The Landlord's Guide To Craigslist Marketing

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THE
LANDLORDS
GUIDE TO
MARKETING WITH
CRAIGSLIST
BY LUCAS HALL
Quality Rental Ads ....................................................................................................... 1
Advertising Methods .................................................................................................. 1
The Ads Purpose ......................................................................................................... 2
The Building Blocks .................................................................................................... 3
The Craigslist Ad Format .......................................................................................... 11
Sample Ad Templates ............................................................................................... 13
Supported HTML Tags ............................................................................................. 21
Sample Symbols ....................................................................................................... 23
Build Your Own Template ......................................................................................... 24
Additional Resources ................................................................................................ 25
About Landlordology ............................................................................................... 27
CONTENTS
THE LANDLORDS GUIDE TO
MARKETING WITH CRAIGSLIST
A step-by-step guide to creating Craigslist rental ads that work!
What Youll Learn
This step-by-step guide will teach you how to create amazing
Craigslist rental ads that produce results.
Included with this guide are my very own rental ad templates, which I
use every time I post a new listing on Craigslist. With these templates,
youll be able to increase your ad response rate and nd more
qualied tenants in less time.
THIS GUIDE INCLUDES:
1. The building blocks for creating the perfect Craigslist rental ad
2. The exact language I use in my ads
3. A sample ad template for a Condo/Apartment/Single Family Home
4. A sample ad template for a Group House/Roommate House
5. My personal list of valuable online advertising tools
6. Links to Landlordologys best articles and tips on nding tenants
1 landlordology.com cozy.co The Landlords Guide to Marketing with Craigslist
Quality Rental Ads
The rst step in nding amazing tenants is to create quality rental ads.
Its true, advertising can be stressful and time consuming, but its also
absolutely necessary if you hope to nd tenants.
I think most real estate professionals would agree that a polished
rental ad will attract high-quality applicants. Further, your ad should
resemble the type of tenant you are trying to attract.
A detailed ad with high-quality photos tells applicants that you are
a professional landlord who takes pride in your rental property, and
cares about the landlord-tenant relationship. Its also a great way to
say Im not a slumlord!
Advertising Methods
For decades, the best way to market a rental unit was to publish an
ad in the local newspaper. Thats no longer true.
Today, newspapers are a dying breed and they rarely produce results
anymore. Their audience is now online, browsing free rental listing
websites like Craigslist (http://www.craigslist.com), to nd their new
home.
Craigslist is Still #1
It shouldnt surprise you, but of all the sites available for posting rental
ads, Craigslist continues to perform as the best site to nd tenants.
In fact, over the last nine years, more than 90 percent of my tenants
have come from Craigslist.
Ive rened my Craigslist rental ads so that they consistently generate
LANDLORD TIP:
The rst rule of
advertising is go
where your customers
are. Today, thats
Craigslist.
dozens of inquiries and multiple showings each week. More often
than not, using these templates, I can nd qualied applicants within
7-10 days of posting on Craigslist.
Because I want to cast the widest net possible, I also use Postlets
(http://www.postlets.com) to syndicate my ads on Zillow, Trulia and
Hotpads. These sites generate more trafc than Craigslist, and have
denitely provided me with quality leads in the past. The younger,
tech-savvy tenant seems to prefer using Zillow / Trulia to nd their
next rental.
In my area, Craigslist continues to send me more inquiries than all of
the other sites combined. Depending on your location, Zillow / Trulia
might perform better for you, so its worth your time to create an ad
on Postlets.
WEBSITE UNIQUE VISITORS
Zillow.com / Hotpads.com 79 Million
Craigslist.org 60 Million
Trulia.com 45 Million
Realtor.com / Move.com 22 Million
*Source: Corportate reports from respective sites, as of April 2014
The Ads Purpose
In the midst of hundreds of other ads, all screaming for the readers
attention, your ad needs to accomplish two goals:
1. Get the Click
Get the reader to click on your ad to view more details.
2. Get an Inquiry
Get the reader to respond by phone, email, or by sending them to a
website.
To achieve these goals you need to create a simple, yet compelling
ad.
The Building Blocks
Each rental ad is a representation of the rental unit.
If your ad looks haphazardly thrown together, renters will assume the
same about your unit. If your ad doesnt showcase the unit well, you
wont be able to entice people to see it in person.
Use Amazing Pictures
Since a picture is worth a thousand words, you should be elated to
know that Craigslist allows you to post up to 24 pictures!
