We’ve all heard the expression, “You get what you pay for.” Does that mean what it used to? Well, yes and no. When it comes to rental property advertising, the choices are varied and numerous.
Free has generally equated to lesser or poorer quality. Same for their results. If you look hard enough though, that’s not always the case anymore. Some of the best rental information out there now is free and on par with the websites that do charge. Free has turned out to be a powerful marketing weapon.
I had read a blog post recently that had really caught my eye. A property owner had complained about the dangers of listing a rental property with one of those free rental advertising sites. The title of the post was the eye catcher for me. It said, “Free rental ads. More harm than good?” A title like that could give someone the mistaken impression that any of these free websites are just not worth the risk. It worked! I believed it myself, for a moment.
What was interesting though, was that none of the harm had been caused by the website itself, but by the information the property owner had submitted to it! Go figure.
Renters want properties. Property owners want results. Will you get the same results listing your apartments or properties with a free site as with a paid site. Maybe, if you’ve done your homework.
Many of the free sites are just not that old or as established yet. But, that’s changing. Although they have a ways to go in capturing more market share, inroads are being made. Probably the biggest obstacle they have to overcome though is building consumer trust.
What builds trust? For a rental listing site, there are several things: The total number of rental property listings they already have, the number of new listings they are getting daily, word of mouth and proven results. By the way, website quality doesn’t play as big a role as you might think in capturing customers. A certain “……..list” site has over 13 million views per month. The sites that do charge continue to provide solid results for their users. For many, peace of mind is worth the extra cost.
These are just some of the items people take into account when deciding where to advertise their own apartments and rental properties. If the traditional sites are going to maintain their competitive edge though, further improvements might be required.
