By Property Management Systems
PORTLAND, Ore. – Is one or more of your Portland Oregon Rental Properties coming up for rent this summer? If so, one of the best ways to ensure that you will be able to speak with the most qualified tenants is to keep your tenant pipeline filled with leads by following these tips.
#1 – Take New Photos and Videos of Your Rentals
As a property owner, one of your top goals should be to publish the best pictures and videos of your rental properties possible because you want prospective tenants to see that online content and be motivated to call, click or contact you online.
If the last time you took new videos or photos of your rental properties was a few years ago you should get started now with creating new online content by hiring a professional photographer to come out to your rental property to take new interior/exterior photos of your rental property as well as video.
Even if you hire a professional photographer for only one hour, the investment will be worth the long-term benefits of having good content online for promoting your rental properties.
Don’t want to hire a professional to take pictures or video of your rental properties? If so, follow these simple tips:
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Use a tripod.Putting whatever camera, you have on a tripod allows you to steady the camera and be more deliberate in making your composition. With a digital camera, you can take a quick test shot and review it to make adjustments for the final shot. First, adjust the overall composition and what is in the frame by moving the camera or changing the lens — it really helps if your camera is on a tripod. Make the next adjustments by changing or moving the furnishings and objects in the room so they are most pleasing in the photo.
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Take low shots.One really important compositional consideration is how high the camera is off the ground. I like to shoot with my camera about 40 inches off the floor. When your camera sits lower than eye level, your photos will look more like those you see in magazines.
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Shoot straight on.Try to set your camera straight and not tilt it up or down. When you tilt the camera, the vertical lines in the photo get distorted, which won’t look professional. For a strong composition, shoot straight onto an elevation of a room or building. To do this, you want the camera sensor to be parallel to your subject. The result is often a more pleasing photo that has a nice, graphic feeling.
Publishing quality online pictures and video of your rental properties will pay off; many companies including Airbnb have found that publishing high-quality images and video pays off better than publishing content that may have been shot on the fly with a mobile phone.
#2 – Get Your Rental Properties on Google Maps
Another important way to reach excellent tenants is to make sure that your rental properties can be found on Google maps.
If your property can’t be found on Google maps, you should hire a professional photographer to take an excellent street view picture of your property and then go to https://www.google.com/mapmaker to submit your Google Maps listing.
This step is important because most tenants will go to Google maps first to check out a rental property and get a good idea of what the neighborhood is like before they decide to visit the property in person.
#3 – Review and Improve Your Online Reputation
Have you researched your online reputation lately? Not sure if you have one?
Go to Google to research your name and you might be surprised with what you find.
It’s a fact: people believe reviews work. According to a Search Engine Land study, 88% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. Gathering positive online reviews is no easy task and needs to be worked into your business processes. The benefits far outweigh the inconvenience of asking previous tenants for a positive review.
To find the best places to post reviews, perform a Google search for “home rental reviews + CITY”. For instance, “home rental reviews Indianapolis” brought up Zillow, Yelp, and TripAdvisor.
An added bonus: A recent survey of the world’s top SEO experts ranked reviews and social signals as highly important factors Google considers when computing search rankings.
Hire Professional Property Management
Last of all, but most important, another great way to ensure that your rental property is only rented to the most qualified tenants is to hire a professional property management company.
A professional property manager will save you the time, money and hassle of renting your properties yourself so you can focus on living your normal life and enjoying the ROI from your rental properties without having to do the legwork that comes with renting your properties yourself.
To learn more about the property management services we can offer you contact us today by calling (503) 515-3170 or click here to connect with us online.