My formula for the perfect Craigslist ad is quite simple: use
bulleted lists, descriptive language, and fantastic photos.
Most readers look at the pictures rst and then decide if they want
to read the text. Therefore, it is vital that you include pictures of the
entire property and that each one looks amazing.
At a minimum, you should include photos of the following areas:
Kitchen (specically appliances)
Living room (from multiple angles)
Bathroom (including any storage areas)
Bedroom (Dont forget the closets!)
Any Outdoor Space
Pool (if applicable)
Floor Plans and Dimensions (a simple sketch will sufce)
Since Craigslist continues to change their ad congurations and
allowable HTML tags, I think it is always best to work within the
Craigslist content editor rather than relying on HTML export from a
third-party vendor. This will allow you to post consistent ads for years
to come.
Pictures Attract Clicks
Ads that use the default image uploader also get the added perk
of having a pic or img notation next to the title, which will entice
readers to click on your ad.
Professional Photos Make a Diference
Nothing ruins an ad like horrible photos. Do yourself a favor and
spend the extra time and money to get high-quality photos of your
property.
If you dont have a decent camera, try to borrow one from a friend, or
hire a freelance photographer on Craigslist.
In the past, Ive used CirclePix, a nationwide photography company
(http://circlepix.com). All of their photographers use professional
TERRIBLE PHOTOS
cameras and can create a 360-degree photo of each room. At no
extra cost, theyll host the images for you and provide you with a
website to showcase them.
AMAZING PHOTOS
Be Specic, but Dont Exaggerate
When creating a rental ad, you should try to describe the property as
accurately as possible without giving false impressions.
Include the Price
Surprisingly, even ads that list high rent prices get more views than
those without prices at all. Asking the renter to call for a price only
creates an additional barrier for them, and they wont follow through.
Itemize Rooms
List the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, and bonus rooms. Most
people assume there is a kitchen, living room, and some sort of eating
area.
Use Rich Adjectives and Keywords
Spacious garage. Amazing views. Private, fenced-in yard. Walking
distance to Metro. Stainless steel appliances. These are all wonderfully
descriptive and search-friendly terms that will help your ad appeal to
readers.
Specify Brands
Be specic and include high-end or unique features, such as Viking
Oven and Range. Viking is a luxury brand that will help you attract
higher-end tenants.
Use the Default Map and Give Directions
Give specic directions that reference notable landmarks or local
amenities, and be sure to use the default embedded map feature. After
all, location is everything.
Use Exact Numbers
Utility costs uctuate every month, but you should still be able to ofer
an average. When mentioning distances, saying approx. 1 mile from
the Metro is not accurate if your unit is 1.45 miles away. Always give an
exact distance from an exact location. Google Maps makes it easy to
calculate distances.
Use Bulleted Lists
Lets be honest, no one likes reading huge blocks of text. Especially
on the web, readers prefer to skim headlines and bulleted lists.
A study that tracked readers eye movements found that web readers
followed the same F-shaped scanning pattern regardless of content.
In other words, they were scanning for headlines and bulleted items,
even when the content was in block format.
LANDLORD TIP:
Ads that are easy to
read will attract more
inquiries.
Source: Nielsen Norman Group
Which of the following is easier to read?
ABOUT THE HOUSE: 4 Full bedrooms, 2 Full baths, Other rooms include
a common Kitchen, Living Room, Dining Room, two storage rooms, and
a laundry room, Walking distance (4 blocks) to the Metro Station (Orange
and Blue Lines), 3 blocks to City Market, Walking distance to 10th St.
restaurants and, Cable/DIRECTV ready.
OR:
ABOUT THE HOUSE:
4 Full bedrooms
2 Full baths
Other rooms include a common Kitchen, Living Room, Dining Room,
two storage rooms, and a laundry room
Walking distance (4 blocks) to the Metro Station (Orange and Blue
Lines)
3 blocks to City Market
Walking distance to 10th St. restaurants and
Cable TV/DIRECTV ready
Be Accurate, Honest & Transparent
No one likes being deceived, especially when money is involved. The best rental
ads do not lie or give a false impression of the unit.
As a landlord, you have to be 100 percent honest when you are listing your unit for
rent. If you dont, it could land you in serious legal trouble.
The old saying The camera never lies is not quite true, especially with todays
technology. I believe most of the property photos posted online have been touched
up using photo-editing software. Many agents also use a sheye lens attached to a
camera to make a room appear 30 percent larger.
