The more renters your listing reaches, the better chance you have of finding high-quality tenants. There’s no point in writing the perfect listing if no one is going to see it. Unfortunately, some listing sites charge a fee, so you’ll want to be selective when choosing where to post your listings. It’s just not efficient or possible to post on all listing sites.
With dozens of listing sites to choose from, it can be overwhelming to research them all and figure out which to use. Fortunately, we’ve done that hard work for you. Below, we’ll share which listing sites are the best on the market, why they’re so great, and how much they cost. This way, you’ll be able to quickly post your rental property listing and find a new tenant the next time you have a vacancy to fill.
Your Own Website
Having your own website dedicated to your real estate business is a marketing asset. You can customize it to provide customers with your ideal user experience. With descriptions of all of your business offerings and services, as well as your contact information, your rental website should be the hub of your advertising scheme.
When posting a listing on your website, you should include detailed descriptions of your properties, beautifully staged photos, and all of your necessary contact information. The great thing about using your own site is that you can use as many photos as you need to accurately display the unit.
Cost: Free
Apartments.com
Posting on Apartments.com can get your listing showcased on their partner sites such as ForRent.com, Apartment Finder, and Apartment Home Living, and many others. The platform offers advertising opportunities, renter reviews, and more. It is recommended for both apartment complexes and houses.
Apartments.com has useful search tools that enable renters to find exactly what they’re looking for. It shows them targeted results based on their filters, so you know your listing will reach interested renters.
Cost: Free to post listings, but promoted listings come with a fee.
Craigslist
Craigslist is an online classifieds site that’s organized based on location. It may not be the most appealing site, but it can still be effective in providing exposure for your listing. It’s free, easy to use, and gets a lot of traffic from renters looking to sign a new lease.
Craigslist has previously had a reputation for housing scammers. Recently, the site has been updating its policy so that landlords must take additional steps to post their vacancies.
Because the site shows listings based on when they’re posted, the more recent the ad is, the better the exposure it will receive. As a result, you’ll want to repost the ad about every other day.
You can post up to four photos for free, so be selective when choosing which ones to post.
Cost: Free
Zillow
Zillow allows you to market on not just their site, but also on about 26 of their partner sites, which includes popular listing spots like Trulia and HotPads. It also offers online rental applications, rent collection tools, and tenant screening services.
The site enables highly detailed descriptions, making it a favorite among landlords. It’s also a popular hunting ground for renters because it allows them to compare listings side by side, making sure they’re finding the best properties.
Cost: They recently started charging to post more than one listing.
Trulia
When you post a listing on Trulia, you’re also posting on no less than 20 other sites affiliated with the platform. You can upload as many photos as you want, as well as contact info and open-house schedules.
Trulia’s design and layout is usable and inviting. Renters are able to adjust filters to see a group of photo listings with crucial statistics.
The site also provides useful information for renters such as properties for sale and rent, community insights, neighborhood information, and parcel listings.
Cost: Free
Realtor.com
Realtor.com has a straightforward, easy-to-use website and mobile app. It’s run by the National Association of Realtors, so it offers extensive and up-to-date information on its listings and realtors.
Thanks to Realtor.com’s specialized filters, renters are able to find the exact rental they’re looking for, and landlords can rest easy knowing their properties are reaching interested renters.
The site has a reputable history of being a secure place for renters to find quality rental properties. In order to maintain their reputation, Realtor.com only allows licensed real estate professionals and realtors to post listings on their site.
Cost: Depends on services used.
Facebook Marketplace
Facebook is the biggest social media platform in the world. As such, it can also be a useful marketing tool for your real estate business. If you’ve been avoiding Facebook Marketplace, now might be the time to consider giving it a try.
Facebook Marketplace allows you to reach a wide pool of renters. It shows your unit to renters looking for a property in your location. The site works just like any other listing site, allowing you to post descriptions, photos, and any other important information about the rental..
Cost: Free
Post your Rental on Listing Sites
Here’s what you really need to know about the best listing sites: they allow you to post detailed descriptions, add all of your high quality photos, include your contact information, and post for free of course.
Some of the sites we’ve gone over include added landlord-specific services. These can be helpful, but your primary concern here is how well they reach renters that will be interested in your listing. For landlord-specific services like rent collection, online lease signing, tenant screening, and more, consider property management software. Some property management software platforms will actually allow you to syndicate your listing to many of these sites all at once, making life much easier.
These are only a few of the best sites on the market, but hopefully our breakdown has made your selection easier.
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