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Posted April 5, 2019 by Rental Advisor

Rental Home Listing Mistakes That You Must Avoid

Are you planning to rent out your home? If yes, then hire the right agent so that you get professional help until you close the deal with an ideal tenant. If you are planning to use online real estate listing websites to sell your rental property, then choose some of the most active and reputed websites. Also, avoid the following mistakes.

No or Bad Pictures

Pictures play a vital role when it comes to listing your rental property as it gives an idea to potential home renters about how the property looks like. Most renters go through the pictures first to shortlist homes and then visit them personally. Hence, missing out on pictures of your home can be a grave mistake. Upload ample photos of each corner and angle of your home. If you have a special feature in your homes such as a water element or a deck, don’t forget to upload its picture first. All the pictures should complement the details you provide while listing your rental property. Focus much on the quality of the pictures. Think of photos as if they are the deal-makers or deal-breakers for you. Upload high-resolution, clear, sharp, and colourful pictures of every part of the home. Avoid anything unclear, hazy, blurred, or poorly shot.

Incomplete Home Details

Every detail about the home is as important as the pictures are. While pictures give a visual idea about the rental property to the potential renters, details mentioned in the listing answers every other question that they may have. You must provide crucial details like the square footage area of the home, number of rooms, type of home, number of floors, age of the home, area that it is located in, and any other interesting information that people must know – something like the home has a garage or driveway. Missing out on any of these can mislead the potential renters, and you may not get the right tenants for your property. People may also have several questions in their mind about the property for which they will call you several times. This may only delay the process of closing of the deal.

False Information on the Listing

Do you think that lying about your property or exaggerating about the features will help you sell your home faster? If yes, then you are mistaken. Even renters visit the properties they like for physical inspection before closing the deal. Whatever you lie about your home will be caught when the potential tenants visit your rental property. They may get irritated or furious because you provided false information and wasted their time. They may even bad-mouth about your rental property and prevent other potential tenants from renting your home. Lying on the listing can hurt your reputation, and it is a total “lose-lose” deal. Therefore, be genuine while listing your home. If your home has a structural or plumbing flaw or is small, don’t refrain from telling it straight. Or if you don’t wish to mention them in the listing, don’t at least lie.

List With an Unrealistic Price

When listing your rental property, you must always price it at the fair market value to attract the right tenants and rent it out quickly. The fair market value refers to how a home is valued when both the buyer and seller are reasonably knowledgeable about the property. You may price your rental property higher assuming that both the parties will negotiate later and agree on a reasonable price. But you never know what may happen. People looking for homes that meet their budget may strike off your home from their list even before getting in touch with you. This way, you will lose a lot of potential renters, and your rental property will remain on the market for a long time.

No or Incorrect Contact Details

What’s the use of uploading good pictures and having a compelling home listing when you don’t mention your contact details on it? All your efforts can go in vain. By not providing your contact details, where do you expect the potential tenants to get in touch with you? Don’t think about privacy issues, frauds, and spam calls, and provide your contact number, email address, and other ways to communicate with you. And when you provide these details, be very careful and provide the right information. Wrong contact numbers or email ids can take your ideal tenant away from you. Likewise, provide the right address so that potential renters can visit your rental property for inspection. Don’t expect them to hunt for your home like a treasure hunt!

Not Responding

Another serious mistake that people make but you must avoid at any cost is not responding to people. You listed your rental property on some of the best listing websites and provide every detail about your home and yourself accurately. The next thing that is going to happen is people who like property contacting you to show their interest. If you don’t respond to their emails or calls for any reason, you will only miss out on good deals. If you are busy or out of the city, mention the same while listing your home. Don’t leave your potential tenants hanging or your home may remain unsold for a long time.

If you don’t make these mistakes while listing your home, you will successfully get a lot of queries and requests for home inspections. But don’t end up making a mistake at that step. Prepare your home for several home inspections and showings. If you have any visible flaws in or around your home, solve them on time. And call your real estate agent, and be present with them on the property when you schedule a showing.