You denitely want to make your unit look its best, but if you stretch the truth you
risk irritating and disappointing everyone who comes to see it.
The bottom line is that false advertising can cost you time, money and a lot of grief.
Its best to be specic and accurate when listing the details.
LANDLORD TIP:
Though tempting, a
sheye lens creates
a false sense of
space, and leaves
prospective tenants
disappointed.
True Stories of
Unintentional Deception
The Frank Lloyd House
I knew a landlord who thought his property resembled the
style of Frank Lloyd Wrights architecture.
In his ads, he would call it the Frank Lloyd Wright house
because thats what he called it in his head. He was
amazed at how much attention his ads would receive. Of
course, you can imagine how angry the potential tenants
were when they discovered the house was not actually
designed by a famous architect.
Square Footage Fiasco
A friend of mine, a professional property manager and
licensed real estate agent, listed a unit as having 678 sq ft,
which is the size that the owner had disclosed. When the
new tenant took possession of the property and measured
it himself, he found it was only 628 sq ft, a diference of 50
sq ft.
Instead of asking for a reduction in rent, he sued the
property manager, the real estate brokerage and the
property owner for false advertising. Despite the fact that
the tenant had toured the property before signing the
lease, the judge awarded the tenant thousands of dollars
as compensation.
The Craigslist Ad Format
To efectively create a quality ad, youll need to understand the basic
Craigslist ad format. The image shown below is the exact form used
to create a new rental ad on Craigslist.
When completing this form, the resulting ad will appear as such:
Sample Ad Templates
The following templates showcase the same content and structure
that I use to attract tenants and get responses from my Craigslist ads.
I want to encourage you to make these templates your own. Simply
replace my content with your propertys information and then paste it
into Craigslist. Ive provided some additional instructions in blue.
Because Craigslist does not provide its users with an archive of all
their expired posts, I recommend saving a copy of your ad in a Word
or text document.
Year after year, youll be able to edit this le as needed and then be
able to create new ads in as little as ve minutes.
Remember to upload professional-looking photos that highlight the
best features of your property. The quality of your photos will make or
break your rental ad.
Sample Ad: Condo/Apartment/Single Family Home
The following text is exactly what I use to attract an individual tenant,
couple, or small family to a condo, apartment or single family home.
CONTACT INFO:
Enter your email address and select CL Mail Relay this will keep
your email address hidden and assign you an anonymous email
address which will forward all responses to you.
TITLE:
Short but catchy, highlight the strongest selling points, use some
capitalization.
SPACIOUS Apartment, Amazing View, Close to Stadium
Available 8/1!
LOCATION:
List your neighborhood or popular area (i.e. Downtown). Only use the
citys name if its not already specied elsewhere by Craigslist.
City Market / Stadium
BODY:
Summarize the place in no more than 3-4 sentences. Explain any
special requirements.
SUMMARY:
Beautiful condo for rent in Downtown Denver for
$2,249/month + $350/month for all utilities. Its
perfect for a small family, a single individual, or
2 close friends. It has 2 bedrooms PLUS an extra
room that could be used as a 3rd Bedroom.
The apt is available AUGUST 1st, 2014. We are
looking for a 12 or 24 month lease.
Add the URL where you have posted additional pictures.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS: http://www.YourDomain.com
Add your own features; include proximity to transportation, bullet
everything!
ABOUT THE APARTMENT:
- Walking distance (3 blocks) to the City Market
- Two Bedrooms with large closets
- One Extra room which can be used as a 3rd Bedroom,
Den, Dining Room, or Offce
- One Full Renovated Bath
- Recently Renovated kitchen with new stainless
steel appliances, cabinets, granite countertops, and
eat-in bar
- Central AC
- Radiant Heat (warm surrounding heat)
- Views of the city (and July 4th Fireworks!)
- Across the street from a large park
- Electric, Heat, Water, Sewer, and Trash Pickup are
included in the utility fee
- On-site laundry facilities
- VERY easy access to/from the expressway
- Condo comes with two parking spaces in a private
parking lot. There is also plenty of street parking
for guests.
- The apartment is not furnished.
- Small, non-shedding, hypoallergenic dogs allowed.
Send me an email if you want to come by and see it,
or if you have questions.
List the property address in the body, even though its already tied to
a map.
ADDRESS:
123 Main St.
Denver, CO 12345
Thanks for looking!
POSTING DETAILS
Fill this out completely. These numbers will be displayed near the title
and will help people nd your ad. Be honest, especially about the
square footage. I suggest thinking twice before allowing animals that
shed. Statistically, more people have allergies to cats than dogs, but
both will cause additional wear and tear on your property.
