If you have at least one vacant rental unit, your main goal will always be how to get tenants.

That is perfectly understandable. An empty lease means lost income. And the only way to rectify the situation is to get tenants. Easy.

Unfortunately, today, the competition to fill vacancies has become frantic. And why not? With the housing industry in turmoil, more and more real estate brokers are turning to rental property as a means to offset declining commissions and overall loss of income.

So how do you get your fair share? How do you get tenants when everyone else is trying to do the same?

Advertising, promotion, marketing… they all need to be empowered in order to compete. But even that is not enough. What you really need to do is make sure your rental property stands out from the rest.

That means paying attention to every detail, and not from the owner’s point of view, but from the tenant’s perspective.

Start with the curb appeal. Does the rental property make a wonderful first impression, or would a prospective renter have to figure out what lies beyond the peeling paint, unkempt landscaping, and dirty windows?

What about comfort and safety? Would the average renter look at the unit and conjure up thoughts of “home” or be more focused on dark doorways and questionable locks?

What’s in the rental? Is it bright and cheerful? Have the carpets and floors been cleaned? Are the kitchen and bathroom up to date? Is the place move-in ready or would a tenant feel like they needed to paint and scrub from top to bottom first?

If you are wondering how to get tenants, all you have to do is look at it from the opposite point of view. What would make a tenant NOT want to live there? Better yet, what if it was YOU looking for a place to live?

Looking at it from that angle, would you be satisfied with your first impression? Would you feel safe and secure? Does it give you a sense of home or a feeling that it’s just a used shell that dozens of other people have occupied?

Rental property is no different than any other real estate property. If you want to “sell” it, you have to make it shine. You have to show tenants a unit that asks to be occupied, that is exactly the place they have been looking for.

So don’t assume that because you cleaned the place, it’s enough to hook a tenant right away. It is not. There is too much competition out there.

So here is the answer to how to get tenants…

Make sure your rental property is desirable, something you’d be happy to move into yourself.

Keep in mind that the right rent can often sway someone who is on the fence about whether to rent or buy a home. You can easily make the decision for them. How? Offering them a rental property they simply cannot refuse.

Once you do, you’ll never have to worry about finding tenants again.

John Rustice, RentalUtopia.net