How are renters currently searching for a new place?

Question

I have been a landlord for over a decade and I see the different tools available to renters take off, slow down, switch, or simply die.  I have properties along the front range of CO and even in different cities I see people utilizing different tools to find a property for their next place to live.  For the last couple of years, I have seen Facebook be an extremely important platform to get renters.  Lately, however, it seems as though I have noticed another shift happening.  This time, I am wondering if anyone has a suggestion or idea of what is working better or best at this point.

Wendy H. · Answer

It probably differs depending on location, but for us it was Zillow that brought the most interest and most serious applicants.

Justin Hoggatt · Answer

Thanks, @Julie Hartman.  Perhaps we need to pony up on the Zillow then.  I haven't wanted to pay for their service since they went to the pay for list services.  I can honestly say I haven't tried Craigslist lately because I saw a big dip in response, but I'll give that a try again.  I've liked Zumper and Lovely seems to be doing well as well - these are syndicates of Appfolio and appreciate the responses I get in there and call on those right away.  I agree that FB isn't the best quality and requires a lot of time to respond and get stood up by the scheduled showings, but when we focus on it, we do have good success in the end.

Matt M. · Answer

@Justin Hoggatt

Now that Zillow is charging, I strictly use Facebook Marketplace. It has been amazing and FREE!

Goodbye Zillow!

Rik Hunter · Answer

Agreed. I had a terrible time finding serious renters who would show up when using Facebook. Zillow worked best for me.

John Teachout · Answer

People looking for a rental will usually search multiple venues. If it's advertised "anywhere" you're likely to collect the same prospects. At least that's been my experience. I stopped using Zillow when they started charging and haven't noticed any difference in time to lease a vacant property. I use signs too and get results from those as well.

Cordell Martin · Answer

@Justin Hoggatt

Granted this is mobile home parks, not multi’s or SFH but recently (yesterday) I was surprised at the number of calls received from a newspaper classified.  These are lots for rent, not homes, so I think that narrowed the field even more.  We use Buildium to manage, which also allows you to push listings to Zillow & 3-4 similar sites.  FB marketplace has generated interest too.

Good luck!

Julie Hartman · Answer

We get the bulk of our responses from Zillow and Craigslist. Since Zillow syndicates, we also see Trulia as a source. We have not tried FB because from the feedback we hear from other PM's is the quality of applicants is not that great there. Zumper is another platform that is gaining ground as well.

Michael Orlando · Answer

In our area, I tend to see Facebook marketplace still working really well and the classic Craigslist post too.. But honestly, a good ol sign still might be the best lol.

I think it depends on the demographic you're advertising to though!

How are renters currently searching for a new place?

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