MAPS
I highly recommend including the property address and cross streets.
If you provide this optional information, Craigslist will display an
interactive map in your ad.
PROMOTIONS
NEVER select this unless you want to be stalked by marketers.
Sample Ad: Group House/Roommates
The following text is exactly what I use to attract unrelated tenants to
a group house, where all are considered roommates under one lease
with joint and several liability.
CONTACT INFO:
Enter your email address and select CL Mail Relay this will keep
your email address hidden and assign you an anonymous email
address which will forward all responses to you.
TITLE:
Short but catchy, highlight the strongest selling points, use some
capitalization.
WALK TO METRO / City Market Large Row House
Available 8/1!
LOCATION:
[List your neighborhood or popular area (i.e. Downtown). Only use
the citys name if its not already specied elsewhere by Craigslist.]
Capitol Hill / City Market
SUMMARY:
This 4 bedroom Capitol Hill row house is only 3
blocks from the historic City Market, and 4 blocks
from the Metro Station (Orange Line). The house will
be available as early as AUGUST 1, 2014. The monthly
rent is $3,400, which is only around $850 per person
(assuming 4 person occupancy). This house is perfect
for a group of 4 or 5 friends who want to live on
Capitol Hill, and near lots of shops, restaurants,
and the Metro. A minimum 1 year lease is required.
Add the URL where you have posted additional pictures
VIEW MORE PHOTOS:
Go to http://www.YourDomain.com to view more
pictures.
Add your own features, include proximity to transportation, bullet
everything!
ABOUT THE HOUSE:
- 4 Full Bedrooms
- 2 Full Baths
- Other rooms include a common Kitchen, Living Room,
Dining Room, two storage rooms, and a laundry room.
- Walking distance (4 blocks) to the Metro Station
(Orange and Blue Lines)
- 3 blocks to City Market
- Walking distance to 10th St. restaurants
- Cable TV/DIRECTV ready
BODY:
Summarize the house in no more than 3-4 sentences. Explain any
special requirements.
- Washer and Dryer in unit
- Walking distance to Golds Gym and Results Gym
- 15 minute walk to Union Station (Trains, Metro and
Shopping Mall)
- 15-minute walk to the Capitol Building
- 4 blocks to Safeway and CVS
- VERY easy driving access to/from I-395
- 20 minute walk RFK Stadium Home of DC United
(Pro Soccer)
- 30 minute walk to Nationals Stadium (Pro Baseball)
- Plenty of street parking available with city
parking permit
- There have not been any cats living in the house -
in case you have allergies
Send me an email if you want to come by and see it,
or if you have further questions.
ADDRESS:
123 Main St.
Washington, DC 20002
Thanks for looking!
List the property address in the body, even though its already tied to
a map
POSTING DETAILS
Fill this out completely. These numbers will get displayed near the
title, and will help people nd your ad. Be honest, especially about
the square footage. I suggest thinking twice before allowing animals
that shed. Statistically, more people have allergies to cats than dogs,
but both will cause additional wear and tear on your property.
MAPS
I highly recommend including the property address and cross streets.
If you provide this optional information, Craigslist will display an
interactive map in your ad.
PROMOTIONS
NEVER select this unless you want to be stalked by marketers.
EFFECT TAG/ELEMENT ATTRIBUTE/VALUES
Bold
Underline
Italics
Size
<b>
<u>
<i>
<big><small>
none
Paragraph <p> alig=[left,
right, justify
Line Break <br> clear=[left, all,
right, none]
Block Quote <blockquote> none
Horizontal Rule
(line)
<hr> align=[left,
center, right
size=[<pixels>
width=[<pixels>]
Paragraph Headers <h1><h2><h3>
<h4><h5><h6>
align=[left,
center, right]
Unordered List
Ordered List
List Item
<ul>
<ol>
<li>
none
Description List
Description
Description Term
<dl>
<dd>
<dt>
none
Supported HTML Tags
Currently, only the following HTML tags are supported in the Housing
section of Craigslist.
LANDLORD TIP:
For every opening tag;
<b>, there must be a
similar closing tag;
</b>.
