Rental Property Investor · Oshkosh, WI · Member since 2019 · 16 posts · 3 votes
I am a new investor and have a duplex that I currently live in one side. The renters on the other side stayed after I purchased the property so I haven't been able to do any renovation over there yet. They are going to be moving out at the end of August so I want to have it vacant for the month of September so I can do a minor overhaul to it. My question is how do I post the photos for the ad for the available rental if the reno won't be done until right before they move in? I don't want to post the old photos and my side is different, only a few things are similar to the other side.
Rental Property Investor · Malvern, PA · Member since 2016 · 1k+ posts · 934 votes
6y
You have 2 obvious choices: Post current as-is pictures or no pictures. Either way, your description is going to say this will be a newly renovated home, or however you describe it. The as is pictures should be sufficient to give a sense of layout, assuming you aren't changing that. I don't recommend posting no pictures as that is just a turn-off, at least for me.
Investor · Cincinnati, OH · Member since 2014 · 538 posts · 432 votes
6y
@Cindy Schneider Hey there, welcome aboard! You have a few options, but what I normally do is this: I post photos of the property as it sits with a big ol' "RENOVATION - COMING SOON" label at the top of them (overlaid on the photos themselves, I mean). A lot of people want to see photos, even if they're not current and accurate photos, just to get a feel for the space and the layout. As long as they know upfront that it will be a little different (and BETTER) than what they're seeing, they're typically happy.
Just like @James Mc Ree said, NO photos drives your traffic down. If you're looking to buy a dress, and you see 12 dresses for sale that fit into your budget - are you going to waste time on the one with no pictures, or are you more likely to skip that one and go through the other 11 WITH photos first? :)
Rental Property Investor · Oshkosh, WI · Member since 2019 · 16 posts · 3 votes
6y
Thanks James and Bryan! That makes sense, I like the idea if posting current pics with the notation of a new look to come. The layout and space is what they need to see for now to know if it will work.