.com, Citylets, Lettingweb.com, fish4homes and s1homes.com, enticing a wide range of would-be tenants.
Traditional advertising – in the form of, say, double-paged spreads in local newspapers or magazines – still has its place, too, and can help to drum up local interest.
To Let boards
Even in this internet age, boards are still a great identifier and a great way of attracting interest to a property. People still look out for boards, and by not having them and relying purely on internet advertising there is a danger that your property could get lost in a sea of competition.
Boards are also very useful when it comes to viewings, as would-be tenants will be able to find your property with greater ease. In addition, boards increase the chances of luring in those spontaneous, off-the-cuff tenants who make decisions on the spot and decide to view a home on the strength of the property’s exterior alone.
Property details and particulars
Tenants will want to know the relevant information about the property – such as how many bathrooms and bedrooms it has, where it’s located, how close it is to local amenities and transport links, how much it will cost in rent each month, and whether bills are included or not.
Your letting agent can produce these details on your behalf and display it professionally in brochures and as part of online adverts.
Floorplans
Many would-be tenants will also be keen to see the layout of the property they might soon be calling home. Often provided as part of the property advert, the floorplan will give an indication of where all the rooms are in the house, how large they are, and approximate dimensions (usually in square metres) of the various spaces.
Virtual tours
A feature that is niche but increasingly common is the use of virtual tours, which allows would-be tenants to view a home remotely and without physically being there in person. For busy, time-poor people, this could prove to be very handy.
While a virtual tour can’t recreate the sights, sounds and sensations of an actual viewing, it can work as an excellent sounding board and an excellent way of forming a good first impression. If a tenant likes what they see from the virtual tour, they may take their interest further with a physical viewing. When that viewing comes, their interest will be firmer and they may be less likely to change their mind once they’ve seen it in person.
As such, virtual tours are a good way of ensuring that only people with a genuine interest in a property actually come to view it, which saves all parties – tenants, landlords and letting agents – a fair bit of time and hassle.
Accompanied viewings
The best way to market your rental home – in a physical sense – is for people to view it, which makes viewings an integral part of your overall marketing strategy.
When all is said and done, if your home isn’t up to scratch or if it turns would-be tenants off, you’ll be in a bit of bother – so getting the viewings right is absolutely crucial.
This is why it pays to have a letting expert in your corner, one who can carry out accompanied viewings on your behalf and talk tenants through the main selling points and advantages of your rental property. Get the viewings right and your chances of filling your rental property with ease rise considerably.
As well as the above, we also provide full colour marketing photos, carry out rental assessments, report to our clients (you) after each viewing, negotiate on rental deals on your behalf, and check the suitability of tenants (including checking for references).
We’ll work with you to create the perfect marketing plan for your particular circumstances, adjusting and adapting along the way to ensure your home is rented out in the shortest possible time-frame.
For more information about letting your property in West Lothian, please get in touch with Letting Solutions on 01506 496 006. As the area’s first dedicated lettings agency, we have the skills and knowledge to help maximise your rental yields and keep your tenants happy.
We also offer a free and instant online valuation to give you an idea of how much you could be charging in rent each month.