Where you advertise your rental property will most likely depend on your location. In more urban areas there may be more websites for you to list on as opposed to if you are listing your property in a more rural area. You can start by looking around at the different places that other landlords are posting their listings. There are lots of different ways to advertise your property for rent but some are more relevant than others.
You can also ask yourself if I were a tenant in my location where would I look to find a rental. If you just bought your rental property, think about where you looked to see what properties were on the market. Most of the time you will be looking through the same places to list your rental property as you did when you bought your rental property.
Just a forewarning, we invest in small towns so not all of these advertising examples may be relevant depending on where you are located.
10 Ways to Advertise Your Property for Rent
Website or Online Listing Examples
Advertising your listing on one of the below sites is by far the most productive way to reach your biggest audience. We have found the greatest success advertising through Facebook Marketplace and other similar buy/sell groups. In our area we usually get several good tenant leads this way and rarely have to list in other places.
- Social Media – We have had a lot of success listing our rental properties on Facebook Marketplace and in other local buy/sell Facebook groups. And it’s free!
- Craigslist – Craigslist is another option that has a large audience but be careful for scams and spammers.
- Zillow – Zillow is another popular housing website for listing rentals and homes for sale.
- Realtors Websites – In some locations local real estate agents will list available rental properties on their website for a fee.
- City Websites – In many small towns, city clerks receive many questions about available housing. Networking with city office personnel to let them know of your properties can help you with tenant leads.
- Chamber of Commerce – The Chamber of Commerce is similar to city offices. They sometimes have lists of available housing to share with businesses to help families that are new to the area. Again networking can be key so share your properties with groups like these that could add you to their housing listings.
Listing on any of these websites is the most efficient way because it allows you to share a lot of information in one place. In your listings make sure to add good pictures, a complete description of the property and monthly rent. See here for more information on How to Advertise your Rental Property for Success.
Off-Line Listing Examples
There are a few other off-line listing options available if they make sense for your area. Again in different parts of the country people look for and receive information in different ways. So if any of these ways resonate with you make sure to try them out.
- Posted Signage in Property Yard – The standard for rent sign in the yard method. It’s a cheap way to add attention to your property but I wouldn’t do it as a stand alone marketing strategy.
- Business Bulletin Boards – Some businesses have a bulletin board for upcoming events or to share other information. This can be an additional opportunity for you to display your information about your property.
- Newspapers – Another location to list your property is the local newspaper.
- Networking – I never discount the power of talking with your local networks making new connections and relationships. If you own a few rental properties, let other people know about it. Over time this has been one of our greatest assets. We now have people who come to us without us advertising because they know we have several properties in the area.
Final Thoughts
As I mentioned earlier some of these strategies may work better for you than others depending on your location. Make sure to see what others are doing in your area and start from there. Don’t be afraid to try a lot of different ways to advertise your property for rent and when a potential tenant contacts you ask them how they heard about your property. You’ll soon know what works best for you!
Until next time, happy managing!
