Where to best advertise online for rental availability?

General Landlording & Rental Properties
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Where to best advertise online for rental availability?

Sam Leon
Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 465 votes

I understand unless you have a RE license you can't get your property on the MLS, where else do you all advertise besides putting signs up at a few nearby street corners or hiring a realtor?

Or, are there realtors you can hire to do just MLS listing, but let me to the calls, screening, showing, lease, etc... for a lower fee?

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Ann Bellamy
Lender · Tyngsboro, MA · Member since 2009 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
13y

I do all my advertising on Craigslist, using a postlets ad. Postlets syndicates out to Hotpads, Trulia, etc, and then I paste the HTML into craigslist. Almost all my replies come from Craigslist.

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  • Ann Bellamy
    Lender · Tyngsboro, MA · Member since 2009 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    13y

    I do all my advertising on Craigslist, using a postlets ad. Postlets syndicates out to Hotpads, Trulia, etc, and then I paste the HTML into craigslist. Almost all my replies come from Craigslist.

    3Reply
  • Kyle J.
    Rental Property Investor · Northern, CA · Member since 2012 · 5k+ posts · 5k+ votes
    13y

    I think it depends on your market. I only advertise on Craigslist and by using a "for rent" sign in the front yard. Both have worked very well. However, I was recently speaking with a landlord in Utah, and he said that people don't use Craigslist in his area. They use a different site for classifieds called ksl.com, and on his last listing on that site he got over 100 calls in a matter of days. The point is, you have to find where landlords are listing their rentals, and where tenants are looking for them, in your area.

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  • Al Williamson
    Rental Property Investor · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2011 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    13y

    Ann Bellamy and Kyle J. said all there is to say, but I just wanted to point out the importance of GREAT pictures and copy. Don't cut corners.

    2Reply
  • Samantha M.
    Landlord · Dallas, TX · Member since 2012 · 505 posts · 34 votes
    13y

    Ann Bellamy Great Post Ann. Does your postlets post on craigslist automatically show up on trulia and such then? Or is there something special you need to do?

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  • Oliver Trojahn
    Kansas City, MO · Member since 2008 · 143 posts · 41 votes
    13y

    In my market I use craigslist only. It works crazy good. Sometimes I don't even put a "for rent" sign in front of the place knowing craigslist will work 98% of the time. What a deal.

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  • Joey Poltor
    Real Estate Investor · Arlington, VA · Member since 2012 · 9 posts · 2 votes
    13y

    Craigslist! I also put up signs in nearby laundromats with tear off tabs. Another trick that works like gangbusters is putting a for rent sign on a busy street with an arrow pointing down your street.

    1Reply
  • Andrea M.
    Real Estate Investor · Hampton, VA · Member since 2012 · 562 posts · 109 votes
    13y

    Craigslist works well for me, in some markets you can pay a Flat Fee for the MLS listing of your rental, but you will be responsible for all showings/credit check/verifications. Although I don't get as much traffic as craigslist, I have also used Zillow and Trulia in the past. In your ad you want great pictures, description of the property and your requirements ( application fee, credit check)

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  • Ann Bellamy
    Lender · Tyngsboro, MA · Member since 2009 · 3k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    13y

    Samantha M., when you create a postlets ad, there are check boxes for you to syndicate to Hotpads Trulia, Zillow, etc. It also creates HTML for copying and pasting your pretty postlets ad with photos, into craigslist. I have had varying degrees of success copying postlets html into CL. Sometimes they allow it, and sometimes they change the policy and it doesn't show up. You then have to edit the HTML code to remove the postlets reference.

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  • Jon Klaus
    Developer · Garland, TX · Member since 2008 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    13y

    Craigslist plus sign in the yard. In my area MLS isn't used much for rentals. Probably less than 5% of rentals show up on MLS in my neighborhoods.

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  • Samantha M.
    Landlord · Dallas, TX · Member since 2012 · 505 posts · 34 votes
    13y

    Jon Klaus Is there any particular reason investors in Dallas dont list their properties on MLS? Is it to save a little bit of money having to list it with a realtor and them taking the 1st months rent or w/e the agreement is for payment?

    Just curios, I live in Dallas but most of my investment properties are in Denton and we use the MLS there.

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  • Jon Klaus
    Developer · Garland, TX · Member since 2008 · 8k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    13y

    Samantha, my rental neighborhoods are mostly in Hunt and Kaufman Counties. The typical rent is about $900 per month. In this area and price range, landlords aren't using MLS for rentals.

    In nicer Dallas areas with higher rents, I could see MLS being a better fit. However, when I have used MLS for rentals, the agents weren't any better or faster than me in filling vacancies. In fact, I've done a better job of tenant screening.

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  • Ed B.
    Real Estate Investor · Sacramento, CA · Member since 2010 · 292 posts · 103 votes
    13y

    Craigslist doesn't work well in bad neighborhoods where the potential tenants are computer illiterate. It also doesn't work well in marginal neighborhoods, because even if you have good photos, tenants will quickly screen you out once they realize the neighborhood sucks. That's been my experience, because I was stupid enough to buy two properties in lousy neighborhoods.

