I saw an ad for an apartment that highlighted its “quiet neighborhood”. I thought that was great, maybe it was on a cul-de-sac, maybe it was in a senior’s building and everyone went to bed at 9:00, maybe it was in the country.. Nope, when I pulled it up on Google Maps, it was next to the graveyard.
That description seemed excessive, and I thought, “Really? come on.” But, no it was serious.
This made me think about the language in our ads for apartments, especially online where we have more room to write. We don’t need to go to this extreme with descriptions, but we have to move on from just factual descriptions of our units.
I’ve seen too many ads online or on Facebook that are written with just the facts:
2 Bedroom, 1 Bathroom for Rent, heat included, tenant pays for lights. Live in Super, Parking, Laundry Room. No Smoking. Free Wifi. References required.
– 1 and 2 bedroom apartments for rent downtown. Call for more info.
If I’m searching for an apartment I am skipping these ads and moving on. They don’t create any sort of connection with me to the apartment or you as the landlord.
I prefer to write a more narrative ad. I want my personality to come through and I want my tenants to feel that they are renting from a person and not just some “landlord”.
The typical copy for one of my ads is:
“I have a 2-bedroom, 1 bath apartment available Oct 1st. Located at 123 Fake St in a duplex, this apartment is close to schools and shopping making it perfect for young families or someone looking for a spacious apartment located in Town.
Our apartment has:
– Hardwood floors throughout
– Full-size kitchen
– 1,100 sq ft
– 3 appliances, fridge, stove, dishwasher
– Washer and dryer hookups
– Dedicated parking spot
The rent is $1,250/month and includes heat, hot water, snow removal, lawn care. Tenant is responsible for electricity, and tenant’s insurance.
Act quickly and call Andrew at (***) &&&-^^^^ for more information.”
My goal with an ad like this is to increase the number and quality of contacts. This increases the pool of prospects that I can choose from, giving me a better chance of getting a Perfect or Excellent tenant.
To make things easier and quick for me, I have created a Word document with the template for my ads. I update the template with the information for the apartment, copy and paste the content online, upload the photos and I am ready to go. It takes about 5 minutes to do. I know you can do this too.
What phrases or language have you found that works consistently for you? Let me know in the comments below.