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Discover the secrets of successful property management and investing on "The Property Investors Handbook" podcast. Join Colleen Sutherland as she shares expert insights and strategies for acquiring, managing, and maximising returns on real estate investments. Whether you're a beginner or seasoned investor, this podcast is your essential guide to navigating the world of property investment. Tune in and unlock the keys to financial success in real estate.
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Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Property Investor's Handbook. I'm your host, Adam Bell, and today we're diving into how effectively advertise rental properties to, I guess, make sure that you get the rental that you're after and make sure you attract good tenants. So, joining us is Colleen Sutherland, a seasoned property management expert from Sutherland's Property Management Group, as always, and she's here to share everything.
Insider tips on crafting those ads that not only catch the eye, but attract the perfect tenants. So let's learn how to make your listing stand out.
Hi, Colleen. Welcome back. Hi, Adam. Okay. So can you share maybe with me the fund that there must be a bit of a science to it, a bit of a strategy that goes into when you are advertising for tenants. I guess this also changes on the, depending on the market as well.
It does. Yes. This one, I sort of didn't know which way to go because there is the presentation of the property prior to advertising.
Then there's the advertising photos and copy text. And yeah. You've got to weigh the two up. Sure, sure.
And look, this maybe even ties in a little bit to our last episode. If you haven't heard that, we talked about a landlord selling a property mid lease or while their tenants in there. It comes into it too, doesn't it?
If you're going to, when do you get the photos? When do you do the, you know, the presentation of the property? If you're trying to get someone in as close to the end of their previous lease? Yeah, so how does
that work? So with the photos, so if a property comes to me that's vacant, we'll tell the landlord to get professional photos.
Yep. Oh, first of all, they'd have to make the property presentable and photo ready. Yep. So getting those professional photos and the professional photos, I know that you can take them on your iPhone now, I do get that, but sometimes when you're, advertising, you haven't taken the right size or the pixelations or blurry or something.
Right. Yep. Yep. So my advice is to leave that to the professional. Sure. And the professional photos are used for this, tenancy, but used for all the next tenancies. So if you want to advertise the property prior to the next tenancy moving out, you've already got those photos.
So do it once and you can reuse them.
Yes. Get them done well.
Yes. So you've got the photos, but at the same time you get a floor plan. And I know that floor plans ordinarily are just for sales, but what we're finding is that out of towners are looking for a property on the Gold Coast and they can see the floor plan, see how big it is. Oh, that's going to be too small.
It's become
a thing, hasn't it, to apply off the plan for want of a better phrase. But I mean, people apply. Without having seen the property in person. Yes, yeah.
So the floor plan plays, to me, plays a vital part in it. But the other thing that we do now is virtual tours. And it's when the photos are taken, they do a virtual tour.
So they will put the photos together, that if you want to look, That you're going into this bedroom, into the living area, out the back patio, you can do that tour without actually being at the property.
Right, so it's followed much more the style of when homes are sold.
It is, yeah, so what has happened finally is that people have moved from, oh that's just a tenancy, to it's a tenancy, earning that landlord lots of money.
And, You know, I'm going to get a commission.
So, The mentality has moved greatly, and if you half ass that, advertising, then you're not presenting it in its best light, that people are, quality tenants are going to look at that and go, Oh yes, I want to live there, for however many hundreds of dollars it is.
It looks like a shoebox, but, Let me go and see that. So you don't want that look.
Sure. Yeah. Sure.
Because first impressions count.
Absolutely. And when they're
looking at it on the internet, that's their first impression.
Yep.
And then that'll determine whether they'll want to make a physical inspection or apply for an understudy.
Sure.
And what do people look at first when they look on the internet? Is it the photos first before reading the, the blurb? Yes. Or? Yep. Well,
I think it is, and research shows it is. So if you've been able to present the property in its best light, then they'll look down and see if it's got air conditioning, pool, security, stairs, how much parking.
So when you're doing a copy text for an ad, one thing that we're not like is the sales. So the sales tend to put a bit of fluff and elaborate on the property. Okay. Whereas a tenant just wants to see if they've got this and this. So you do put where it's close to and, available for long term lease.
And the property features are this, and this. Yep. So that they can read it quickly. Yep. Especially on today's market. You've got to be able to, present it so that people can see it quickly. No, it doesn't have a pool. I'm not applying for that place. Sure. So, there are a lot of variables, but, to me, you need to keep it short and sweet and to the point.
Yep. I've got a bit more to, to ask about the copy text. So, how important is the wording and the language around trying to attract the right people? Demographic, so a perfect family home, or, you know.
That's a bit of a cliche, but yes, you need to target market. But, the thing is, we can't discriminate against who applies.
No. So, yes. But you would
use the words, wouldn't you, to try to attract the ones that, you know, the demographic that you would like going into the home.