    0Reply
  • Tracey Williams
    Investor · Columbus , OH · Member since 2010 · 311 posts · 51 votes
    13y

    I use craiglist for my rentals & it works really great !
    Tracey

    0Reply
  • Colm McCormack
    Wholesaler · Colorado Springs, CO · Member since 2009 · 6 posts · 3 votes
    13y

    Just threw my vacant rental on Poslets. Thanks for reminding me about that site. I use to use it but got away from it b/c CL had been doing the trick.

    0Reply
  • Kevin Dickson
    SFR Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2009 · 184 posts · 55 votes
    13y

    Be sure to check out the new map feature on CL. #1, it shows only real rentals with a bona fide address. #2, renters can zero in on their desired locations much easier.

    The competitor that essentially forced CL to develop this feature is Padmapper.com. I still find it a better place to write my ad, then I cross-post to CL like you do with Postlets.

    Padmapper also incorporates an online application that simplifies that whole process.

    Also, if you like Postlets, you should check out Vflyer, which can be used for cars and other things besides real estate. Vflyer is taking market share from Postlets, which was bought by Zillow to boost its share of the rental advertising market.

    Speaking of which, Zillow and Trulia are the two fastest growing rental advertising sites.

    The City-Data forums are a great place to search for this type of info for a particular area. http://www.city-data.com/forum/

    1Reply
  • Aly W.
    Investor · Middletown, NJ · Member since 2008 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    13y

    Craigslist works great; as well as others have said - use Postlets.com and it syndicates out to various sites including Hotpads, Zillow, Trulia, etc. I just tried Padmapper as well.

    I also post 2 of my SFRs on www.gosection8.com, but have had little result.

    I also agree that great photos are a must.

    0Reply
  • Sam Leon
    OP
    Investor · Fort Lauderdale, FL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 465 votes
    12y

    OK so as a quick summary:

    • Craigslist
    • Zillow
    • Postlets (which is actually by Zillow)
    • Trulia
    • Hotpads
    • I also found a few others such as Oodle, Vast.

    Anyone has more they have used?

    Now some of these will syndicate to other sites. I used Postlets and it showed up on Zillow (obviously), Hotpads, Oodle etc...someone said it also syndicates to Trulia but I didn't see that.

    Movoto was another site I tried but had trouble making it work.

    I have to say though, I am not sure those syndication work well. May be it's because of the mismatch of the various site's data, or may be by design, the ads syndicated were missing details and contained wrong information.

    On Postlets I checked that I have a "Patio", but on Hotpads it showed as me having a "Yard", a "Porch" and a "Doorman". Go figure. On Oodle it showed only part of the information and only one picture out of 16 I posted showed up, the ad says the listing was provided by Zillow and to see details go click the link back to Zillow. So it's syndicating with a boomerang. In fact, there are "ads" mixed in with the property description. In the middle of how many bedrooms and bathrooms and square footage is:

    Pre-qualification:Get your credit score before you apply.Advertisement Offer:Free Activation, HD, & Upgrades! DISH Network Starting at $19.99/mo - Free HBO, Cinemax So I wonder, may be it's better NOT to syndicate, but to create brand new listing on these sites with full details? Thoughts?
    0Reply
  • Bill S.Pro Member
    Moderator
    Rental Property Investor · Denver, CO · Member since 2013 · 4k+ posts · 2k+ votes
    12y

    I have found the main reason that most rentals are not in the mls is that it is the venue for agents (third parties to the deal that get money from the deal). Most rentals are done without agents because it saves money. Landlords don't want to pay a month or half month rent to advertise a rental when they can do it on CL for free. Most LL won't pay agents to bring them tenants because again they can find tenants on CL for free. Most tenants don't want to pay an agent to represent them because they can find a place on their own on CL for free. Brokers won't allow their agents to list properties for rent in MLS at a cost effectively price (free) because there is liability with having their name associated with a deal. Really, there only down side for agents listing a property in the MLS unless they have a PM agreement.

    0Reply
  • Sergio B.
    Real Estate Investor · Miami, FL · Member since 2013 · 122 posts · 51 votes
    12y
    I got a short answer--->Nothing beats CL.
    1Reply
  • Roy N.Pro Member
    Rental Property Investor · Fredericton, New Brunswick · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 4k+ votes
    12y

    While Craig's List appears to be the go to site in the US, as @Kyle J. pointed out, the best place to advertise depends on your market.

    Here, and in may other parts of Canada, Kijiji has far more traction than Criag's List ... though that may shift now with Kijiji's new policy on charging for more than X for rent ads and the amounts they are proposing to charge.

    0Reply
  • Scott W.
    Real Estate Investor · chicago, IL · Member since 2012 · 1k+ posts · 231 votes
    12y

    rentlinx.com it will post on CL, zillow, even rental websites you didn't even know exist.

    i was getting calls from people across the country...one lady was in california who wanted to stay here for her ailing dad.

    i got a nice couple from indiana. he got transferred here for work. they have been great.

    0Reply
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