SAMPLE CODE
<h2><b>SPACIOUS Apartment with Amazing Views</b></
h2>
<i>Available August 1st. One-year lease only.</i>
<b>VIEW MORE PHOTOS:</b> <u>http://www.YourDomain.
com</u>
<b>ABOUT THE APARTMENT:</b>
<ul>
<li>Walking distance (3 blocks) to the City
Market</li>
<li>Two Bedrooms with large closets</li>
<li>Washer and dryer in unit</li>
</ul>
RESULTING TEXT
SPACIOUS Apartment with Amazing Views
Available August 1st. One-year lease only.
VIEW MORE PHOTOS: http://www.YourDomain.com
ABOUT THE APARTMENT:
Walking distance (3 blocks) to the City Market
Two Bedrooms with large closets
Washer and dryer in unit
Sample Symbols
When added to a Craigslist posting title, symbols can help to make
your listing stand out from the others. In a sea of rental listings, you
need all the help you can get.
Notice how your eye is drawn to the listing with the ve arrows.
SAMPLE CODE
▶ ▶ ▶SPACIOUS Apartment with
Amazing Views
♥ Fall in Love ♥ with the 20 ft ceilings
RESULTING TEXT
Build Your Own Template
With these instructions and templates, youll be able to create an
efective and reusable ad template for each of your units.
Year after year, youll be able to edit this le as needed and then be
able to creatVTe new ads in as little as ve minutes.
Paired with a thorough screening process, Im condent that your
new and improved rental ads will help you secure high-quality
tenants for years to come.
Good Luck and Happy Landlording!
Additional Resources
Related Articles:
How to Host a Landlords Open House
http://www.landlordology.com/landlords-open-house
Always Include Pictures When Posting on Craigslist
http://www.landlordology.com/tip/include-pictures-on-craigslist
Creating the Perfect Rental Ad
http://www.landlordology.com/create-the-perfect-rental-ad
How to Attract Tenants on Craigslist with Irresistible Pictures
http://www.landlordology.com/get-results-on-craigslist-with-pictures
Accurately Describe the Property
http://www.landlordology.com/tip/accurately-describe-the-property
What is Joint and Several Liability and Why You Need It
http://www.landlordology.com/what-is-joint-and-several-liability
Online Advertising Tools:
Craigslist (the most visited rental listing site in the world)
http://www.craigslist.com
Postlets (great for ad syndication to sites like Trulia, Zillow, and
Hotpads)
http://www.postlets.com
Google Local/Google Places
https://www.google.com/business/placesforbusiness
CirclePix (nationwide network of professional photographers ofering
standard and 360-degree images of each room, and marketing sites
for the photos)
http://www.circlepix.com
VRBO - Vacation Rentals By Owner (great for short-term rentals)
http://vrbo.com
Military by Owner (for rentals near military/government
establishments)
http://www.militarybyowner.com
Photo Hosting:
Google+ Photos (free with a Google account)
http://photos.google.com
Flickr (free)
http://www.ickr.com
Wix (free)
http://www.wix.com
Squarespace (starting at $8/mo)
http://www.squarespace.com
LightCMS (starting at $19/mo)
http://www.lightcms.com
HTML and Symbols:
Character Code
http://character-code.com
W3Schools
http://www.w3schools.com
Im Lucas Hall, Chief Landlordologist at Cozy, the company
that makes renting easy for everyone.
I am a successful landlord with dozens of happy tenants and
a protable income property portfolio. A landlord for over
eight years, I founded Landlordology in 2013, and became
part of Cozy in January 2014.
Being a landlord to dozens of tenants, Ive learned how to
manage rental properties while thriving at my full-time job,
and maintaining a high quality of life with my lovely wife
and 90 lb goldendoodle. Most of my business is now on
autopilot but it wasnt always easy.
Over the years, Ive met lots of other amazing landlords and
property managers. Some are positioned by choice (like
myself), while others have fallen into the rental business
because they were underwater on a mortgage, or simply
could not sell their property.
Whatever your situation, I want to share with you the
techniques needed to manage your rental in any economy
helping you to build nancial security and keep your
properties rented.
Lucas Hall
Chief Landlordologist at
Cozy
Articles, Tips and More:
Landlordology.com
Twitter
twitter.com/Landlordology
Facebook
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Newsletter
landlordology.com/newsletter
About Landlordology
Landlordology.com is a website dedicated to bringing small landlords,
property managers, and tenants the best educational tools and resources
on Earth. It is the brainchild of Lucas Hall, a successful landlord with dozens
of happy tenants and a protable income property portfolio , and is brought
to you by the people at Cozy the best online tool to automate your rental
properties.
Try it For Free
www.cozy.co
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Find all of the Landlord Guides at llgy.co/ll-guides
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