Pricing Your Rentals Right Matters Especially in the Winter

[Ryan Spath]

Pricing Your Rentals Right Matters Especially in the Winter

I see a lot of landlords try to squeeze every last dollar out of their rentals, and honestly, I get it — we all want strong cash flow. But winter is a totally different game in cold-weather markets, and overpricing during this time can cost you way more than you think.

Tenant demand drops. People don’t want to move in snow. Families don’t want to switch schools mid-year. And suddenly that “optimistic” rental price ends up creating a 3–4 week vacancy you didn’t plan for.

I just had this play out on one of my properties in Kuna, Idaho. The tenants gave notice, and normally a November/December turn can get risky. Instead of trying to push the rent, I decided to price it as the most competitive unit in the neighborhood.

Result?

The outgoing tenants moved out a week before the lease ended, we got it cleaned and rent-ready right away, and we had zero vacancy. The new tenants moved in immediately after.

That experience just reinforced something I’ve learned over and over:

A small discount is way cheaper than a long vacancy.

Losing even one month of rent hurts more than lowering the price $50–$100 to get a great tenant in quickly. Winter especially is not the time to “test the market.”

A few reminders for anyone listing rentals right now:

If you’re not getting strong activity in the first 72 hours, the market is speaking.

Even great units sit longer in December if they’re priced too high.

Winter tenants often stay longer because they don’t want to move during future winters either.

Vacancy is the most expensive line item in your entire P&L. Protect against it.

Bottom line: price it right, fill it fast, keep the income flowing. Winter isn’t the season to gamble with rent numbers — it’s the season to stay competitive and avoid costly downtime.

If anyone’s dealing with a winter turn right now and wants a second set of eyes on pricing or comps, happy to help.