I saw an ad for a house 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 apartment ads, especially online where there is more room to write. You don’t need to go to this extreme with descriptions, but you have to move on from just factual descriptions of the units and tell a story about your unit.
Fact Based Ads
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. I know that Perfect and Excellent tenants are looking for something more too. Always remember, your job gets SO much easier if you have Perfect and Excellent tenants. Why would you write an ad that doesn’t attract them?
I prefer to write a narrative ad. I want my tenants to feel that they are renting from a person and not just some “landlord”. I want to start my relationship with the tenant from the minute they see the first ad.
Narrative Ads
If you want to write better apartment ads, use a Narrative Approach. This approach will tell a simple story for a prospect to use to picture your apartment. The whole goal of all my apartment ads is to maximize the number of people who make contact. That’s it.
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.
The apartment has:
- Hardwood floors throughout
- 2 large bedrooms
- Recently Renovated 3-piece bathroom
- 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.”
*** I also make sure I include photos. ***
References Required and other rules:
One thing you’ll notice is I don’t say anything about references or security deposits being required. I also don’t mention any other rules or regulations I have. I leave them out completely, and plan to cover them when I talk to or meet the prospect. The main reason for this is I have limited space in my ad and I want to focus on the positives of my property. Plus, most tenants know that they will need references and a security deposit, I just waste space in my ad telling them something they already know.
Simplifying the Ad Process:
To make things easier and quicker for me, I have created a Word document with the template for my ads. I update the template with the specific 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.
Next time you need to place an ad for your apartment, take some extra time and write a more detailed narrative ad. You should get more inquiries. Let me know how it goes in the commens below.