Yes, to a certain extent. Yeah, to a certain extent. So we can no longer say pet friendly.
No, because we now know. Yes, in
both units and houses.
Units are the same, even high rises.
Yeah, that changed on the 1st of May 2024, this year. That we're no longer allowed to just refuse a pet because No,
we did an episode on that, but I don't think one thing we covered, and while we're here, why not? High rise building. So it's exactly the same. And so they can't have rules as a body corporate that we as a contract.
Yeah. So you're entitled to a pet. It's whether, what, what can happen though in a body corporate situation is it needs to be a certain size. That's the only thing that you can discriminate against. So you can't have a Great Dane in a unit. Sure. Makes sense. Obvious reasons. However, you can have a dog up to 20 kilos.
Or a cat. Cats don't go by size. Nah. But yeah, you can have a dog up to this certain size. So, even if it's written not yet written in their body corporate bylaws. This change supersedes it. Yeah, the change on the 1st of May 24, has repealed a lot of that legislation.
Okay. What common mistakes do landlords make when they advertise their properties for rent?
What can you tell people to avoid?
Okay. What I see in photos is the vacuum cleaners still in the corner, the toilet seats up. they haven't sort of inspected that the bench is clear. A lot of the photos are very ambiguous. Right. But to avoid, I think, it's not so much to avoid, but to include, and what they're not including is those features that real, that tenants are looking for.
Right. Yeah. So the photo might show that there's an air conditioner in the main bedroom, but your copy text doesn't, and it's like, well, is that.
Listing key features, or the mistake being not listing key features, expecting people will see that in what are sometimes poor photos.
Yes, and the problem sometimes is that I've used those photos, well not me, because I don't make that mistake, but using old photos.
Yep.
So. We're saying that there's an air conditioner in the main bedroom and I'm looking at the photo going, there's no air conditioner. Oh, that's been added. So you've got to keep your photos relevant as well. Make sure
your photos match. Yes. What you're saying is, that's right. Okay. And last question, being the market we've just been through where, you know, it was, you know, especially just after COVID where, it was so, you had so many applicants for every single property and people were unable to, finding it very difficult to find.
Was advertise, did your advertising change then? Could you just basically throw it, throw anything out there and people would be coming? Does it change when you're at peaks and troughs of the market?
I'm going to say yes, it does change. Not for my office. Yep. Because there is a certain standard.
That you will always uphold. My staff know not to put those daggy photos up there. They're dark, they're taken from your iPhone and stuff. To have that consistency is my brand. Yep. No matter how quickly everything goes, and that brand is important to me.
Sure.
So I always have that consistency of really good advertising.
But yes, there are property managers out there who are Lazy laxy Daisy just entered the market and think, eh, there's no importance in it. Yep. And then that carries through to the hard times when we've gotta negotiate to get people in there, in there. Mm-hmm . So we are already there. But then there's a lot of people who get slack.
Sure.
And that has got a major effect.
This has brought me to another question, slightly off topic, but when you are getting to an end of a tenancy and someone is moving out and you're looking for someone to take over, to a new tenant to come in and a new lease. Is there any requirement to have to go to market and advertise, or if you've come across a great tenant who didn't get an earlier property and it's just the perfect fit, you know it, can you just go and make that happen for the, you know, obviously in conjunction with the landlord and getting their, approval, can that happen like that?
It can. Yes. Because, if the tenant has given notice or they've been given notice and the property is going back on the market, we can have a list of people to go, okay, that one will suit there. And they'd not even reach the market.
Yeah. So that was my question. So that can and does happen. It can.
Yes.
Yeah. What ordinarily happens though, if I've got a, move out date of the first of the month. I won't put somebody in on the second. We allow a minimum, and this is on the bare minimum, of three days. Yep. But you usually need a week to turn around. I would have thought so. Landlords say, oh, but I'm going to lose a week's rent.
But you're better off forfeiting that week's rent to know that you've properly moved the other tenant out, prepared the house for the new tenant, because otherwise you're mish mashing everybody's problems and then, I think
all landlords would love to see the truck, the moving truck going out as the new ones come, coming in, yeah,
yeah.
That's unrealistic part, I can say, some agents do that and get themselves into all sorts of trouble. So you have to allow time between the tenancy.
Sure, absolutely. Look, thanks again, Colleen, another great episode there on you know, some fantastic, uh, tips and insights on effective, property advertising.
So look to our listeners, we hope today's episode helps you refine your approach to attracting, the, you know, the best tenants remember a great ad. Is your first step towards a successful landlord tenant relationship. So for more tips and guidance on anything to do with property management, visit Sutherland's property management group online at spmg.
com. au. All of our episodes are there. Please do give us a like, a follow, share, and, subscribe to this, this podcast and, look forward to, talking to you on the next episode.
Thanks, Adam.